Review: Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse
The last computer peripheral I need to replaced before having a complete Apple setup was my mouse. For many years, I have been extremely fond of Logitech mice. Ergonomics, performance and features - Logitech mice have it all. When the MX1000 was released, I was the first guy in my dorm to get one and have never regretted the purchase. The MX1000 and G5, my current mouse, both use ILDs or Injection Laser Diodes instead of LEDs, commonly referred to as simply “optical” when talking about mice.
Laser mice provide the precision I need when dealing with pixel-sensitive projects in Photoshop and now I only use Laser mice. However, there are a few problems with my Logitech G5 mouse. First off, it’s wired and now that I’m using a MacBook, portability is a must, that is being hindered by the need to constantly unplug and plug it in. Even with the MX1000 that is a problem as it uses a big dock. The solution is a wireless mouse that can operate seamlessly with the integrated Bluetooth of all Macs. Sometime last week Apple solved this problem by releasing the upgraded and wireless version of the first multi-button Apple mouse, the Mighty Mouse.
Tech Specs
Unlike the wired Mighty Mouse, the wireless Mighty Mouse uses a laser sensor instead of an optical one. It also uses the Bluetooth protocol and does not require any sort of dock or dongle so you can take it from Mac to Mac and mouse around flawlessly. It’s powered by two AA batteries, but there is an interesting feature - it can operate with just one or two batteries. Pretty nifty if you ask me - use two batteries for endurance or one for nimble, lightweight mousing. Speaking of batteries, the wireless Mighty Mouse comes with 2 Energizer Lithium AA-sized batteries. The fact that they were lithium was a nice surprise as they should last a long time. The use of AA batteries is also great for traveling; should the batteries die on your trip to Europe, you can find replacements at any convenience store. The wireless Mighty Mouse comes in at a retail price of $69, which is inline with other mice of its caliber.
Laser Technology
If you’ve never used a laser mouse, now is the time to start. Mice using laser technology instead of optical are not only much more accurate. Optical mice work by bouncing light off the object you’re mousing on and detecting the reflection. With laser mice, the beam that it shoots is much smaller, therefore it can detect more detail in the surface it’s on. The result: you can mouse on just about any surface from glass counter tops to steel tables. I know that one of the older, optical mice I had at school struggled with the obscure wood grain patterns on my desk but that’s all a non-issue with laser mice. The only bad thing about the wireless Mighty Mouse using a laser tracking system is that you won’t be able to get this cool easter egg.
Buttons
The wireless Mighty Mouse has the ability to left-click, right-click, middle-click and scroll in any direction (if you have set 360 degree mode in Sys Prefs). There is also the ability for one more action of your choice. Through the bundled software you can tie any action, such as opening the Dashboard, to the two squeeze buttons on the side of the Mighty Mouse. While there are two buttons on the side, they only trigger one action. However, I needed to squeeze them with more force than I’d like to get them to “click.” You must really have a burning desire to open the Dashboard to squeeze for it. Maybe they’ll break in and get easier to squeeze down the line.
With the bundled software, you can customize many aspects of the mouse as well as keep track of its battery life.
Clicks on the wireless Mighty Mouse are strong while providing ample tactile feedback. You will never experience a “did it click?” moment. However, the downside to this comes with the fact that it is a tad loud for clicking. This is not the kind of mouse you want when computing at 4am while your roommate, only a few feet away, is sleeping. In this case, using the wireless Mighty Mouse will get you a pillow to the head.
One thing to be noted about the left and right click is that they are actuated on a seamless top shell of the mouse. Never having used a Mighty Mouse before, I thought that it would be hard to distinguish between a right and left click. Fortunately, none of that was true so when I want to right-click, I always get a right-click. But I have noticed one thing: since the mouse detects clicks via its touch-sensitive surface, it is almost impossible to get a right-click without taking your finger off the left-click. This might be a deal breaker for some.
The absolute best part of the mouse is the scroll ball. Yup, that’s right - bye bye scroll wheel. The scroll ball, not much larger than a BB, rolls around with exceptional ease. Although, I do wish it was slightly larger as controlling it with any accuracy would be a little difficult with larger hands. I also wish that the scroll ball had some kind of feedback. With most other mice, the scroll wheel has distinctive “clicks” by which you can tell how far you’ve scrolled.
The middle-click function of the scroll ball is a little unique from most middle-click actions on other mice. Lightly pushing on the scroll ball to the point where it is depressed does not activate a middle-click. I actually find this to be great. Instead, you must click harder, to the point where a regular click is also set-off. It’s a bit hard to explain… go to an Apple Store and see for yourself. Just a tiny detail.
