Apple Bluetooth Wireless Mighty Mouse
by Apple Computer
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Our Price: $159.89 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $23.49 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple Bluetooth Wireless Mighty Mouse
Customer Review: Best mouse ever, especially for a mac laptop
Summary: 5 Stars
This is hands down the best mouse of all time -- the best pointing device of any kind of all time. The next best mouse you've ever used is an 8.0/10 -- this one's a 9.9/10. For readers who have experience with both a TiVo and a TiVo competitor, that's a suitable parallel. Yes, all the basic features are there in the non-TiVo and you can use it and you might never even notice it had any design flaws -- until you switch to the TiVo, and you realize just how much of a major difference those minor details make. I will never switch away from this mouse.
Some of the details that really make the difference:
1. Flawless performance (rare for wireless devices, and I've tried many)
2. No dongle, due to built in bluetooth on Mac (makes a huge difference for a portable machine)
3. 2D window scrolling! No other mouse has it (except the wired version of this mouse)
4. Pre-programmed to work great with Expose and Dashboard -- very helpful
5. Off switch!! So many "portable" mice lack this no-brainer feature
6. No charger + long battery life!! Other "portable" mice aren't due to the charger
With any Mac, this is the best mouse. Wired mice eventually get tangled up. Roller ball mice get gummed up and become worthless. Other wireless mice experience dropouts. Most mice have tons of buttons that you can program but you never do. This mouse works perfectly every time and simply gets out of your way to let you do your work (a hallmark of Apple design in general). Your buttons are there but are not overwhelming, and they're pre-programmed to the right things on your Mac right out of the box. 2D window scrolling means you're spending less time switching between mouse and keyboard. I'm a right-hander, but for left-handers, there are zero ergonomic issues.
With a Mac laptop, this mouse shines brilliantly. I use a laptop as my primary machine, which works very well -- all my files are always there, no matter where I go, I don't have to hassle with networks at work or home. But I do need the option of a mouse, because no pointing device built in to any laptop of any brand is as efficient as using an external mouse. Wired mice or mice with dongles add friction to your experience so you often just end up not bothering to set them up, rendering them effectively useless. "Travel" mice suck, they're too small to be used comfortably or correctly, eliminating the point of even bothering. But most full-sized mice either (a) don't have an off switch or (b) require a charger or (c) require a dongle or (d) experience wireless dropouts or other performance problems or (e) have pathetic battery life. None of these problems plauge this mouse. If I haven't convinced you yet that this mouse has tiny details which make big differences, consider this: not only does this mouse have an off-switch, but the off-switch covers the laser optics in the off position, making it safe to just turn it off and throw it in your bag (no lint or scratching). Trivial? You bet. But when something takes 3 seconds to setup or tear down, you'll use it, but if it takes 30 seconds, you'll use the laptop trackpad, making your other external mouse completely worthless.
Try it for a week, you'll never go back.
Customer Review: Joined the Mac keyboard in the trash
Summary: 5 Stars
1. No mouse should cost $70
2. If it does it better be pretty darn special
The Apple Bluetooth Wireless Mighty Mouse would be a great mouse at $30. I had a Logitech trackwheel mouse that worked pretty good with my Mac Mini on a 37" LCD from across the room. Thats why I bought the Logitech, it works over the width of a typical room pretty well, and I didn't need to use some sort of mousepad while sitting on the couch. Only problem with it was all of the other computers I use have normal mice, so I had to think a different way every time I used the trackball. It finally died a sudden death and I thought I would take the chance on this offering from Apple. I have been very pleased with my Mac Bluetooth keyboard, I've had it for almost a year on the orginal batteries and it works flawlessly from anywhere in the room, as does the Mighty Mouse. It's itsy bitsy tiny trackball is very precise and easy to control, it sort of defies logic. The very best thing is I can mouse along on the arm of my leather chair, or my pant leg, or my bare leg, or any surface I can find and it works perfectly. No mouse I have ever used has been able to do that. I've only had it for a day and will probably update this review in the future, but this seems to be everything a mouse could be. Negatives? Yes. The right mouse button seems to be quirky. I think its supposed to be that way, most Mac'ers won't use it anyway, but it is quickly turning me into a single button user (after many years of depending on the second button on my PC). I just have to learn the trick I guess. The other things has to do with using the trackball as a button. I will probably turn that feature off, but I wish I didn't have to. I like what it does, except it is too sensitive. It would be nice if that button had a sensitivity control. I think the side buttons are poorly placed and difficult to click, but I doubt if I will really use them. This is a product that is so ideal for those of us who have a Mac connected to our large-screen TVs in the living room that it's not even funny. For that application it may be the perfect mouse in the world. Would I use it on my desktop computer? Probably not, I don't see what spending $70 for it would give me. Bottom line: Nice product at a price far higher than it should be. This thing probably costs Apple about $2 to build and market.
