[Parky]

I got an Apple BT mouse as a birthday present in January and started using it right away.

At first it seemed great if a little different, technically it has worked well from day one.
I have needed to replace the original batteries after 5 weeks and the second set are down to 3 bars already, but that seems a reasonable rate of use.

The recent Firmware update went OK and the mouse has seemed a bit more responsive since then.

Overall though I have been a little disappointed with the mouse for these reasons :-

1. It is quite a bit heavier that the Pro mouse which feels incredibly light not that I am using it again.

2. The function of holding down the mouse and gripping the side tabs on the BT mouse, so that you can pick up the mouse while still clicked (required if you run out of desk) has never worked from day one. I have had to change my use of the mouse making sure I always have enough space to move so that I don't need to do the click/grab move. Going back to the Pro Mouse really made this stand out even more.

3. The material on the base of the BT mouse differs from that on the Pro Mouse, such that it does not move as smoothly over the mouse mat surface. This could also be related to the weight of the BT mouse. I really feel that the BT mouse is dragging all the time and it does not 'feel' nice. Again moving back to the Pro Mouse was a real surprise, it seemed so slick and smooth.

I have therefore decided to revert back to the Pro Mouse permanently and relegate the BT mouse to laptop use only.

I'm sure others will be happy with the BT mouse, but it's not for me on a full time basis.

Ian

[angelmb]

btw, the white Apple Mouse looks much nicer that the BT one. The Apple BT reminds me my M$ ice mouse.

[MickS]

Originally posted by Parky:
3. The material on the base of the BT mouse differs from that on the Pro Mouse, such that it does not move as smoothly over the mouse mat surface.

Mouse mat? I'm intrigued, a mouse mat. One of the advantages of having an optical mouse is that you don't need the consistent smooth surface that a ball mouse needs.

No mouse mat = only running out of room when you hit the edge of the desk/table/leg (yes I've done this sad eh? ).

Weight . I'm sorry, how is it not going to be heavier, it has to carry around a couple of batteries? Take them out... there... now check the weight. About the same as the Pro Mouse? Of course it won't work now, but there you have it. Damn Apple and their reliance on heavy batteries!!

[Parky]

I did not intend my review to be a 'flame' of Apple just my opinion.
Of course I know it's going to be heavier, and I was used to the weight, it was just much better when I went back to the Pro Mouse.

As to using a mouse mat, I have a glass top table as my desk, which as you will know is totally useless for Optical mice be they wired or not, hence the mouse mat.

Ian

[PeterKG]

My battery life has been great and on top of that I use rechargeable batteries, so it is not an issue. The weight is no issue to me nor does it affect the performance.

Since the update, my BT mouse has performed much more precisely and I actually was not using it prior to the update because I felt the movement to be jerky. I have found that you need to keep the plastic rim on the bottom clean, or it will start to drag slower. Try tossing the mouse pad and see how it moves on a smooth hard surface.

I don't understand your problem with the side tabs. Your opinions are your own and I appreciate you sharing them, but I don't agree. The seamless interaction with OS X and the quality of the mouse and keyboard are typical Apple at it's best.

[Parky]

I can't use my BT mouse without a mousemat as I have a glass table, and optical mice don't work well on them.

I have cleaned and do clean the bottom of the mouse very often, but it still feels very different to the Pro Mouse.

As the the side tabs, I mean the two small semi circular plastic grab handles at the sides of the mouse, they really do not work for me. If I press the mouse down so that it clicks and then I grab the sides the mouse is supposed to stay clicked down (as you are really now pulling up the base into the housing) so that you can pick up the mouse while clicked.

On the Pro Mouse it works great, on the BT mouse it is a real pain and usually I can't get it to stay clicked. I think my Mouse could actually be faulty, but I have seen the same complaint from others as well so it could be a design fault.

I'm sure many people are happy with the BT mouse, I am not.

I did not tell anyone to 'stay away' and I did not say it was rubbish, I simply pointed out the issues I have with it.

Ian

[schmoe]

The mouse does seem to be very picky about what surface you use it on. I had a 3M "Precision" pad and there was far too much friction. I got a regular cloth top mat, and a free Panther mat of the same type of material, and both work great. I'm pretty happy with the mouse, use it every day, but it definitely feels slower than my old Logitech optical wireless. With the latest release it isn't as annoying though.

[Dimitri]

I've always found precision pads to not work well with optical mice, they seem to be geared toward ball mice. I've always hated using no mousepads either, since it never tracks as precisely as a solid color cloth mousepad, is noisier, and not as effortlessly smooth. I was considering the apple BT mouse, along with the keyboard, but I think I'll stick with the Logitech MX700. BTW, wireless mice, although tend to be heavier than wired mice, can vary quite a bit in weight. The MX700 is much heavier than the MS wireless intellimouse I tried. And 2 AA's will weigh more than 2 AAA's obviously.

[nobitacu]

Yea, aside from the side hold click function doesn't work, I'm happy with my Apple BT Mouse, the weight... come on... there's 2 batteries in it, of course it weights more. =P As for the look, I like the look a lot more than the pro mouse.

Ming