- Apple could redesign its Magic Mouse
- Many users complain about its design
- Don't expect any new mouse to come soon
It looks like Apple could finally be giving its Magic Mouse a much-needed design refresh, with renowned Apple leaker Mark Gurman claiming that the company is working on a “full overhaul” of the peripheral.
While I’m generally very fond of Apple’s Mac devices, I can’t stand the Magic Mouse that's bundled with certain products. Its smooth, button-less design doesn’t feel all that comfortable in my hand, but worst of all, Apple placed the charging port on the bottom of the mouse.
This baffling design decision means you need to flip the Magic Mouse over to plug it in – which means it can’t be used while it’s charging. Meanwhile, pretty much every other wireless mouse in existence has a charging port on the front of the mouse, allowing you to continue to use it while it charges.
Despite many Mac users – myself included – complaining about this, Apple appeared to stubbornly refuse to admit its mistake. Even when its latest version of the Magic Mouse recently came out with a new charging port (USB-C, rather than the proprietary Lightning port), Apple didn’t take the opportunity to move the charging port.
Thankfully, it looks like that could change. At least according to Gurman, who has a strong reputation when it comes to Apple leaks. He’ll certainly won't be getting any Christmas cards from Cupertino this year.
Good things come to those who wait…
As Gurman explains in his newsletter, the Magic Mouse has not had a major redesign in over 15 years, and while Apple and some users (including Gurman) think the charging port placement isn’t that big of a deal, as the mouse charges quickly and only occasionally needs charging, the fact is that there are a huge number of mice that do things better – and feel more ergonomic – than Apple’s Magic Mouse, and they are all Mac-compatible.
In my opinion, the Magic Mouse is well overdue a redesign. Any time a Magic Mouse is included with a Mac device I use, it remains in its box while I use more comfortable mice from the likes of HP and Razer.
It sounds like this long wait for a new mouse from Apple could be worth it. Gurman suggests this will be a massive reimagining that won’t just fix the charging port issue, but will make the mouse more comfortable to use as well.
Unfortunately, this does mean that we might have to wait even longer to see the new mouse, with Gurman stating that “I wouldn’t expect anything in the next 12 to 18 months,” as Apple’s designers and engineers will be taking their time to get this right.
If we really are getting a much better successor to the Magic Mouse, then this extra bit of waiting will be worth it. Until then, I’ll keep buying alternatives from our best mouse guide to use with my Macs, and I’m sure I won’t be the only one.
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