UPDATE:
I ended my review with the comment that it probably cost Apple $2 to build this mouse. After about a year I honestly believe that comment. What a frustrating experience, yet another example of Apple-hype and ridiculous claims for a product that seems to be designed to break down. The little trackball became gritty, there's no way it couldn't, and hardly did anything (and there's no way to effectively clean it). The smooth pads on the bottom became so rough you could hardly move the mouse, let alone accurately and the stiff side buttons that everyone hates ended up being totally useless. Why does Apple persist in continuing to destroy their already dreadful reputation? 1.1 stars for this overpriced paperweight.
Customer Review: Disposable Mouse
Summary: 2 Stars
My feelings toward this mouse are love-hate. I usually like Apple's product designs, but I can't ignore their faults.
I have used this mouse for about eight months - which I purchased for use with my Macbook Pro. The shape of this mouse is perfect for my hand. I wouldn't recommend any earlier Apple mice as the scroll ball, right click sensor, and squeeze buttons truly unlock the potential of Mac OS navigation - easily triggering expose features and allowing scrolling and right clicking - things that should have been possible long ago.
It takes a short time to become comfortable with right clicking and squeezing. Squeezing is an especially unusual operation, as I find myself repositioning my hand around the mouse to squeeze the side buttons simultaneously with my thumb and middle finger. It feels like the only way to get a solid grip, but it becomes natural. I also have an iMac with a wired mighty mouse which doesn't seem to require the same squeezing force.
The laser optics work on more surfaces than regular optical (great because I'll never use a mouse pad) and I prefer the absence of that distracting red light.
Apple has actually achieved form and function. However, the scroll ball function is poorly implemented and it's a disaster to try to clean it out. After a fair amount of use the scroll ball stops working in directions that have become dirty. More often than not the ball will stop scrolling down but still scrolls up. To clean the scroll ball compartment actually results in a "broken" mouse, because you need to remove a plastic ring that is glued to the bottom of the mouse in order to release the bottom assembly from the top casing. Once you've broken you're way in, three tiny screws seal the scroll ball compartment to the outer shell. If you strip one of these, you have to break that off as well. Inside the compartment is four miniscule rollers that never really seem to get clean and may or may not work after you re-assemble the mouse.
The mouse seems subject to relapse soon after its first cleaning, and you end up with an ugly underside because it just doesn't seem worth it to glue the ring back on (which serves no purpose). Pushing the scroll ball was a nice way to access the dashboard, but I've set it to be a "third button" so I can scroll in my web browser.
Also disappointing that this mouse is not rechargeable. Lasts several weeks on two double As but it's inconvenient and expensive to change them. Further, Mac OS is extremely naggy about low batteries - warning dozens of times before the mouse actually gets low (and still works fine).
This mouse is a perfect match with a Mac and has the right idea for functionality (unless you need several extra buttons), but I'd like to see one with a different scroll technology (touch scrolling?) or an improved scroll ball. If we have to clean out the scroll ball, at least make it accessible. I'm not going to make use of a warranty that leaves me without a mouse for two weeks.
Customer Review: Rating a PROVISIONAL 5 - trackwheel problematic
Summary: 2 Stars
I got my Apple Bluetooth Wireless Mouse when I bought my first Mac because I do not like wires on anything since I use my computer a lot.
Setup was a breeze, and battery life is not bad. I have been using cheapy batteries which I have to change probably every month or so.