Ergonomics
Apple’s wireless Mighty Mouse is far from the massive size and weight of the MX1000 or G5 (the included lithium batteries in the wireless MM are considerably lighter than standard-issue alkalines). The shape of the mouse was one thing I was worried about before purchasing it. I had always preferred mice shaped for right handed users created with thumb-rests as the G5 had. However, after using the Mighty Mouse for about an hour, I didn’t really seem to mind the symmetric shape. Compared to most mice, the Mighty Mouse rests low so you are almost using it with your hand completely flattened out. If this is your first time with an Apple mouse, expect some time to get used to it until mousing at your usual proficiency.
The mouse slides around with ease thanks to the the teflon-like border on the bottom.
More Reasons to Buy It
One of those “this is why I love Apple” features is the power switch on the underside of the wireless Mighty Mouse. When switched off, the laser sensor is fully covered, making it safe to pop in your messenger back and head out the door to class not worrying about scratching or otherwise sullying the delicate sensor.
Performance of the mouse is as you would expect with most Apple products - spot on. There is also no noticeable lag when using the mouse energetically.
Verdict
At $69, Apple’s Wireless Mighty Mouse is not for everyone. It is made with mobility in mind and is ideal for MacBook/MacBook Pro users on the run. There’s no need for the monotonous plugging in of USB cords as with other mice. For the right person and application, the wireless Mighty Mouse is a solid, well-designed product. Don’t listen to what TUAW says in their review.
However, if you’re hoping that the wireless Mighty Mouse is the missing link between USB mouse accuracy and bluetooth portability, I hate to say: you’ll have to continue on your quest.
TUAW
I couldn’t disagree more (plus the author likes the old Microsoft Intellimouse!). Unlike his synopsis, I find the wireless Mighty Mouse to have comparable performance to wired laser mice. It might not have the on-the-fly DPI adjustment and customizable weights of my G5, but the wireless Mighty Mouse provides a reliable, non-jittery mousing experience. If you live near an Apple store, go check out the wireless Mighty Mouse in person.
Wow that’s the best looking mouse there is right now. I really like the feature about the mouse running on 1 battery, that’s very cool, also I’m also surprised that it came with very good quality batteries. There are lots of things i liked about the mighty mouse. Now you just convince me on buying one. I’m going to order one online.
I was thinking about adding the wireless version of Might Mouse to my order, but thinking about that it is using batteries. It is ideal to use the USB cabel to supply the mouse with power. On the other side, then the laptop would have been released from giving power to the mouse.
Birger :)
I like how it frees up one of my two USB ports on the MacBook.
I’ve used the Apple wireless mouse previously, but I found the response and cursor precision wasn’t too good. Another drawback was the mouse was way too heavy thanks to the two AA batteries.
I bought the Mighty Mouse when it first came out and I’ve enjoyed using it. The only criticisms I have of it are sometimes right clicks come up when I click on the left side and the software Apple includes should allow users to map keyboard shortcuts onto the buttons. I currently use the scroll button to open links in new tabs.
I’m definitely going to pick up a wireless Mighty Mouse later this month and put my wired one up on eBay. Looking forward to the improved precision and a more lightweight mouse. Thanks for the review.
i unfortunately have to argue the case that it doesn’t seem as accurate to me. when it comes time to do photoshop work i have to used wired mouse. the weight isn’t a big deal to me, but i wish they had come out with a flippin black one. i mean its a no brainer.
Eric, I agree… a black version of the wireless Mighty Mouse would be hot. As for photoshop work and accuracy, I cropped and edited every picture in this review in photoshop with the wireless Mighty Mouse. I think that some of the “it doesn’t feel accurate” stems from the fact that your brain automatically assumes it’s not accurate/laggy because there’s no cord. Vaguely similar to the placebo effect or something.
Paul - great review. I just bought my mighty mouse yesterday and I have to say it’s pretty slick. It really is a great mouse even for my purposes of going back and forth to school, but the price was the hardest part to swallow. I used Quicksilver to add a few more functions to it with “triggers” so now it does even more!
Great review. I’ve been looking to replace the wireless Logitech mouse my wife uses on her iBook.
“Compared to most mice, the Mighty Mouse rests low so you are almost using it with your hand completely flattened out.”
If people are used to cupping a mouse in their palms rather than holding it with their fingers, then yes, there is a flattening out of the hand. When I hold the mouse with my fingertips instead (i.e., with the index finger on or near the scroll bar), it’s just fine. For me, that’s nothing new, so I’m happy.
