[chicken_tastes_good]

Just as a matter of personal interest I wouldn't mind seeing how many people out there AREN'T displeased with the round mouse currently shipping with all iMac and PowerMac's. That's right, lets see how many people DO like the mouse. I realise that many people hate the mouse. Your voice on this matter has been hear many times. This is not the place to voice it again. (Other than to debate particular comments by those who like it...) That is, don't run off at the mouth about how you hate it just to see your own voice, we've all heard it.

So, I actually really enjoy the mouse that came with my revA iMac.

After about a week's adjustment I have been gripping it by the thumb and pinky finger resting the heel of my hand on the mousepad. My index and middle finger do the clicking.

I may not have the largest of hands, and this may very well make the use of the mouse easier. My hand rests in a very relaxed position as the muscles in the top of my hand (and forearm) don't need to do as much as when I have to push down on one of the "normal" mice, where one must rest the entire hand on the mouse and move one's arm to move the cursor.

Mostly with the round mouse, I only move my thumb and pinky finger. My arm rarely moves. I have the mouse tracking set to fast, and simply pick up the mouse (with those two fingers - as it is well balanced) and set it down again so I can move to the far corners.

Now that I've told my story, lets hear yours. I actually think that if more people didn't try to mash their hand down on top of the mouse, it would be more comfortable and enjoyable for them. (Opinion based on my experience alone)

Thanks

Yup, I agree.

When I first changed fom a LC-575 mac to the iMac I had some trouble getting used to "the puck" . Like many others I found myself having to change the way I grip my mouse.

Then, after I had attapted to it, I found I really like the little devil. It is lighter and faster to use than the old mouse, and fits real fine holding it between thumb and ring finger.

BTW, I love my iMac keyboard too....

[fletch521]

I'm, neutral I don't mind using it but I also don't think that I would buy one. I did try out an iMac in the store before buying and I don't remember having any second thoughts about the mouse. If I replace it, it would most likely be with a track ball rather than a conventionally styled mouse.


Fletch

[This message has been edited by fletch521 (edited 02-19-2000).]

[Don Foy]

I use the hockey puck and an XLR8 Point and Scroll. Don't mind the hockey puck at all. Like everyone else, took some getting used to, and now I'm having to get used the the XLR8 mouse. BTW, if you're looking for a scrolling mouse, this one's hard to beat for $30.

personally i have an intellipoint, i like the scroll, and the extra buttons (great for gaming). but i also took great care in putting a lime green LED into my puck, now it glows like there's no tomorrow , you cannot do that with a beige mouse!

I personally have no problem with the feel of the round mouse but I do wish it had more than that one button.

[Misha]

I prefer the first round mice (no "dimple" on the button) to the second... the first seemed to have more spring in the button, which felt better when clicked.

While I've adapted to use a round mouse, my had still gets cramped if I use it a lot, which never happens with a normal mouse.

[Sender]

I moved back to using the round mouse, no complaints. The point/scroll is great for scrolling but that four-foot cord realy gets in the way! Manufacturers need to learn that an Apple mouse plugs into the keyboard, not a dusty box under the desk.

[disectamac]

Not only is the round mouse liked by more people than one might think, myself included. It is probably the most talked about mouse since it's release! "Ooohh look at the mouse" they say. Then they have to touch it. All I do now is put on a half smirk when I hear it because I've heard a million times. Yet it still amazes me that I've never seen someone approach a PeeCee and say "Ooooh look at the mouse" no matter how top of the line it may be.

[slboett]

Gotta admit, since they added the "dimple" I actually like it. I use a three-button Contour mouse at work, so I only really miss the extra buttons. What is hard for me is the dark keys with white lettering on the keyboard. I have a hard time seeing the keys as I'm not a proper touch-typist. I would have likked the clear keys with black lettering, but it's not the end of the world.

Scott

I had my doubts about the mouse when I got my iMac, thinking that I would have to replace it ASAP, but I have gotten used to it... and I really don't miss the extra button. I jumped onto my roomate's PC the other night, and was amazed at how differently everything now feels. In comparison, the "puck" is very comfortable to use. I have large hands, but the PC mouse felt gigantic!