The size is a little small and the constant pressure on my hand is a bit fatiguing, but that is acceptable. I have been used to using a larger PC logitech mouse. No mouse is perfect in shape, but I prefer larger ones because they are easier to use my whole arm to manipulate, not just my fingers.
The weight is a bit heavy. Since I have the same mouse as a wired mouse the comparison is there. The wired mouse is light as a feather, and much nicer to use, takes less pressure to grip it an move it, but the wireless heavier mouse is useable. I would prefer it to be lighter.
I find that sometimes it is a bit hard to differentiate between the left and right click, and as a matter of fact when I first bought it I did not even realize that it could do both. Once you get used to it it is fine. But if you are on a non-level or not a hard surface you might have clicking problems.
My main problem has been trackball/scrollwheel flakiness. To scroll around on the screen Apple replaced what is nomally a scrollwheel on most mouses with a trackball the size of a pea. It is a great idea. When it is working you have real fine tuned control of your mouse's scrolling.
BUT, there is a problem here. Soon after I got the mouse it stopped scrolling in the up direction. I could view a web page in the downward direction, but had to click and drag to go back up. Very odd, it was not there in some applications too. It was just flaky. Then the direction that you scroll to go up changes ... I seemed to have to scroll sidesways. Or I had to press really hard and push it back and forth to get it to register.
When this happens it is very disconcerting. Change the batteries, work the mouse back and forth, and it is not always the same problem. Sometimes it will just stop moving in one direction. That does not seem to make sense, but there it is.
I found that take a cloth and spraying it with isopropyl alcohol and rubbing the trackball in all directions seems to help. I was furious at Apple for having such a great idea and product that pulls this kind of stuff - it drives you crazy.
The cloth cleaning method seems to work for now with me so I am happy again.
If this continues to work I will keep this high rating, if it doesn't I will complain more. There is nothing worse that getting something you like that works really well, and then finding a fatal flaw in it.
I love the trackwheel, and the fine-tuned control it gives me and probably you will too - good luck.
Customer Review: Horrible and Frustrating!
Summary: 1 Stars
"Let's face it, in the world of technology the mouse is not exactly the most complicated piece of gear in a computer environment! It should have a minimum of basic features that work well. The Apple Mighty Mouse is way off the mark! I recently transitioned from a PC to an IMac and this is just one of the many frustrating elements of adapting to the Apple world!
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Sure, the mouse connects via bluetooth built in to the Mac so there are no external connections whatsoever. It is white and matches the keyboard and Mac console. 2 great features. Does it work? No!
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First, the size is so small that only the smallest of hands would be comfortable using it. Also, the shape has no ergonomic design at all. It's just flat! Look around at any other mouse out there, there's a reason they have hand molded shapes! This one is just plain uncomfortable and will actually strain your hand/wrist in long sessions of use (especially if you have larger hands like me).
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The worse function of this mouse, however, comes from it's lack of acceleration. There are no adjustments (beyond maxing out Tracking speed - which I did) to make this mouse speed across your screen like all the other PC based mice I have ever used. What this means is that you will have to physically pick up the mouse and move it to navigate your full screen (you'd run off the edge of your desk otherwise). To make it across my 24" screen (20" actual) the mouse must be moved 5" laterally (side to side). To move top to bottom 13" it needs to be moved 3". On my PC using a Logitech wireless laser mouse at fastest setting, I barely have to move my wrist to get the cursor from one side of the screen to the other.
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Finally, the dual button functionality most of us are use to on all other mice is incorporated into a single side sensitive button on the Mighty Mouse. However, as slick as this may look, it fail to work consistently. So, you'll be frustrated that you're pressing the right front part of the mouse and either nothing happens or it performs a "left" click instead of the desired "right".
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The mouse has a button on the bottom to "turn off" to save batteries, but I doubt anyone will use this with any regularity. Thus, the battery life when left "on" is rather short. My Energizer Lithium (takes 2 AA's) lasted 7 weeks.
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I will now seek a much better designed and functioning mouse to replace this major flaw in equipment. It's amazing that Apple can offer this dysfunctional mouse as it's only wireless choice! Stay clear and go for a proven winner like Logitech and many other non-Apple brands.
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Happy mousing!"