So did I tell you I have a wired Mighty Mouse. I’ll trade you ;) You’ll never have to worry about batteries needing replacements! Hell, I’ll even give you a great discount!
Great review though. Reminds me of how irritated I was when the local store had none in stock. Must… try… again.. this week.
Hi Paul, great review!
One question though, will it work (on any level) with windows?
I know, I know, but in these bootcamp-days it’s good to be well covered.
That’s an ugly mouse if you ask me. Its glossy Apple white and looks like it belongs next to a Mac of some kind, other than that it doesn’t look very good at all. The price is not in line with other comparible mice, since for one the retail price is significantly higher, and two, you will have to buy from Apple so you will always pay full retail, no discounts here. The benefits like a free extra USB port and excellent portability will win more than a few customers however. Black would be nice, maybe it wil come out in time for Christmas at a $20 premium for the exotic inks and R&D costs that go into all the black Apple products.
The Mighty Mouse is really not for everyone. Just like Apple’s earlier mice, Apple tends to design great looking mice, but low on the ergonomics when compared to other branded mice (e.g. logitech).
I’ve reviewed the wired mighty mouse and after using it for months, I’ve finally called it quits. The one shell button design just makes clicking the left and right buttons tricky at times, and the scroll ball for some reason sank too deep for me to rub.
I’ve since switch to the Logitech V270 bluetooth notebook mouse which is good enough to use in completing Half-Life 2: Episode 1 on the MacBook Pro. :P
Great review, Paul. I’ve had a wired Mighty Mouse since March and I’m a huge fan, though I do occasionally right click by accident when I’m trying to left click.
As soon as a sell my wired version, I’ll be picking up one of these Bluetooth toys to replace it.
I just got my Mighty Mouse a few hours ago in the mail, I love it. Feels great in my hands, accurate, and light.
It seems like a nice product. The new extras over the wired one make me almost want to get it. The only gripe I have has carried over from the wired mouse, unfortunately. You can’t right-click without raising your finger off of the left side.
It’s strange Alex, you’ve just made me realise I instinctively raise my finger off the left side only when I’m using the Mighty Mouse.
Nice Design just a shame the userbility of it is crap, useless for designer as we need better acuracy. Really irritating side buttons make accidents happen when your on a deadline because the frantic mouse movement creates extra clicks.
Overall - Buy the mouse the older version
nice review. just fix your white balance on those pix! makes the mouse look, well, dirty
I can not verify this but its possible people don’t find the device accurate have a Mac with Bluetooth 1.1. The wireless MM, as opposed to the regular wireless mouse. can take advantage of BT 2.0 for increased bandwith.
@Terry:
The side buttons can easily be disabled via the System Preferences. Also, you have to press both buttons at the same time relatively hard in order to activate the click anyway. I don’t think there will be many accidental side squeezes.
Unfortunately I have to disagree with the author as well. While I tried to like this mouse, I simply couldn’t replace my Radtech BT600 with it.
It’s far too easy to inadvertently right click the MM and the waist button is terrible (way too hard to press). If Apple would go back to concentrating on function rather than form, they would be much better off - IMHO.
The Radtech mouse gives me proper ergonomics, charging capability while still being able to use it (think ultimate mobility), includes rechargeable batteries, more buttons, and their Radmouse driver is the best I’ve ever seen - and it costs $10 less. Sorry Apple, you’re getting this one back.
Sean
What about the scroll-ball? My two mighty mouses, the second one I got as a replacement because the first one broke, have both got it jammed. I mean the thing just picks up dust and there´s no way to get it out with out destroying the mouse itself. Are there any differences in the wireless MM?
Other than that, I love the MM ;)
I just got my wireless Mighty Mouse a couple days ago and am using it with my Macbook. If you turn the mouse off and back on again - it does not work and has to be repaired. On a rare occasion this does work. If the computer lid is shut and the mouse is turned off - again no luck. If the mouse is turned on and off a second time - this usually works albeit with a long delay. As a check, I paired my Sony VGP-BMS30 Bluetooth mouse and it pairs within a couple of seconds from any condition. Tracking is very good on both - and I cannot comment on battery life for the Apple yet.