(The iMac keyboard is a different story though.)

[Barney]

I think the "hockey puck" is great. To just be able to cup my hand comfortably over it, and with a gentle pressure with the bottom of my index finger on the button...no problema!

[This message has been edited by Barney (edited 02-19-2000).]

[msuper69]

I like it fine. This is the only mouse that I know of that doesn't assume that the user is right-handed. That means a lot to us lefties. We already think "different" so the Mac is a natural for us (imho).

[DBursey]

I like the puck. I find it very comfortable; it's use doesn't fatigue the hand. I do miss a scroll wheel, though (the best feature on my Wintel box at work ). Think Apple's designers could place two buttons and a wheel on the thing?

I find it very comfortable. I really don't "hold" it like a normal mouse, just rest my hand over it and move it mainly with my thumb and ring finger. I really don't mind the single button either as long as you can use your left hand on the keyboard to hit shift, control, option or apple to make up for it.

[This message has been edited by PolarWave (edited 02-19-2000).]

[EmAn]

Last March I upgraded from a Performa 6115. It took about 2 weeks for me to get used to the round mouse. Ever since then I've been very comfortable using it.

I love the puck!

That being said, my main Mac for the past five years was a PowerBook and I am a trackpad addict.

I love my iMac DV for fun and games, but when I get serious, I go back to my 'Book.

I plan to trade it for an iBook RSN. Then it will be trackpad all the time (and no cords!).

[Paul Huang]

Whether you like the puck or not, you have to admit that the cord can easily get in the way of mouse orientation, position, and movement at the very beginning.

I do not use a mouse by preference. I use one of the following:

trackball (Kensington only), WACOM tablet, or digitizer.

One day I was forced to use a puck with my left hand (I am right handed) for 16 hours non stop. Typically after just ONE minute of usage, I have hand problems. My hand was fine that day and the day after. No problem at all.

However, I still don't prefer using a mouse.

I like the round mouse. It is much easier for all members of our family to use. We no longer wrap our hand around the mouse and move it with the entire arm like we do with the Apple mouse on our Performa 6220. Instead you gently position the mouse with two fingers. Wish I could plug one into my old Performa.

[Mike Pither]

I use the puck in much the same way as chicken tastes good but I can't say it is very comfortable, it's just to small for me. If I had to use it all day I would change it for something bigger. It does look nice though, perhaps they should make a bigger version of it, maybe this would resolve a lot of the complaints. The thing I most dislike about the mouse on the Imac is however not the puck but the large movement it needs to move around the screen. To get from the top to the bottom of the screen requires about 10cms on the Imac which is about 4 times as much as on my windows pc at work which has a 17 inch monitor running at 1024 x 760. Is possible to adjust it. You can't in Mouse settings under the control pannel.

You can make the mouse more sensitive by setting the tracking towards fast under the mouse control panel. The mouse is speed sensitive, so the faster you move the mouse the further it will go. PC mice do the same, except you never really know when or where they are going to move.

It's okay. I don't have any problems with the roundness, just the difficulty of figuring out the mouse's orientation "on the fly". I actually wish the dimple was smaller, so I could always tell which way is "up".
Even before my DV/SE I put a felt pad on my Bondi rev B puck.
Also, can you open this thing to clean it?

------------------
Rick Koch, MCSE
My personal computer is a Macintosh.

[orlgummo]

I love the mouse. I've used the little puck for over a year, and recently was in a situation that required me to use the "old style" mouse, and it felt so...Windows to me. I couldn't stand it.

And yes, the keyboard is fantastic too.

[Barney]

Rick, go to MacOs Info Center, click on Tell Me about My Computer. A menu will come up with Handling and Cleaning My Computer Equipment. In that you'll find info on opening and cleaning the mouse.

The puck-size mouse looks so sexy that I cannot stop using it .... has a feel of a sexy woman ... nevermind... I just love it!!! No complaint at all!!

