Apple Magic Mouse review

Multi-touch meets mouse - is this the cleverest mouse yet?

Apple Magic Mouse
Apple's Magic Mouse is the world's first multi-touch mouse

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Multi-touch gestures mean no moving parts

  • +

    Wireless BlueTooth

  • +

    Sensitive and accurate

  • +

    Feels good to use

Cons

  • -

    Not enough use made of multi-touch

  • -

    It's twice the price of a normal mouse

  • -

    Lack of side buttons.

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Let's be clear about this from the start - Apple does not have a good track record with mice.

For years Apple mice had just one button, and Apple, thinking it knew best, refused to budge from this overly simplistic design even in the face of rising criticism from its own customers who simply wanted to stop being laughed at by their PC-using colleagues.

Right-clicking is now such a fundamental action when using desktop computer that it's hard to believe that Apple held out until the Mighty Mouse (now renamed Apple Mouse thanks to a law suit) in 2005.

While the Mighty Mouse gave Mac users the ability to right-click without having to switch to a Microsoft or Logitech Mouse (which almost all of them had done at that point), it was still not without its problems either - chiefly that the "revolutionary" trackball for 360 degree scrolling clogged up far too quickly with grime, in some cases rendering it completely unusable.

It was also bulky and the right-click could be unresponsive. In short, it wasn't a hit.

Fast forward to 2009 and Apple has re-invented the whole concept of mice (again) with the Magic Mouse.

apple magic mouse review

But why the short history lesson? Well, Apple's new Magic Mouse isn't like ordinary mice. We're not talking about the fact that it's the world's first mult-touch mouse here (there is no two button/one button debate anymore, since the whole mouse IS a button).

apple magic mouse

We're talking about the fact that it won't actually work on a Windows PC. Yes, the Magic Mouse is Mac-only, so if you're a PC owner you might as well stop reading now.

TOPICS
Graham Barlow
Senior Editor, AI

Graham is the Senior Editor for AI at TechRadar. With over 25 years of experience in both online and print journalism, Graham has worked for various market-leading tech brands including Computeractive, PC Pro, iMore, MacFormat, Mac|Life, Maximum PC, and more. He specializes in reporting on everything to do with AI and has appeared on BBC TV shows like BBC One Breakfast and on Radio 4 commenting on the latest trends in tech. Graham has an honors degree in Computer Science and spends his spare time podcasting and blogging.

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