Its strange how seriously crucial so many people think about having to lift a finger to be able to Right Click it. I remember very well when moving to the US that I kept slamming my left hand to the car door when I want to shift gears which is of course on the right. And to make things more complicated its a left hand drive and its an automatic. It made my left foot rather redundant seeking for clutch.. So what I’m tryng to say is if you think you’re gonna have too many a serious accident on not being able to lift a finger for a right click, or 2x AA batteries makes mouse heavy, or bluetooth is too slow, then you’re not gona enjoy the mouse as much as to those people who would adapt. Its all there is to it. I wrote a blog about the Mighty Mouse too. And I’m still loving it today for it fits the nature of my work. It frees up my macbook usb port, it pairs instantanously after sleeps or shut downs on first click, and if my battery runs out I don’t need a wall plug and wait another few minutes before being able to use it again. It would run on one AA long enough to last you more than weeks. I’m still running it on one battery since day 1 I have it. And no I didn’t tweak or kill the LED light to save power. It just works.
Apple’s mice are too slow. Wayyyyyy too slow. You shouldn’t have to pick up your mouse just to move from one corner of the screen to the other. This is one area where Windows is just better. USBoverdrive makes my apple mouse usable…but that wouldn’t work on this BT mouse, would it?
Does anyone else find the speed and strange acceleration/decceleration terrible?
Terminal west - have you adjusted the tracking speed? :)
J.
No, I don’t go into SysPref. Too scary.
I really need a copy of the Software CD for the wireless migthy mouse. I got WMM with my new MAc Pro, but no CD. So it won’t work right with my lpatop. Without the software drivers, it is just like any other bluetooth mouse. I can’t see the battery level, I can’t use the side buttons or the middle button. I can’t even adjust the horizontal scrolling. It works just with the genric driver.
Apple doesn’t have CD’s on the website and won’t send me a dmg or iso. IT is sooo annoying that they don’t put drivers online!
WOW! From the above pictures it appears the Wireless MightyMouse is available in 3 flavors - Maple, Strawberry Cream, and Cappachino. Yummm.
I bought the nice BT Mighty Mouse to work on my hardened glass desk, it doesn’t!
I will have to find some plastic to glue on the surface of my desk as I don’t want to use mouse mat.
Side buttons too havy to my taste.
Save your money, don’t waste it on this crap. Wireless Mighty Mouse is the biggest mistake I made on buying Apple product. This made me really lose my faith in Apple. I cannot believe they continue to keep this thing on market even with its obviously defective design. The 2 side buttons are a pain to activate, the right click does not work, the scroll ball often needs special cleaning.
The biggest problem is the right click issue; which I think is the ONE REASON why you should NOT buy this thing. It is not individual defect. The right clicking function seem to decay over the course of time. When you first activate the mouse, the right click will work most of the time, almost 100% of the time if you do it properly (lift your index finger that’s touching the left button; which in itself is a defective design if you ask me). After few mins or hours, it starts to become less reliable to use right clicking, eventually becoming unable to use right click at all unless you reset it again.
I’ve been using my old wired logitech mouse which is 100 times more reliable than this $70 piece of trash.
I bought might wireless like 1.5 months ago, I don’t have a problem with right click at all, don’t have a problem with scroll ball YET :), but the big problem is the bluetooth connection I think, sometimes it slows down very much, kind of lags few seconds to the new position, I thought it was a battery issue so I replaced them so many times but it didn’t help much, then I started reading forums and a lot of poeple complain for the same problem, I have powerbook intel based and the wireless mouse drives me crazy sometimes, especially when you need to do something fast, you know “when you need it”, so maybe someone have any idea why that happenes, I don’t think swap will help if so many people have the same problem.
Any idea?
martin@esarchitects.us
Thank you
I bought a Mighty Mouse 3 months ago and let it sit for a month or 2 and when the macbook came out I bought one and used the mouse with it and now the scroll ball scrolls in any direction execpt down.I would recommend it to anybody that has a mac .
Hello, I have an apple wireless mouse, but unfortunately I cannot use o my new intel Mac Book……as I have lost the disk that came with the mouse, the software to run it.
Can anyone refer me to a site where I can download this software for free, or can someone please post me a copy???!!!
thank you and regards
Daniel
I personnaly don’t have any problem with the weight but this mouse is not as responsive as a wired one.
In fact, no where close. It is no placebo effect beleive me.
I have had many regular logitech wired mouse and i still have a wired Razer Copperhead.
I feel that bluetooth simply isn’t the right way to comunicate for a wireless mouse.
The cursor moves with a high response time (lag) and is choppy at times.
I’m selling my mighty mouse.