I have an iMac, and my boss has a PB ! When I bought a Logitech mouse with wheel i gave him the iMac mouse ! Now i have a WACOM graphire (pen + cordles mouse) and I gave him the Logitech ! next day he returned the Logitech and asked back the iMac mouse !
I think this is enough ! :-)

i like the mouse as well. when i installed an LED inside of mine i noticed how easily the side clips could be removed. i left them off as i felt the mouse was more ergonomic and directional without them.

[scottiB]

I'm glad this topic was posted. For too long, the puck and keyboard have been maligned.

I prefer the dimpled puck, though the non-dimpled had a smoother click response, imho.

The mouse is light, yet solid.

The keyboard, though, is the best. When I must use a WinTel machine, the feel of that keyboard is as different as a manual to an electric typewriter for the Apple.

Sheesh, do they still teach typing in high school?

Originally posted by RickK:
It's okay. I don't have any problems with the roundness, just the difficulty of figuring out the mouse's orientation "on the fly". I actually wish the dimple was smaller, so I could always tell which way is "up".
Even before my DV/SE I put a felt pad on my Bondi rev B puck.
Also, can you open this thing to clean it?

Of course

Simply turn the puck upside down and push with two fingers on each side of the ball and twist the cover counter clockwise

[billybob]

I don't like the round mouse....but I don't dislike it. At first I was like, gee, this is just GREAT (notice the sarcasm)... but as time went by, I came to not mind it at all. I hear lots of people bitch about it all the time, but seriously, it's not THAT bad..

My only real complaint is that since it's completely round, sometimes you can get it mis-oriented in your hand, and then when you move the mouse, the cursor goes, well, not exactly the way you want it to If it was slightly elongated, that would help.

What other people said about how they hold it, and only having to move their hand, not their arm, to use the mouse. Well that's true. I'd never thought of that before, but when I read it, I was like "Oh yah." That is kinda cool. I also hold it with my thumb and ringfinger, and use my index/middle finger to press the button..

I like the puck, but I did stick a small clear rubber 'footpad' on the center point of the button, in order to instantly know it's orientation.

However, I no longer use it as I have made a Logitech gaming mouse my only mouse. If you play Quake III arena, it's the only way. Highly recommended by me.

I can't believe all the positive responses to this thread! I'll just add to it! i like it, too. But i've got a theory why they chose to go with an odd shaped mouse and small keyboard on all their products (Pro & Consumer). Apple had always had a hard time getting 3rd parties to make mice and keyboards because the ones the beige Macs shipped with were so great. The only time i've ever heard of someone buying a 3rd party keyboard or mouse was if their's died. So what motivation was there for 3rd party stuff? along comes the iMac with ONLY USB which had no devices out there and the G3 shipped with the same jr. keyboard and mouse. instantly there where dozens of 3rd party bondi extended keyboards and mice...kickstarting the USB revolution. that would not have happened if Apple again shipped the best USB mouse and keyboard...
It's just a theory..

Can someone post the URL to the site with instructions on adding an LED to my iMac mouse?

I would love to add lights to my keyboard too, I can't type in the dark!

[Sender]

mouse light It's easy.

[GORDYmac]

I've never like mice, I feel that a trackball gives me more control.

I never had any any problems with the round mouse at all, and I definitely have larger than average hands. It took very little time for me to get used to it, and I liked the feel of it - it could be a bit taller, but it's still very comfortable.

That being said, I really wonder why, oh WHY has Apple not introduced their own 2-button mouse by now? Comfort issues aside, It wasn't too long before I was yearning for an extra button to simplify my tasks. I bought a Kensington Mouseworks to replace my iPuck, and I would never go back now. Four (count em) buttons and a scroll wheel just beat the pants off of any 1-button mouse, no matter how comfortable it is. No more double-clicking, control-clicking, click-hold-and drag - this is what a mouse should be like. And the Mouseworks is very, very comfortable too - it's got a somewhat unconventional shape, but it's the most comfortable mouse I've ever used. I just rest my hand over it and my fingers fall right over the mouse buttons, and I can move it much like the iMac mouse, with just two fingers (thumb and pinky). I got it for $39, too, although I'd be willing to pay much more for it.

