Apple Introduces Mighty Mouse (Finally, a multi-button mouse from Apple!)

Apple Computer, Inc. ^ | August 2, 2005

[Dont Mention the War]

Apple Introduces Mighty Mouse

New Multi-Button Mouse Features Innovative Scroll Ball

CUPERTINO, California—August 2, 2005—Apple® 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 direction—vertically, 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, we’ve simply built a better mouse,” said David Moody, Apple’s 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 user’s 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 Mouse’s 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 Apple’s 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 Apple’s PR website, or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.

[bmwcyle]

Next, The Apple Command Line Command

[theFIRMbss]

>Apple celebrates doing something everyone else did 20 years ago?

[theFIRMbss]

>Next, The Apple Command Line Command

I have kind of dreamed
Apple would release a cheap
(maybe fifty bucks)

old Apple II clone --
expandable OS and
integer basic

and the same old slots . . .
I think it would be great fun
to play around on . . .

[bmwcyle]

To live again.

[SunkenCiv]

Another great leap backward, thanks to Jobs.

[HamiltonJay]

Circa 1985... Damn Commodore 64 had a 2 button mouse... Apple... A generation late.

[syriacus]

I want one now.

[Leonard210]

Um, actually, no. We want a multibutton input device, we go and get one that meets our wants and needs.

I sold Macs in a retail store for two years and the one button mouse was often a topic of discussion. Mostly along the lines, "Why doesn't this come with a multi-button mouse?" My instructions were to simply demonstrate "control-click". The fact that there was an entire row of mice two isles over does not negate the fact that Apple was proud of its one-button mouse...years after it was a great idea.

[dvwjr]

Yep. I've got two IBM Model M 'clicky' keyboards, which will outlast me. The finest design of the 1980s still going strong. When I see the junk that passes for cheap keyboards today, I can see why most people stick to using the mouse.

The company is Unicomp, they eventually bought the rights to the IBM Model M 'buckling spring' technology. They make new ones, repair old IBM Model Ms and sell variations. Highly recommended!

dvwjr

[CheneyChick]

Apple celebrates doing something everyone else did 20 years ago?

Say that again after you've tried Mac OS X 10.4.

[HamiltonJay]

Sorry, but I've been using Unix for years.. I'm glad someone finally put a nice graphic front end on the BSD kernel.. but please, Apple has been behind the curve for a long long long time on many things.

There is a reason that Apple has about a 5% market share... and its largely because of their own short sighted decisions over the years.

[Military family member]

I just replaced my 1996 G3 with a brand new, G5. It has the Apple Pro Mouse (laser).

Interesting enough, I've also been learning to do everything without a mouse because my son has vision problems and often can't find the pointer. He can move through the keystrokes almost as fast as most folks scroll with a mouse.... It's all what you learn.

[Dont Mention the War]

You know about Universal Access, right?

[CheneyChick]

So, according to your logic, since Windoze (not built on BSD) has the majority of the marketshare they are on the "curve" or ahead of the "curve"? Which is it? Marketshare or innovation? Obviously, it can't be both.

[HamiltonJay]

No, Windows and IBM made smart moves in the 80s, while APPLE decided to stick to proprietary hardware and

No one debates that the GUI is a bad invention.. of course Apple didn't invent it XEROX did... and then didn't know what to do with it, and Apple ran with it.

Had apple not been so short sighted as to be worrying about the commodity (hardware) they might have remained a real player, instead of a 5%er.

They are finally 20 years later making the move to correct some of their 20 years of its our way or no way nonsense.

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?

Don't get me wrong, I"m glad someone finally put the effort into putting a solid graphical front end onto UNIX, but its not like they crossed some great and new technological devide.

Apples primary market driver is "COOL".... more than major tech innovation. And that's nice... I am glad they are doing things like the MINI.. something that the PC market should have done a LONG time ago... I'm glad they're out there in the game.... but sizzle only takes you so far.

Apple may, now that its going onto intel hardware, finally have a shot at being a player in the home PC market, provided they don't much it up.... Which it looks like they are doing...

You let your OS be installed on any INTEL box, and you might see Apple take market share for MS.... but since they are ensuring that only Apple hardware will install the new intall OS... it looks like they are going to cut off their noses once again.

[CheneyChick]

As a shareholder, I hardly look at them as having "cut off their noses once again".

[CheneyChick]

What determines success? Marketshare or Profitability?

[Swordmaker]

The fact that there was an entire row of mice two isles over does not negate the fact that Apple was proud of its one-button mouse...years after it was a great idea.

On the other hand, I have trained people totally unfamiliar with computers to use a sophisticated database... from scratch. Some of these people were literally living on the street. The database (my design in FileMaker) worked on both Macs and PCs.

I usually started these neophytes by letting them get familiar with the mouse by playing some simple games... solitaire, etc. This gets them familiar with the mouse to screen metaphore including clicking. On a Mac with its one button mouse, the tyro users are ready to use the database on their own after two hours (Half hour of games, 1.5 hours of DB training)... on the PC with its two button mouse, they were still confusing left and right buttons, asking me which button, hours after the Mac users were independently working on the database.

[Leonard210]

OK, OK, you win Swordmaker. Apple was trying to appeal to street people all these years and somehow I missed it. Honestly. I love my Mac, but I only took a sip of the Kool-Aid. If a single-button mouse was such a great idea, why introduce a mulit-button mouse now? (He asked respectfully.)

[Dinsdale]

Say that again after you've tried Mac OS X 10.4.

Exactly his point. Apple was the last vendor to ship a real OS (protected memory and preemptive multitasking).

Now they act like they invented the thing.