Apple has finally unveiled a wireless version of its smooth-topped, five-button Mighty Mouse. The newcomer is available in limited quantities from the company's own UK stores at £49 inc VAT and the Apple online store is taking orders now at the same price - with free delivery and shipping promised for five to seven days.
As we've come to expect from Apple, there's a twist in the tail, even though this mouse doesn't have one.
In contrast to the current wired Mighty Mouse - and most other optical meece - Apple's Bluetooth 2.0 newcomer uses a laser rather than an LED to control tracking. Light-sabre battles between desks in Mac-equipped offices are likely to start hotting up now - the original Mighty Mouse was quite a blinding weapon!
Moving to laser is claimed to make the new mouse "20 times more sensitive than standard optical mice, for better tracking on even more surfaces". Irritatingly, though, Apple gives no clue as to the true tracking resolution of the new mouse in dots per inch, not even in the online specs.
This, of course, is not Apple's first wireless mouse - it introduced a single-button model back in 1993, as we recall. But Apple is also far from being first to use a laser - the company can sometimes be as forward-looking as a university-scholar oarsman.
Logitech has a wide laser range - a few wired models plus half a dozen wireless. The Logitech line-up takes in high-res mice, including 2000dpi models, notably a £60 corded, the G5 Laser, and the range-leading £70 G7 Laser Cordless.
Microsoft, naturally, also offers "high-definition" meece - optical and laser - and undersells Apple and Logitech. However, it offers a far narrower range than Logitech and is only marginally less coy than Apple about what resolutions these provide. Microsoft talks in generalities about "1000 dots per inch or higher" and "6000 frames per second or higher".
Wireless Mighty MouseMac users, though, need to be aware that only a small number of cordless third-party mice - laser or optical - are claimed to be compatible with Mac OS X. So, even if there are better or cheaper wireless mice than Apple's new model, they may not be usable with Macs if they're primarily Windows models.
In our view, the wired Mighty Mouse is a bit of a pig to use, as we made clear in our recent review of the Mac mini. If the same turns out to be true of the wireless version, then makers of third-party mice need to get their acts together to ensure their products will now work with new-gen, Bluetooth-equipped Macs - unless, of course, they regard the relatively small Mac universe as not being worth the bother.
There are also likely to be incompatibility problems (but options to expand sales) with cordless keyboards aimed largely at the Windows market, even though Apple has its own wireless keyboard offering. This has been packaged with a matching single-button Bluetooth mouse (there are no USB ports for mice as there are on Apple's wired keyboard) but currently appears to be being sold standalone. VAT-inclusive price on Apple UK's online store is £39, with shipping on top.
Presumably, a new wireless mouse/keyboard bundle will be added soon or, at least, once the initial demand for the Wireless Mighty Mouse dies down. However, it's not clear to us what version of Bluetooth the existing wireless keyboard uses. If it's not version 2.0, as with the new Mighty Mouse, then Apple might be planning a Bluetooth 2.0 replacement.
Check out the image above and you'll see that the wireless Mighty Mouse is agnostic about whether the user is right-handed or left-handed, just like the original corded model. Also worth noting are its "advanced power management system", said to automatically switch to low power modes during inactivity, and an off-switch to save juice when not in use. A nice touch, the mouse is said to work from a single AA-size battery or from two, presumably to extend the time between pit-stops.
Apple says that the mouse connects to the latest Macs with built-in Bluetooth wireless technology and requires Mac OS X “Tiger” version 10.4.6 or later to customise buttons for one-click access to Spotlight, Dashboard and Exposé or to launch applications.
What's not yet clear is whether it can also be used in a more limited way with older Macs running earlier versions of Mac OS X and external Bluetooth adaptors.
Windows, though, it would appear is a complete no-no. That's likely to hack off anyone using Boot Camp to dual-boot between OS X and Windows XP on a new Intel-powered Mac. That being so, it may be possible to gauge just how significant Apple regards dual-booting simply by seeing how long it takes to offer XP drivers for the Wireless Mighty Mouse.
Thoughts on the latest Mighty Mouse? Share them with us - and post any questions - in this thread in the HEXUS.community.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community - discussion thread about this article
HEXUS.review - Apple Mac mini - Core Duo
HEXUS.review - Apple Boot Camp Public Beta (by HEXUS.community stalwart Gordy)
HEXUS.headline - WinXP and Mac OS X can dual-boot on Intel Macs!
HEXUS.headline - Apple set to announce Conroe plans on August 7?
Apple - Boot Camp Public Beta home page
Apple UK - home page
Apple UK - online store (Tel: 0800 039 1010)
