[videian28]

I for one think that it would be foolish to stick with a single button mouse

[JHromadka]

It will probably be single but will have a scroll wheel.

[Eug Wanker]

It will likely be single and and if so I won't be buying it.

[videian28]

i'm with eug

[daSilVetZ]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
It will likely be single and and if so I won't be buying it.

ditto

[i am yujin]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
It will likely be single and and if so I won't be buying it.

ditto

there is no argument here.

[sailin74]

What's the poll asking? Do I want to it be multi-button or not, or do I think it will be multi-button or not? I think it'll be single, I wish it were multi. Until it goes multi-button I'll be sticking with my Logitech wireless optical, that didn't cost me anywhere near what Apple's mouse costs, and works great.

[jamesa]

it's not really clear whether this poll is about:

whether we want the mouse to be single vs multi

or whether we think it is going to be single vs multi

I want it to be a multi, but only as an add on (like iSight). This way, all the newbies can stick with their single button mice - which makes an enormous difference when you're learning to use a machine.

-- james

[The Placid Casual]

I can't see a BT mouse and keyboard shipping as standard...

If they were in a business or educational environment, I would give them a day before they started to 'disappear'... it is just not feasible.

So, they will IMHO be 'optional'/BTO, or available separately form the Applestore.... if that is the case, there will be NO excuse for them to be one button only, as no one will go to the effort to buy an 'extra' Uber mouse and only accept limited features...

My money is on Apple doing something innovative with 2+ button and a scroll wheel...

I actually discussed this with some PC based friend of mine for the first time ever... They told me they would not buy a Mac purely because of the mouse!! they loved the OS and the style, but the mouse was a kicker...

I told them they could buy a 3rd party multi button mouse, but their attitude was that when they bought a new computer for �1500, why the hell should they have to spend extra straight away... it was a revelation to me.

Heres hoping Apple get it right...

[rnicoll]

What I'd like to see is the option to not buy their keyboard and mouse. I've just got a PowerMac (G4) at work, and am really not fond of the keyboard, and the mouse feels just plain wrong to me. It's better than the original iMac mouse, but that's not saying much. Now, if you look at their store, the cost for a replacement keyboard & mouse is $98. They probably do not actually account for that much of the cost of each Mac, but its still going to be a quite a bit of money for a keyboard and mouse I'm going to end up ditching.

The really brilliant thing is that they offer a lot of different keyboards and mice on the accessories page - where are these when it comes to selecting BTO computers?

[The Placid Casual]

Originally posted by rnicoll:
What I'd like to see is the option to not buy their keyboard and mouse. I've just got a PowerMac (G4) at work, and am really not fond of the keyboard, and the mouse feels just plain wrong to me. It's better than the original iMac mouse, but that's not saying much. Now, if you look at their store, the cost for a replacement keyboard & mouse is $98. They probably do not actually account for that much of the cost of each Mac, but its still going to be a quite a bit of money for a keyboard and mouse I'm going to end up ditching.

The really brilliant thing is that they offer a lot of different keyboards and mice on the accessories page - where are these when it comes to selecting BTO computers?

My Bad. I didn't read the above properly. Edited to avoid embarrassment!

Peace,

Marc

[rnicoll]

I'm not suggesting without keyboard & mouse should be the default. I do however think that adding a "No keyboard/mouse" option to the BTO page would be great. Leave space in the packaging, just don't put anything there (or fill it with foam) if the customer doesn't want them. If they're too worried about people accidentally ordering no keyboard and mouse (!?!), maybe just put a note on the page that a no keyboard/mouse option is available, and people should call to order in that case.

[The Placid Casual]

Originally posted by rnicoll:
I'm not suggesting without keyboard & mouse should be the default. I do however think that adding a "No keyboard/mouse" option to the BTO page would be great. Leave space in the packaging, just don't put anything there (or fill it with foam) if the customer doesn't want them. If they're too worried about people accidentally ordering no keyboard and mouse (!?!), maybe just put a note on the page that a no keyboard/mouse option is available, and people should call to order in that case.

I just reread your post and realised I somewhat misinterpreted it... :embarrassed:

You could easily have a 'downgrade' BTO option to ship a 'box' only... However it would mean you would have to buy directly from Apple...

You can downgrade optical drives, hard drives, modems, RAM, so I guess they should have a 'no keyboard and mouse' option...

Peace,

Marc

P.S. St Andrews is one of my favorite places in the world! My sister went to Uni there years ago... I liked it so much that I often used to visit her, and I still go back now and again!

[rnicoll]

I'd actually like Apple to do a downgrade on everything, so you can strip it down to case, motherboard and CPU only. It's very unlikely of course, just it really bugs me paying massively over the going rate for RAM/HD. I also doubt I'm the only "Linux switcher" that feels that way...


