Magic Mouse. Source: Apple.com
The most personal piece of any personal computer is arguably the humble mouse. Not surprising since apart from the keyboard, it’s the piece you physically interact with all day.
Most computer users are happy to use whatever rodent shipped with their computer, but for heavy users, the mouse is an object of strong opinion—one man’s objet d’art is another man’s torture instrument. Apple, as usual when it comes to industrial design, is on the forefront of innovation in this arena.
The Magic Mouse is the first mouse to have no buttons and no scroll wheel, a tapered white monolith that is the essence of clean. Apple being Apple, there is no wired option—you want the Magic, you go BlueTooth.
And yes, it’s weird at first, as your fingers unconsciously search for a button or wheel to navigate from. But after a surprisingly short time, it starts to feel right. Drag your fingers up and down on the mouse to scroll. Sideways to go back and forth in applications that support it.
But it still feels like a half-measure: at least for yours truly, the top surface gets so achingly close to being a trackpad that it’s frustrating to not be able to do all the gestures of a trackpad, like pinch to zoom in and out. Perhaps in a later version.
Nevertheless, after several days of heavy use, the Magic Mouse manages the most important feat for a mouse: it disappears, leaving you with your intent instead of the physical act.
Should you buy one? Depends on you. Mice being so much a matter of personal preference, and the Magic Mouse being such a break from tradition, you’d do well to try before you buy.