How Apple might repair its terrible Magic Mouse

Apple likes to place itself as a daring and modern firm, and generally, that is true. Even within the post-Jobs period, we have seen merchandise just like the Apple Watch and the Vision Pro wield an outsized affect. The Imaginative and prescient Professional is probably not flying off the cabinets as a result of its absurd $3,500 pricetag, however corporations like Meta and Bigscreen are nonetheless adapting their very own VR headsets to really feel extra like Apple’s.

At different occasions, the corporate stubbornly clings to merchandise and concepts that everybody else acknowledges as horrible. Take into account Lightning, which it refused to jettison on iPhones till lengthy after different telephone makers had switched to USB-C. We might in all probability be seeing Lightning on some merchandise at the moment if European rules hadn’t pressured Apple’s hand. While you’ve been regulated into utilizing higher requirements, one thing’s fallacious.

The Magic Mouse is one other instance of this angle. It has its followers, but it surely’s arguably one of many worst equipment Apple retains in circulation. It isn’t even arduous to think about how Apple might repair the product.

Associated

Here’s why you should use Stage Manager on your iPad instead of split-screen

Your iPad can really feel much more like a Mac when you embrace Stage Supervisor.

Repair charging by making it wi-fi

Undoing one of many strangest design choices in historical past

Apple

If there’s one factor individuals know concerning the Magic Mouse, no matter whether or not they personal one, it is that its charging port is on the underside — one thing broadly thought of to be one of many weirdest and least logical design selections ever made. If its inside battery runs dry, there’s merely no means to make use of the mouse whereas it recharges. At greatest, it is an pointless inconvenience, provided that different wired mice put their USB ports on the again, the place they belong. At worst, it might truly stop you from doing all of your job except you’ve got obtained a trackpad or secondary mouse as a fallback. It is no surprise lots of Mac house owners go straight for third-party mice.

Much more baffling is that Apple switched the product from Lightning to USB-C in 2024… and stored the charging port the place it was, regardless of loads of public criticism as much as that time. It is Exhibit A for why corporations ought to take heed to buyer suggestions.

The plain design repair can be to change to a back-facing port, however since Apple loves making every part wi-fi, another can be to embrace that philosophy by supporting wi-fi charging. Firms like Razer and Logitech are already placing out mice with suitable charging mats — Apple’s simply late to the occasion. Heck, I would like to see a mat that doubles as a USB-C/Thunderbolt hub, although that will in all probability enhance the price to finish customers.

Associated

The 5 coolest-looking Macs you probably haven’t heard of

In case you’ve solely began utilizing Macs up to now decade or so, you missed out on some wild experiments.

Repair ergonomics whilst you’re at it

Contact gestures are meaningless with out consolation

Earlier than I even discovered about its charging port, I found that the Magic Mouse is uncomfortable to carry. It is too slim for me, and since it is so flat and skinny, nearly everybody has to carry their hand in an unsupported arch, particularly in the event that they wish to make the most of contact gestures. There is a cause most mice maintain a bulbous form — it is an acknowledgment of anatomy, not outdated aesthetics, or a have to pack in a ton of electronics. You possibly can construct a mouse with the size of 1 / 4 if you did not have to grip it with a human hand.

Now clearly, the primary cause the mouse is (comparatively) flat is to help these contact gestures, however there must be a extra human-friendly strategy. Maybe Apple might transfer contact gestures to the aspect of the machine, or make the shell bulbous solely the place your palm rests.

Personally, I would somewhat Apple change contact gestures with scroll wheels, however the firm appears to hate buttons and wheels nearly as a lot because it does ports. There are exceptions — we have truly obtained new buttons and wheels on the iPhone 16 and Apple Watch Extremely — however as a rule, Apple prefers to remove mechanical controls wherever contact is a chance.

Associated

Why LG’s awful Magic Remote is a dealbreaker for me

Regardless of a useful voice function, LG’s Magic Distant makes navigation and management a ache.

Suppose completely different, assume efficiency

What’s a mouse for?

A part of the issue is that Apple treats the Magic Mouse as an afterthought. It is bundled with iMacs, however nothing else, and you need to go looking for it when you store on the firm’s on-line or brick-and-mortar shops. At $99, it is also overpriced for its specs. For across the identical value, you may get Logitech’s MX Grasp 3S, which is taken into account a gold customary within the business. It has a number of scroll wheels, an ideal really feel, and even serves as a wonderful gaming mouse, with sensitivity settings starting from 200 to eight,000dpi. I discover something over 2,000 to be overkill — however the Magic Mouse is believed to be capped at 1,300, and does not even present you what DPI you are at when adjusting settings.

A mouse ought to by no means be handled as a minor accent. It ought to really feel that means while you’re utilizing it, however solely as a result of it is meant to be a seamless bridge between you and your pc. That truly interprets into lots of work on the producer’s finish, contemplating how individuals truly use their gadgets, and tailoring each final factor to match. It is why bargain-basement mice are so horrible. You may’t do every part you need, the way in which you need, and their flimsy shells are a continuing bodily reminder of that.

Will Apple be taught its lesson and ship us a brand new, totally redesigned mouse in some unspecified time in the future? Maybe. It is at the least prone to keep within the sport, since it might be unusual for Apple to promote Mac desktops with out an important means of controlling them. However there’s additionally the chance it’s going to admit defeat and go away mice to different events that care extra. That is precisely what it did with Wi-Fi routers, in any case — it has been years since an AirPort product was in the marketplace, and few individuals appear to thoughts lately.

Associated

4 tips for traveling safe and sound with your iPad

Do not simply seize your iPad and go, spend a while planning issues out.