A side note - I also really like the iMac keyboard. Again, I've got very large hands, but it took little getting used to and it has a very nice touch to it (I HATE those crappo pc keyboards that all these computer labs seem to love - the ones that make a loud click with every keypress). My computer desk isn't terribly large and I'm glad for the compact size of the keyboard.

[MAlan]

I don't mind the round mouse. I thought I'd replace it at once but I've gotten used to it. However, I concur on the buttons. One more button would be nice.

I just recieved a DVSE as a gift and have been playing every game for Macs that I can get my hands on including D3, UT, Myth2, and R6. The mini-mouse is (in my opinion) absolutly perfect for gaming. If I could I'd burn my old "normal" mouse.

[sblunden]

i don't mind the iMac mouse either, after about a week of using it it didn't bother me at all. I had one of the first batch of imacs to ever ship so it didn't have a dimple and in the 7 months i had the imac i only had problems with orientation about 5 times.
i like the feel of the keyboard also

i guess thats all.

-spencer

[fletch521]

"If I could I'd burn my old "normal" mouse."

You Can.

Fletch

After using the hockey-puck for a while, those old mice feel downright clunky. I really like the feel of these guys, though I did have some orientation problems with the non-dimpled originals.

My general impression of the people who don't like the new mouse is that they "palm" the mouse when they use it, which is very uncomforable.This is in contrast to the way I've always held the mouse with nothin' but fingertips.

I also have to disagree with the people who say the round mouse is harder to use because they have large hands(see note below). For me it is actually more comfortable simply because it is wider, resulting in a more open, relaxed grip.

Note: Let me define large hands. If you can go through a large shopping mall and not find any gloves large enough (much less ones you like), you have large hands. If your hands are large enough that "palming" traditional mice causes cramps, then you have large hands. I have large hands, which is why I've always held mice with my fingertips.

[drg]

I use two track pads, one track ball, three regular mice, and two round ones almost every day. I prefer the round mice.

[wlonh]

oh, the SHAME!!! i confess... i LIKE the hockey puck... always have.

[Misha]

I think I'd like it more if it were a little more functional... add another button and a scroll wheel and I might use it over my Point & Scroll.

Of course, that wouldn't leave a big market for third-party mice, since one of their selling points is the added functionality.

I'm surprised that no third-party has come out with a more functional round mouse, unless Apple owns the patents to a round mouse (does anyone know?).

[chicken_tastes_good]

Its nice to see this kind of response. Keep it up! I think that apple has some kind of patent on the round mouse, but I'm not sure which part. I think the "roundness" of it would be difficult to patent ( kind of like patenting one's round basketball design so that no one else could make a round basketball...) but any third party product would have to be different, or risk legal proceedings similar to those of the iMac clone makers.

As far as two (plus) buttons and a scroll wheel go, I don't think apple will change. The use of an extra button would probably be more intuitive for new users than the use of the control-click, but would detract from the smooth, simplistic, lines of apple products. As someone said, the round mouse makes people want to touch it. If you broke up its clean image with a scroll wheel and extra buttons (extra buttons made by "partitioning" the original button) it would probably help with the orientation problems some have had, but would make it more difficult for small children and beginnner users. Yes, the second button would be more intuitive than the control-click, but more confusing for somone unsure as to which of the multiple buttons to use for which task. (My parents have a challenging time with just one button...) With the G4's, an advanced mouse could be warranted, but not with an iMac.

thanks for all the postings

the puck is fine for me,and for the others just buy another one and ........

[cteselle]

this is very strange, even I admit it, but I actually collect the imac mice... I have 7 or 8 of them...

I found definitive closure to this round-mouse issue at <A HREF="http://www.mired.com/mac/mac_01_12_2000.html" TARGET=_blank>I love the round mouse (and I hate the rest of you lame-o's)
</A> from Mr. Hauser at Mired.com. (Warning: link is rated R)

I love the mouse. I love the keyboard.

I just hate the sound the hard drive makes.