I find the Apple mice unusable. I don't enjoy the feel of the "rails" underneath the mouse. But the biggest crime is the fact that you can't use the mouse while charging it, because the USB-C charging port is underneath the device!
For a company as obsessed with design as Apple, it's a bad design. A mouse sitting upside-down, or on its side, on a desk is not exactly elegant. Even if it's just for a short period of time every 3 months, it's still an ugly solution. It's on par with the Apple Pencil that charged in the bottom of the iPad.
A MagSafe connection to the front of the mouse seems like it would be much better.
I have an old AA version of the Magic Mouse, I'd much rather use that over the current Magic Mouse, though I currently use a Logitech. If they ever move the charging port off the bottom, I might give the Apple mouse another look.
That's been true for every Apple mouse I've used and it's embarrassing that it's still the case. Between that and having to put the mouse on its back to charge, Apple is being brazenly ignorant. Sometimes I wonder if they even use their own products.
You might be willing to give them a mulligan on their recent design choices, but I'm not. Apple has historically had smart, sensible designs -- even Apple haters can't deny that.
The amount of time required to charge doesn't change the fact that no reasonable person would consider the pencil or the mouse charging method a good design.
>> Same thing for Magic Mouse. You think you can design it better? You have a better place for that port?
Well, there are already mice with charging ports where a cord would normally go. It's a solved problem.
Is that not by design? Apple doesn't want the user to plug in the mouse to charge, forget to unplug it, and use it like a wired mouse. They therefore force the user through its design to literally be unable to use it that way. In my view that's good design, as it follows the goals of the designer. If one contends that design should follow the goals of the user, well, there are always other mice one can use.
I think you must be exaggerating a little bit, because if true then it doesn't really matter if the charging port is on the bottom. You need a corded mouse. Apple doesn't make any, but I've yet to see any 3rd party USB mouse that a Mac won't work fine with. I've got a Logitech connected to a USB-C dongle for the infrequent times that I want a mouse on my MBP. Mouse+Dongle is also cheaper than a Magic Mouse.
Everyone goes on about the charing port. Personally I think the much more fundamental problem with the Apple mouse is that its just not a very good mouse. I've tried using them several times and I just can't get used to the lack of actual physical buttons, or the fact it doesn't sit in the hand comfortably.
My personal opinion is that they should have just gone all in on the external touch pad, and quietly recommended that if you want a mouse you should go and buy a Logitech one.
I use the Apple Mouse on a daily basis. This criticism is blown way out of proportion.
I agree that it's a very ridiculous placement, but do you have a better idea where it should be placed? IMO, this is the best option given the constraints.
The usual ridicule is that you can't use it when it's charging. To me, it's a non-issue at all:
- When the battery drops to a low level (4% I think?), you will see a notification on your device reminding you that the charge is low. So have never been caught in a situation where I needed to charge the mouse while using it.
- The battery lasts a long time. Apple claims that it lasts 2 months per full charge. Based on anecdotal evidence from myself and a friend, it lasts 3 months per full charge. So this 2 months claim isn't based on some super unrealistic assumption that Apple makes. So why is this important? Because at 4% when you receive the warning notification, the mouse can still run for another 2 days! (Assuming constant usage everyday and one full charge lasts 60 days, then 4% = 60 / 100 * 4 = 2.4.)
- Finally, it charges super fast, too. A couple of minutes of charges can run a full day. So if you come to the office to find your mouse out of charge (because you forgot to charge it for the past 2 days despite the notifications), then plug it in before you get your coffee and you're good to go.
My point is that, yes, the charging port placement is ridiculous, but 1) I don't think there are better options and 2) it's really not that big of a deal because it is extremely unlikely that you'd need to charge while you're using it.
I feel like this is on purpose. How could it be a mistake, Apple has legendary design sense? I think it's to discourage people from using the mouse while its charging, and thus undermining what distinguishes the product. Regardless of the truth, I find it to be unfriendly to the consumer.
For what it's worth, I don't think Steve Jobs would have ever allowed the charging port for the Magic Mouse to ever be on the bottom and forced the user to have to leave the mouse on it's side to charge.
Apple’s own wireless trackpad and wireless keyboards work while being plugged in.
I think the sleek visual and ergonomic design specifically resulted in the charge port being put on the bottom, which resulted in their decision to disable the mouse when it’s charging. Not the other way around.
The charging port placement is cited as the dumbest decision made in the Apple mouse's design, but I don't think it is that bad. The battery life is measured in months. The charging time from 0 to 100 is about an hour. It's simply not an issue. When my laptop warns me that only 10% is left, I can comfortably go another week before it shuts off.
The main issue with the mouse is everything else. It is uncomfortable to hold, painful to move around, awkward to click and do the gestures. The sensor is worse than a generic $10 mouse you can get off Amazon. It misses the first couple of clicks every morning.
Horrible, horrible mouse. But not because of the charging port, that's ok.
> Similar to the goofy way you must insert Apple's Pencil into the bottom of the iPad Pro, Apple asks Magic Mouse 2 users to flip the device on its back like a beetle with its legs in the air and plug in the cable. You cannot use the mouse this way, naturally, and it seems a strange choice considering wired mice have had cables running from their front ends for decades.
I'm sure that this is deliberate. Apple does not want you to use the mouse while it is charging. If the charging cable attached to the top like a wired mouse, then Apple would have to make the cable and port more rugged and do lots of testing to make sure that constant plugged-in use didn't break it. You only have to charge it a few minutes a day, or overnight once a month, so it's not a real inconvenience.
If you want to use the mouse while plugged in, just go buy a wired mouse.
I own a magic mouse 2. Honestly the charge port is the least of its problems. Apple does not like to put a second switch in their mice, so right clicking is done entirely in software and touch. The problem with this approach is that it's not possible to click both buttons at the same time, it also makes it harder to trigger because there's only 1 switch and it's on the left side. Plus it's just uncomfortable and has these plastic rails that make horizontal movement harder on some surfaces. It's just all around an awful mouse.
Apple has frequently ignored how it works for looks and still do. They would for the longest time stick all the USB ports on the left hand side of the laptop very close together such that a larger USB stick or a 3G dongle or whatever would block your only other port. They do things like awkwardly hide the power button on the back of iMacs, no fronting facing or side mounted ports, etc.
reply