My first impression is that it looks great. The aluminum lower half & sleek sharp edges are an improvement both in aesthetic and feel. It isn’t as tall as my mighty mouse, but I think that the lower profile make scrolling and swiping gestures easier. It is also a little heavy, though I’m not bothered by that. You’ll have to install a software update and configure your bluetooth before getting into tracking & scrolling speeds in system preferences. All this is pretty standard, and takes about 5 minutes with the computer restart.
The iPhone-like scrolling is definitely a step in the right direction. It adds a fluid, loose feel to scrolling up and down hundreds of lines of code and large graphic files. Also, like the iPhone, you can scroll and stop the motion by placing your finger back on the mouse. It makes getting to where you want to go quick & easy.
I use my Mighty Mouse to access Exposé and Spaces hundreds of times a day. There is currently no way to configure a Magic Mouse for either of these really useful features. While you can go into System Preferences > Exposé & Spaces and set an active screen corner to access spaces, it’s probably not going to cut it for me. Though, I remain hopeful. Consistent with how Apple rolls out products and software, I bet there will be some updates that will eventually provide the ability to set gestures to access Exposé & Spaces. If not, you may be able to sell me your unwanted / outdated Mighty Mouse for a nominal fee.
Update: 11/06/09
I noticed @boagworld blogged about a potential solution to our Exposé & Spaces gesture woes. Check out Expogesture.
Update: 11/12/09
The best solution I’ve found in setting up Exposé & Spaces comes from @SecondBar. Do yourself a favor and check out Better Touch Tool. You can set swiping or three finger tap & click gestures to activate the key command of your choice.
Update: 01/14/10
I may be a little late on this, but I recently saw MagicPrefs. Be sure to take a look at that as well. Happy multi-touching!
This article has 6 Comments. Read & Discuss
I have a wired mighty mouse looking for a new home. He’s all yours for just the shipping fee.
Pat, almost took you up on that… This BTT software is really doing the trick.
Hi Trent, I’ve just discovered your website and I’d say I’ll stay tuned to it. The articles are great.
In relation to Magic Mouse I agree when you state that “The iPhone-like scrolling is definitely a step in the right direction” but what if you are not familiar with iPhone finger-driven interaction?
I’d say one of the keys of easy to interact devices is being intuitive, and I think Magic Mouse is not as intuitive as a buttoned mouse since a multi-touch surface is not as descriptive by itself as a button can be. However, and despite of requiring some learning process, Magic Mouse offers a lot more capabilities than the common mouse. And of course it is much more cool.
BTW I recently write a post about it (http://bit.ly/7rauea) in my own blog. Give it a spin ;)
Daniel, Thanks for stoppin’ by. Good point. In my experience, I’d say the learning curve on the buttonless mouse isn’t half bad and when using tools like Better Touch, I get to customize gestures that are 100% intuitive to me.