You might think with my fancy keyboard that I might be using some similarly obscure artisan mouse. Nope! I’m a huge fan of the Magic Mouse. I bought one the first day it was available for sale in Apple Stores in 2009.
Most of the entire top surface of the Magic Mouse is a touch-sensitive surface, which allows it to be super functional, without requiring any buttons on the mouse (the mouse itself will click when you press down, but otherwise no buttons). By default you can just use it as a one-button mouse that couldn’t be simpler, but the other gestures are easy to use, and you can easily do things like right-click. It’s Apple at its finest: elegantly simple and not at all intimidating, but sophisticated features for power users are also hiding right there in plain sight.
With the most modern Macs, I have zero issues with latency, and jitteriness is a non-issue as well. The mouse is wireless but it “just works”. I’m sure a hard-core gamer might complain about some latency, but in the age of wireless gaming controllers I think even they would agree the Magic Mouse’s latency is acceptably low.
The mouse is comfortable to use. Some think of its shape as ergonomically unfriendly because it’s flat and not sculpted, but I find that its relative flatness is easier on my wrists. Early in my career I used Microsoft mice and I was starting to notice some pain in my right arm that I think was caused by the mouse’s shape. After I got a job where I used a Mac with a Magic Mouse all day, the pain disappeared.
I use the Magic Mouse 2 now, which is just like the first Magic Mouse, except it replaces AA batteries with a built-in rechargeable one, and it auto-pairs with a Mac or iPad just by connecting the cable (a feature I wish Apple would open up to all Bluetooth devices to make pairing simple).
And yeah, to charge the Magic Mouse you have to turn it upside town to expose the charging port, in an apparent abdication of Apple’s principle of design being about “objects you can’t imagine any other way”.
If you want a real treat, buy a Magic Mouse from Colorware with a custom paint color. I’m thinking about treating myself to a brighter blue/green one this summer to replace the metallic blue/green one I got in 2010.
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