Magic Mouse: Decent Mouse, No Magic Spell

November 21st, 2009

I picked up the Apple Magic Mouse a while back, but took the time to really put it through its paces before writing this review.

The Good

• Definitely better than the previous, Mighty Mouse, which I disliked, specifically that dirt-prone track ball. The Magic Mouse eschews the ball for a glassy, flat touch surface, intentionally similar to the glass iPhone touch screen. If you have an iPhone, stroking the Magic Mouse will feel instantly familiar and satisfying.
• The entire mouse-surface pushes down slightly and provides a solid, satisfying click.
• The touch scroll has momentum, meaning it simulates flicking a wheel that spins a bit further on its own. Really nice once you get used to it.

The Bad

• Not as many control options as I hoped. You get a single click, a right click, scroll in different directions, and the multi-finger swipe left or right. You can’t program the swipes to whatever you want. Pinch to zoom isn’t supported. It seems like there should be more assignable gestures or taps on different areas of the mouse. Folks used to mice with a lot more buttons will find this limiting.
• The bottom of the mouse has two long, black rails. Pretty much every mouse I’ve ever owned has had a few small, slick plastic feet. The rails occasionally feel like they’re slowing things down.
• Wish the mouse surface could act as a trackpad. Meaning, just trace a finger on the surface to control the cursor.

Conclusion

Recommended if you currently have a Mighty Mouse. Not recommended if you make extensive use of multiple buttons on your mouse.

Although I’m currently using the Magic Mouse regularly with no problems, I still haven’t pulled the plug on the much cheaper Logitech LX7 mouse — it’s still sitting here as a secondary option. I think this is important to note — this “magic” mouse has yet to cast a spell that makes me fall unequivocally in love with it.