Posted on 08/02/2005 8:43:02 AM PDT by Dont Mention the War
Apple Introduces Mighty Mouse
New Multi-Button Mouse Features Innovative Scroll Ball
CUPERTINO, CaliforniaAugust 2, 2005Apple® today introduced Mighty Mouse, its next generation mouse with several innovative new features that make using a Mac® even more powerful and easy. Mighty Mouse offers power users up to four independently programmable buttons, without compromising simplicity for users who prefer just a single-button mouse. Mighty Mouse also introduces an ingenious Scroll Ball that lets users scroll in any directionvertically, horizontally and even diagonally. With the Scroll Ball, users can scroll with natural, fluid movements, making Mighty Mouse perfect for applications from viewing web pages and photographs, to video editing and music creation. Mighty Mouse is priced at just $49.
With Mighty Mouse, weve simply built a better mouse, said David Moody, Apples vice president of Worldwide Mac Product Marketing. With its innovative Scroll Ball and unique integration of multiple buttons, Mighty Mouse adds functionality while retaining the elegant, easy-to-use Apple design.
Mighty Mouse is the first multi-button mouse that retains the simplicity of a single-button mouse, and can be used as a single- or multi-button mouse depending on the users preference. Mighty Mouse features a single seamless enclosure with programmable touch sensors that act as primary or secondary buttons. With a simple click on the upper right or left side of the mouse, users can instantly access features such as contextual menus found in Mac OS® X and other applications. Mighty Mouses two other buttons are activated by pressing its Scroll Ball and squeezing its sides, and can be easily programmed to give users one-click access to Mac OS X version 10.4.2 Tiger features such as Spotlight , Dashboard and Exposé, or to launch any application such as Safari or iChat.
Mighty Mouse features an easy-to-use design that comfortably fits the left or right hand and an optical tracking engine for responsive and accurate cursor movement on almost any type of surface. With up to four programmable buttons, Mighty Mouse makes it easy to access key features of Tiger with the side buttons and Scroll Ball providing quick, one-click access to Spotlight, Dashboard and Exposé.
Pricing & Availability Mighty Mouse is available immediately through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), at Apples retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $49 (US). Mighty Mouse requires Mac OS X, Windows 2000 or Windows XP and easily connects to Mac and Windows systems; Mac OS X version 10.4.2 Tiger is required to customize buttons for one-click access to Spotlight, Dashboard and Exposé or to launch applications. Mighty Mouse is compatible with either USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 ports.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store.
Press Contacts: Teresa Weaver Apple (408) 974-6851 tweaver@apple.com
Pam Bennett Apple (408) 974-7608 pamb@apple.com
NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apples PR website, or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.
No, Windows and IBM made smart moves in the 80s, while APPLE decided to stick to proprietary hardware. . .
And exactly what smart move did IBM make and what is IBM's market share of personal computers today???
IBM did not suddenly, in a "smart" business decision, decide to open its architecture to anybody and everybody... in fact, they did everything they could through lawsuits, contracts, and secrecy to prevent it. But the cat was already out of the bag when the first IBM PC was shipped made of off the shelf parts, including the OS, provided by third party vendors. The only thing that IBM truly had total rights to was the BIOS... and that was reverse engineered in less than two years.
Did Apple make some bad decisions? You bet. They tried to be all things to their customers... going proprietary on things that did not need to be proprietary. However, for certain applications it made sense to provide the computer, software, monitor, and printer - Apple could control the quality and assure that, from start to finish, all the hardware worked together to provide quality WYSIWYG output. As a result, Apple siezed the publishing industry and kept it for many years.
As to innovation, you seriously aren't implying that a 2 button mouse is an innovation in the year 2005 are you? Or that taking an existing OS and an opensource solution such as KVM and the like and proprietarizing them are huge innovations are you?
As to innovation, a two button mouse is not an innovation in 2005. But the mouse under question here with its scroll BALL that allows scrolling in 360º directions, not just up and down, or left and right, is an innovation. Almost ALL innovation is the combining of existing technologies in new, useful ways. By that definition, OSX meets the requirement.
In a Capitalist economy, it is both... a product with a phenomenal markup, potentially providing a huge profit, cannot meet that potential without sales. Similarly, a product with a 100% market share that is sold at cost has no profits...
Forget Best Buy, you can get the best deal on a mouse on Ebay. I paid $6.00 plus $5.00 shipping on a logitec track ball mouse. They sell for $40 plus at Best Buy.
And on my Mac at work, I have a logitec mouse - the other buttons don't work on it but it works much better and is much easier on my hand than the apple mouse.
You're too late... OSX has had a line command for five years now...
In a way you are right... they were trying to appeal to people who wanted to use their computers as an appliance... to use it as simply as possible. I have met numerous PC users who STILL, after years of trying to use the PCs as appliances, have problems remember whether a specific action requires a left or right click. I have never run into a Mac user with the same dis-clickia problem. ;^)>
The point, respectfully submitted, is that more than one button adds levels of complexity. "Do I left click? or do I right click? What happens if I click wrong?" Numerous studies of user interface have demonstrated that for most users a single button mouse is easier to master and use. Apple took these studies to heart. This finding was demonstrated to me quite impressively in my experiences training the neophytes on both platforms simultaneously and differences in the learning curves between one and two button mouses.
At the time I started doing this training, I was an Amiga user... with a five button, trackball device. I had moved to there from the original two button Amiga mouse. Incidentally, I developed the database (which is still in use 18 years later) on my Amiga emulating a Mac and tested the PC version on my Amiga emulating a PC!
As a user gains confidence and mastery of the one button mouse he may find that it is more convenient to move to a multi-button mouse or other input device. Would you hand your grandmother (or your mother) a sophisticated gamer's input device as her first experience with the mouse/pointer metaphore?
As to why Apple is introducing a multi-button mouse now, note that their computer still ship with the one button mouse... the Mighty-Mouse is an after-market offering for those who choose to upgrade.
Me... I'll stick to my Logitech 3 button, scroll wheeled, thumb trackball. . . which I started using with a Mac 6400 in 1995 (I think) in an ADB version... now in a USB version that works with my G5. As I said, we Mac users CAN get along with a single button mouse . . . in fact, you can do everything normally done with it. . . but if we want more, we go and buy it.
If the other buttons don't work, you must not be using OSX on your work Mac.
OSX recognizes additional buttons, wheels, etc., and is true plug and play without a driver.
On OS9 and below the Logitech inut devices require a driver which can be downloaded. Install the driver and your other buttons will work.
Thanks. We are not using OSX. They keep telling us we will be getting it but they have been saying that for a while.
Frankly, I don't understand why they don't go to PC. Half the building - inclucing some in the art department are on PC.
The only reason I say that is because if they can not keep the systems updated with mac then it would at least be better to have updated PC's which they coul afford.
Anyhow, we just rebuild our desktop once at lunch and we seem to plod along ok.
I don't like E-Bay, just not place I go anymore, and I like to be able to monkey with a sample product before I buy. And when I decide to buy a mouse it's because the one I'm using died, I need a mouse by the time I get home from shopping for it, not after some possible con-artist gets around to mailing it.
The Logitech MX 1000 is the best input device on the market, bar none. Glad to see Apple forge ahead technologically with a multi-button mouse. [love to tweak Apple chauvinists]
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