Yeah, I'm a big fan of St. Andrews myself, which is probably why I'm about to start my seventh year here If you're ever around, find where the comp sci offices are that week (top floor Physics ATM), and come see hi

[Judge_Fire]

It's about the integrity of the OS.

Standardizing on multi-button mice might well risk UI consistency, so it might be wise to stick with a developer- guiding hardware solution.

Of course, Apple should have an optional, well designed two- button mouse, that actually communicates the primary/secondary nature of the buttons to new users - not two identical buttons like most everybody else, sheesh.

J

[as2]

Since I've had my wireless blue optical mouse I get really frustrated when using my dad's mac.

I'ts not just the second button, but the scroll wheel too. I recon it probably increases my productivity by at least 2%!!

Adam

[Grrr]

Call me old fashioned, But..
A mouse: You move the pointer around, you see what you want, you click on it. Done. Nice and simple. Simplicity being something Apple likes to be good at.

Then I see so many people hankering after a multibutton mouse, and think that many of these people wont be happy until the entire keyboard has an optical sensor underneath it. So they can shunt the whole thing around their desks, and rejoice in happiness with their new found 100 button mouse with integrated keyboard

[bracken]

No wonder PCers never let this issue rest. Mac users seem to have a eternal "button envy" for some reason.

[DVD Plaza]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
It will likely be single and and if so I won't be buying it.

Same here - I'd love to buy an Apple mouse just for the sake of it, but whilst loosing a scroll wheel would be bad enough there's no friggen way I'm going without my right mouse button.

I'll keep using my MS Intellimouse Explorer and MS Wireless Blue until someone else brings out a nice bluetooth mouse (since anyone/everyone else would be two button).

[DVD Plaza]

Originally posted by Grrr:
Call me old fashioned, But..
You move the pointer around, you see what you want, you click on it. Done. Nice and simple.

Not that simple - AFTER you have clicked on it you now need to scoot up to the menu bar, pull down a menu, and select the option you want for that item.

Thus your approach is:
1. Click on item
2. Scoot up to menu bar
3. Pull down menu containing option you want (assuming you know which menu it's in)
4. Select menu item

Versus:
1. Right click on item
2. Select option from context menu

OSX already supports, and has, context menus - the problem is you need to hold down the damn CTRL key whilst clicking for it to happen (or, if on the dock (and only the dock), you can hold down your mouse button). That's hardly the simple Apple approach - that's the kind of crap I'd expect from Microsoft (which they'd then, in their obsessed fashion, call.... innovative!).

[I Me Mine]

Why can't Apple just give us a two button mouse and say to beginners:

"Ok, the left one is called the Select Button and the right one is called the Menu Button."

How difficult is that for complete beginners to master??

[Judge_Fire]

Originally posted by I Me Mine:
Why can't Apple just give us a two button mouse and say to beginners:

"Ok, the left one is called the Select Button and the right one is called the Menu Button."

How difficult is that for complete beginners to master??

You can't really use text on the buttons, so you'd have to convey this message through affordances in the design.

One large, primary button and another smaller button with perhaps a menu icon, for example.

How to make it symmetrical for either handed users is a bit of a challenge.

Any suggestions?

J

[hyteckit]

Apple is too stubborn.

Here is a suggestion.

Bring out a two button mouse and a scroll wheel. Have the right button and scroll wheel disable by default in the OS. That way dumb people can't possibly click the wrong button.


















Oops, we are talking about dumb people here aren't we. They might call in and complain that their mouse doesn't work. Oh, nevermind then.

[Mediaman_12]

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:
I actually discussed this with some PC based friend of mine for the first time ever... They told me they would not buy a Mac purely because of the mouse!! they loved the OS and the style, but the mouse was a kicker...

I told them they could buy a 3rd party multi button mouse, but their attitude was that when they bought a new computer for �1500, why the hell should they have to spend extra straight away... it was a revelation to me.

Because the (2 button, scroll wheel if you are lucky) mice you get with most PC's are so fantastic I have never seen a 'professional' or 'hardcore' PC user who doesn't use some sort of 3rd party pointing device.

Do I wish Apple would make a multibuton mouse, yes of course (as long as it was 'industry leading' and not some sort of ergonomic nightmare). Do I 'believe' Apple would ever ship a multi button as standard, no.
For Apple to ship a multibutton mouse would require them to come out and say that for the entire life of the Macintosh they have been wrong, every bit of user research was mistaken. That would never happen, Apple may build an 'optional' multibutton mouse, but it would never ship as standard.

I bet most of the people on this list who want Apple to ship a 2 button + scroll wheel mouse, are using a pointing device with more than that number anyway, so would still buy a non Apple mouse.