As you already know, the Magic Mouse was launched by Apple with some other products, such as the new iMac, the new white MacBook and the new Apple Remote. Before it even started shipping, the mouse was already the seventh most popular electronic device on Amazon, and it was considered by you, the reader, as the highlight among the recent releases of Apple.
The Magic Mouse s arrive in Brazil in December, probably costing R $ 230. But is faster and is already in his hands!
Fernando has already made some comments about the new mouse, in fact, about all recent Apple releases. But, as never before, let's review the new Magic Mouse, as promised.
Strengths
Design
The first impression we have of the incredible new mouse: it has a great design! I thought the Mighty Mouse was cute, but the Magic Mouse leaves him in the shoes. The ability of Apple designers is impressive (did someone say Jony Ive?), as he follows the current look of many of her products (with aluminum monobloc structure) and really impresses.
Ergonomics
As Fernando commented, the new mouse offers support for the very comfortable hand. Those who are used to using the Mighty Mouse may be surprised in the first few minutes, as it is “smaller”, that is, not so high. Nothing that a few minutes will not solve.
The “slide” of the Magic Mouse is great, much better than the old one. The rubber underneath it was an optimal solution, far superior to the old version, in which the mouse itself came into contact with the surface. As this does not happen with the new one, the slide has become much smoother and now it is not all scratched!
Multi-touch
When stopping it with the computer (via Bluetooth), at first only the clicks of the left and right buttons work. However, after installing the Wireless Mouse Software Update 1.0, a new mouse preferences panel is installed, thus releasing the multi-touch functions of the new Apple hardware.
With the update, the panel icon in System Preferences is also changed. Now we need to change the miniature of the Cinema Display for one of the LED Cinema Display …
The Magic Mouse's multi-touch scrolling is fantastic. Works great and reproduces the scroll iPhone owners are already used to (called by Apple as "Momentum", at what speed it is dictated by the intensity of its movement). My only observation is that this dynamic scrolling only works in native Mac OS X applications (Mail, Safari, etc.). For now, it is not working on third party applications.
The reader Guilherme Rambo asked me if resting my finger on the touch sensitive surface is possible or if it is necessary to leave it outside that area. In fact, it covers the entire surface of the Magic Mouse (from top to bottom), and it recognizes when your hand is just resting on it. There is nothing to worry about.
Even because of that (I think), when you slide your finger across the surface of the mouse, the response on the screen is not immediate. a little bit from the starting position. That delay it is not enough to irritate: what really irritates are some “gagging” while you scroll the page. The annoyance is very small, not least because this “choking” is not the rule, except for that I did not separate here and did not comment on the negative points, below.
Multi-touch technology opens up countless possibilities (gestures with two fingers, three fingers, specific commands, etc.). With a simple software update, Apple can implement a lot on its new hardware.
Ah, I almost forget to comment: we finally got rid of the damn scroll ball! Finally, thanks, Apple!
Bluetooth
Personal opinion: I can no longer use a wired mouse; I find it uncomfortable and polluting.
Fortunately, Apple launched the first Magic Mouse in the wireless version, because if I remember correctly, with the Mighty Mouse it was different, first came a wired version and then the wireless version. Okay, she could have released both versions simultaneously, but, of the evils, the smallest.
Turning on and off
Unlike the Mighty Mouse (where you closed the laser cover to turn off), the new mouse has no cover. Instead, there is a lock similar to those on iPods (shuffle, nano and classic), with which you turn it on and off. Simplest and most effective solution, in my opinion.
The LED that tells you if the mouse is turned on exactly like the battery indicators on MacBooks Pro (left).
Negative points
It's not all flowers in the new Apple mouse. Now for the negative points that I could see:
Boats
In the Mighty Mouse, there were five boats: left, right, scroll ball and two sides. It was possible to configure them for the most diverse functions (Dashboard, Expos, etc.). In Magic Mouse, there are only two buttons: left and right. I confess that thescroll ball and the sides are sorely missed.
Using the Magic Mouse, I realized that when I click the two buttons (left and right), nothing happens. There is a loophole for Apple to configure a “third button”. This would be easily possible through a software update; it remains to be seen whether she will.
Drums
Halex spoke well: why two batteries, Apple, why? Was it hard to think of a better, less polluting solution, with a longer duration? The idea of ​​the lithium battery plus a cable to recharge the peripheral (see Sony with Sixaxis / DualShock 3) is sensational.
Multi-touch
Multi-touch is great on the one hand (mentioned in the good points), but bad on the other. Two-finger gestures (or more, if ever implemented) are not that simple to perform. When trying to advance / browse pages or photos in iPhoto, for example, my experience was not so positive. It is complicated to keep the mouse still while the gesture is performed.
Verdict
The history of Apple in the idea / design of mice is not positive, but the Magic Mouse arrived to try to end this (m) fame. Undoubtedly, Apple took a step forward with this release. Here is my final assessment:
My grade: 3/5
If Apple adds the third button via software (clicking with two fingers), my rating goes up to 4 stars.
And you, do you already have the new mouse? What do you think? Do you want to add anything in the positive or negative points? After all, I am not the owner of the truth, so leave your comment!
