After the first minute I hated it. After a day I loved it. After a week, I'm on ibuprofen. I like the Magic Mouse, especially the touch-sensitive surface and flick scrolling, but am just not sure how long my metacarpals can take it.
It's not Apple's fault: my hand is passing three decades old and I can't get away with poor mousing habits anymore. But the iffy ergonomics don't help. And though this is Cupertino's best mouse by a country mile, it has some other drawbacks, too. So an unqualified recommendation isn't quite possible.
But I do like it. Surfing the web was a flick-scroll delight from the get-go, even if something about the twitchy touch-sensitive surface dissuades me subtly from doing any real work with it. It's just weird enough to present the brain with a new learning curve that turns swiftly into a dangerous acquired taste: like the iPhone keyboard, it makes casual use easier and serious use harder.
As far as the multitouch touchpad goes, the iPhone–not a laptop's trackpad–is the right comparison. Clicking is still done the old-fashioned way, which is a good thing, but there's no middle-click. No pinching gesture, either! The embedded multitouch tracking pad covers almost all of it and mostly serves to replace the scrollwheel found in standard mice–and the Mighty Mouse's scrollball.
Visually, Magic Mouse is an archetypally beautiful Apple product. There are just two curving surfaces, which meet to trace the geometrical form otherwise represented in nature by shoe horns. On top is the expansive white button/trackpad. Underneath is the metal base, broken up by two long teflon pads, a hole for tracking optics, a power switch and a battery light. Two AA batteries are required and are included. It's well-made, wireless (BlueTooth) and attractive; the minimalist design will be a boon for those who like neat desktops. Drivers are available for Windows.
Momentum scrolling feels natural and establishes an organic correspondence between force used and on-screen results. It's the best thing about it. Other tricks the touchpad facilitates, like holding one finger down to click and then using another finger to scroll-select—feel elegant, a taste of even better implementations to come. This stuff is the magic in the Magic.
Also good is that it doesn't have the wake lag that typifies the BlueTooth mice I've used before. In its tracking, responsiveness and precision, it feels much like a decent RF wireless mouse from Logitech or Microsoft.
The lack of middle click remains my most pressing real problem. Snow Leopard users can set up a triple-tap gesture with this trick, but people on 10.5 seem out of luck. Command-clicking is a poor substitute.
The relatively low-profile shape means it lacks the domed, palm-nestled ergonomics of standard mice. For me, this encourages a punishing anti-grip in which the mouse is pushed around by the inside edges of my little finger and thumb. My pointer, index and ring finger arch over the surface like taut fleshy claws. Old muscle-memory habits occasionally send my hand wandering up it like a spider, sending documents scrolling out of place. Any who prefer a sense of mechanical control will not like this inadvertant fluttering around.
Lack of middle click, odd ergonomics, and an occasional inclination to do whatever it pleases. If you don't like the sound of those drawbacks, don't let yourself get addicted to momentum scrolling.
Magic Mouse – $69 at the Apple Store.
