Where are the buttons? (Apple Mighty Mouse)

Member Name: DavidRx

Product:	Apple Mighty Mouse
Date:	11/01/07 (128 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simplicity

Disadvantages: Scroll wheel

Stylish design triumph or ergonomic nightmare?
If there has ever been an Achilles heel for the Mac it has always been the mouse. Specifically the lack if a second button (for right clicking) just seems to really bother some people, but with this mouse the button options (potentially 5) are almost too much.

The scroll ball.
I'm pretty sure this is the first Apple mouse with a scrolling ball/wheel. This is not so much of a wheel as a nipple (or “revolutionary Scroll Ball” as Apple’s never bashful marketing dept. puts it) that lets you scroll not only up and down but also sideways. As a tactile sensation it reminds me of those awful red pointers IMB used on their ThinkPads. It does seem a bit fragile as it occasionally stops working for downwards scrolling as accumulated gunk seems to jam up how the ball works.

Assigning functions
Depending on where you click on the mouse you can get different effects. If you go into System preferences and then click on the mouse option, you'll find you can configure what the mouse does depending on how you click with it.

You have the option of assigning what happens when you click on the front right or left of the mouse, assigning those as primary (left click) or secondary (right click) buttons. You can also assign the scroll wheel when pushed down as well as the squeeze function on the sides of the mouse. As the previous reviewer mentioned you can also adjust the tactile response required for this so you don’t get RSI after a week of use.

For instance, you can set the mouse to clear all windows with a right click, use a side squeeze to show all open windows (via expose), left click to show the hardrive, scroll ball click to….well you get the picture. Pretty much anything you would use a function key for can be done by changing where you click on the mouse.

It's hard to get excited about a mouse (you’d think after 30 years somebody would’ve come up with a better way of interacting with a computer) so I have no real complaints other than wishing the scroll ball was a bit more substantial/solid. It's certainly a lot better than the old hockey puck style mouse that shipped with the original iMac.

You can also get a wireless version if the standard USB version is too low tech for your needs.

Summary: It's just a mouse.

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