Because they hate their customers and want the mouse to become junk you have to replace when the mouse goes dead. It’s a finesse in planned obsolescence, same as the first time.
Don’t be ridiculous, they love their customers. You just ain’t one of them. Their target demo continues to be people don’t want to think about it and have enough money to not care about the difference between $8 and $80. Same as ever. It’s also kinda hard to fault them considering how much fucking money they make.
Agreed. They make sleek, flashy products for a reason- shiny = better. It’s not so much a case of making products that die easily, as it is making incremental upgrades that encourage big spenders to get the latest version.
I’m pretty system-agnostic, each cult has its flaws, but one thing Apple does not do is make crappy hardware. My last MacBook was still going strong after 6 years, my partner’s Air is pushing eight. My iPod Video has been replaced by my phone, but last I turned it on, it was working fine, must be over ten years old.
I have a rechargeable mouse from a no-name Chinese company, and they put the port at the nose of the mouse. It works like a wired mouse when plugged in and charging.
How has Apple not figured this out?
They have, it is especially designed to not work that way because then a lot of people would just leave it plugged in. And Apple hates that this would look like a wired mouse.
But yes that has not stopped them from doing it right on the keyboard.
Who leaves their wireless mouse plugged in?
I do. Don’t really need a wireless mouse on my desktop PC. It’s not going anywhere :)
Do you not get annoyed by the cord?
Not usually. Only if I have too much crap on my desk and it catches on something, but that’s easy to fix.
I’m sure they have
One of those stupid old design decisions that Apple is super stubborn about because they’re convinced that they are right and their customers are wrong. Very much similar to the old iOS volume controls that took up most of the screen
Power move. Show those users who is boss.
They’ll do it in 3-4 years, claiming it’s revolutionary, while they’re just catching up to the competition.
honestly who cares? charge it overnight once per week and you’re fine.
focus on the actual problems, like the horrific ergonomics, planned obsolescence, or apple’s war on right to repair.
this is a problem of planned obsolescence since the mouse becomes unusable once the battery runs down
40 years since invention and outside of a few interesting edge cases like projectors, I still don’t understand the purpose of a wireless mouse. It sits next to your computer full time. Pay less, get more response, much more longevity, and go wired.
My computer is on a workbench that already has a mess of wires and electronic components on it. One less wire is great. I barely game. I don’t need the quick response.
Some setups have you sitting further away from the screen like when people hook up their computers to TVs. Also less cables means less cable management
It never seems to be the people who have actually used the mouse complaining about the port location.
A brief 1-2 minute charge nets you hours of use, it’s really not a big deal.
I recently read a plausible reason that I hadn’t thought of yet:
Apple would need to include a specific flexible cable rated for continuous movement with the mouse. If the port was in the regular spot, then people would ofc also use it wired at times. However if buyers would use regular charging cables, then the experience would both be worse and the cables might get damaged over time from bending.
I still think the main reason is simply that they value form over function, otherwise the shape would be more ergonomic, but it’s another interesting factor to consider.
It’s done intentionally. If you want a wired mouse, you can buy one of thousands of wired mice and use those. If you want a wireless mouse, it doesn’t need to and shouldn’t be plugged in while you are using it.
I think this is a pretty obtuse take. Users obviously want their mouse to remain functional when the battery dies. It’s not a wireless vs wired mouse debate.
It’s time you all got over how the Magic Mouse charges
Only a couple of minutes of charging should give you eight-to-nine hours of battery life.
i love how people bend over backwards to justify the placement, and STILL the best you can come up with is “it’s not THAT bad”
until your battery runs down that is
The article you linked seems to disagree with your point:
I’m not saying the Magic Mouse couldn’t be improved, or that should Apple ever release a third version, the charging solution shouldn’t be better.
The vitriol over this topic is humorous. We charge our phones and watches daily, nobody is losing their minds over that. However, asking for the mouse to be plugged in one night a month is outlandish and absurd.
The best part is that this minor issue overshadows the real issue: the ergonomics are terrible. I have large hands and simply can not hold onto the thing properly. Narrow and flat is poor design for something you need to get a grip on to slide around.
I can use my phone and even my watch (not on my wrist but still can), while they are plugged in.
But you’re right, the rest of the design is also bad.
The other problem is that the mouse does not click properly. Apple is still stubbornly refusing to put a second physical button in their mice. For almost 20 years they’ve been selling mice that can emulate right clicking by using a touch surface, but it seems like you still need to hold the mouse funny to avoid accidentally doing the wrong click because your other finger is resting on the other side of the mouse when clicking. At least they got rid of the little ball that likes to scroll horizontally while you’re scrolling vertically and gets clogged easily.
I’ve used the magic mouse in passing, and to be honest after the first couple fumbled attempts of doing a right click, my brain just transitioned to clicking as if it were a macbook touchpad. And it works great. It’s not a mouse, it’s not a touchpad, it’s in between.