I like the mouse and as I have two iMacs and a MacBook Pro I have 3 “Mice” two of which are the wireless versions. In short order both wireless mice gave me problems with the scroll ball. Scrolling up only or not at all. I was ready to toss them in the trash when I read a review on cleaning them. I put a little Isopropyl alcohol 91% on my fingertip and rolled the scroll ball around for a while. Magically I saw some dirt appear on top of the mouse which was wiped off. After a couple of applications the scroll ball’s work perfectly on both mice.
I bought one today, it’s not a very ergonomic design, my arm aches. The tracking is way slow, the side buttons require a lot of force to press and the right click is fiddly.
Apple are no good at mice. It’s an input device, not an ornament. How would they design a pen? make it round like a crystal ball probably.
I found this blog entry through a blingo/google search… was disappointed to find that I’d lose right-clickability from the comments here. However, I tried reconnecting a spare wired Mighty Mouse, tested the right clicking with it, and then re-synched the wireless MMouse… success! So perhaps those that lost the Secondary Click option, find a way to plug in a 2-button mouse to reclaim the Secondary Clicking. Hope this helps!
I’m beginning to hate it. The scroll function only works sideways and down now, and there is no way of cleaning it. An excessive price for a single-use product.
The right click really stinks. I have had 10 of these mice and all of them do not right click well. Got some replaced, but that did not make a diff.
this is really a great little piece of hardware. i use it with my macbook and i need portability so this is the perfect mouse for the job. i have only been using this for about two weeks so i cannot comment on weather or not the scroll-ball will hold out but so far it is working perfectly. i have found no problems, as long as you turn the mouse on before you turn the mac on, or else it doesn’t tend to recognize the mouse but if you scan for bluetooth devices, which takes a matter of seconds, it soon picks it up.
i would recommend this mouse to anyone who is looking for a portable mouse which works well with macs.
I’ve always loved Apple design not because it looks so good (which it coincidentally almost always does), but because they always seem to think things through from the view of the actual user. I don’t have a wireless MM, but have been using MMs for years, and love them esp for the one single ergonomic breakthrough they made with this product. See, mice almost always demand that to click you have to put pressure on a specific spot on the mouse, usually an index finger. This makes my finger ache. In fact, I used a Kensignton mouse for awhile because my MM broke. (They’re made by humans, nothing’s perfect.)
After only a day or two I stole a MM from someone else in the office (a group machine I think), becuase the pain in my “click” finger was just intolerable.
To click with MM, I can use the weight of my entire hand–just slightly—slightly—lifting the right side to left-click, honestly, no burden at all.
The genius of the Apple mouse design is that the entire mouse is the button! Click (and hold?) with your index finger, or another finger, switch off, use your whole hand.
No other mouse can claim this: a mouse you can click in any way YOU need to to be comfortable. Which makes sense, because Apple products almost always c ome closest to letting you use it the way you want–rather that training you to use it the way you want.
(It’s still a computer guys…you’ll still have to follow SOME rules! Even Apple FORCES you to…look at the screen!)
The Apple Mouse design is a quiet breakthrough that eludes many with the very subtlety of its genius.
Jeff
PS: In actual user tests, people INSIST they get “more done” with two-button mice. The tests invariably show that, no matter what the user reports, they are wrong: they get more done with only ONE button! And even *I* still use two-buttons! humans!
I wish they made the apple mouse (formerly apple pro mouse) with the scroll ball and extra buttons. I prefer the transparent and white look over the milk white look. I use my fingertips to click with my apple mouse. It’s acurate enough for me. All I lose when using pro software like flash 8 and fireworks 8 is a couple of seconds. scrolling and clicking isn’t a race.
can’t say I agree with the post… cause I am disappointed with the mouse and I’ve been using it for months my biggest disappointment is with the wheel the down scroll never worked well and always needed to be cleaned and one day just broke (and believe me with out down the whole thing is useless and annoying) lifting your left finger to right click is annoying at times but often times goes unnoticed…. mouse reviews are either hit or miss cause they all do what you want them to do but small problems can ruin the whole thing
I have 2 bluetooth mm’s. I find them barely acceptable when just using my Macbook pro 17″ screen, but when plugged into the Apple Cinema 23″ or my Viewsonic 22″, it feels like I’m playing pool with a rope. I notice a huge difference when plugging in a wired optical mouse when using the larger monitors. I see others agree, so maybe I’ll go back to the wired mouse - I am also using an Apple wireless keyboard with the external monitors, I wonder if 2 devices are straining the bluetooth?
At first I thought I had the settings wrong, but I’m finding too that using this Wireless Mighty Mouse is very sluggish… like dragging it through pudding.
I think I’ll stick to my Logitech wireless mice, different versions, of which, I’ve had for at least 10 years.