Apple Developing Two-Button Mouse 1070
An anonymous reader writes "Always the innovator, Apple is rumored to be developing a two-button mouse! Personally, I don't think it will catch on. Two buttons will be way too confusing for your average user." A few users noted a related Slashdot story from awhile back that discusses why Apple has historically avoided the two-button mouse. The article also mentions a revision to the AirPort Base Station with built-in optical audio.
Pan wheel... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Funny)
I'm sure my girlfriend will appreciate how dextrious my fingers will get.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:4, Funny)
Sounds like an oxymoron to me.
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:3, Funny)
-JDF
Sigh (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:MOD UP! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:MOD UP! (Score:5, Funny)
That is just sad, truly sad.
1.) that you would make the comment
2.) that you would make it to a girl
3.) that you would have a D20 with you in a club
4.) that you would think this would work
5.) that this actually did
Re:MOD UP! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:MOD UP! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:MOD UP! (Score:4, Funny)
Dear Penthouse^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Slashdot Forum....
That's what happens when you start the night with drinking and D&D before going to the club.
Yep. You played all the D&D, and she did all the drinking.
(Just funnin' ya. But if you packed a d20 specifically for this, it means you had put way too much thought behind this idea.:)
Re:MOD UP! (Score:4, Funny)
Heh. Apple considers a 2-button mouse but the real discussion going on here is about Dungeons and Dating. *Sigh* Nerds are going the way of the dodo.
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:4, Insightful)
That's hardly similar when compared to the IBM Trackpoint...
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Informative)
Fn: this is to activate options that would be separate keys on a full-size desktop keyboard. Every laptop I've ever owned, PC or Mac, has used something similar.
Ctrl: Same as the Ctrl key on PC keyboards, laptop or desktop.
Option: Macs have always had these; at some point they started including the "Alt" label to indicate the equivalent PC key.
Apple, usually called "Cmd", short for "command", by longtime users (that's what the four-leaf clover is, I don't know why): The most commonly used key on Macs, and again, it has nothing to do with the number of buttons on the mouse; it activates most keyboard shortcuts. Cmd-Q is quit, Cmd-C is copy, etc. The PC world has actually ripped this off twice -- first by mapping the standard Apple Cmd shortcuts to Ctrl, then by adding the Windows key, which apparently is kind of like the Apple key except it does something different in every program.
FWIW, I agree that mapping multi-button mouse options to $KEY + click is a pain in the ass, but the proliferation of keys really is a separate issue.
How they got that cloverleaf symbol (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:4, Interesting)
Not for nothing, but "longtime" Apple users actually would know this better as the Apple key. That's what it was officially called in the Apple II days (there were two separate keys back then; one an outline of an apple called "Open-Apple", one a filled-in apple called "Closed-Apple"), and even the early Mac days. Old-school Apple guys still use the term "Apple key", unless they're talking to people they know are relative n00bs.
I switched to PC after the Apple II and for the longest time I had no friggin' idea what modern Mac guys were talking about whenever they'd tell me to press the "command" key on a Mac. I'd try to do something at work and they'd say "oh, just press command-control-comma" and I'd be like "huh? Command Control? Goddamn kids today..." Then I'd put in my dentures and tell those little whippersnappers to get the hell off my lawn.
Just goes to show, though, that Apple's keyboard layouts and one-button mice are no less confusing than what's used in the x86 world. There's nothing any more intuitive about either approach (though I do despise the Windows key - I still use an IBM Model M at home, which helps me avoid it).
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Informative)
The Win key is oddly under-used. There's a few notable uses (Win+D - show desktop, Win+E open Explorer, Win - show start menu). I've yet to see it do anything particularly useful.
On the Mac, Command (the Apple Key, or the 'Splat' key) is the 'do something' key. Cmd+H - Hide this app. Cmd+O (in Finder, and most apps) open, Cmd+S save, etc. Basically the Win equivalent of Control.
Option is a modifier, most often used to slightly alter the behaviour of a Command+[something] shortcut. For example, Cmd+I in Finder shows the Get Info (Properties for Win folk) panel. Cmd+Opt+I shows the Inspector. If Get Info is the Mac equivalent of Properties, the Inspector is a variant of the Properties window that dynamically updates based on the current selection.
For those who have access to a Mac, try dropping down a menu and tapping the Option key. The menu options will toggle between their standard and alternative uses.
The Control key's a bit of an oddity on the Mac. Its use is largely app-specific. It's not all that often it's used as menu or dialog shortcuts.
Having used Windows in all its variations since Win 3.11, and a Mac since 2001, I've got to say that I find the Mac's approach rather more elegant. Not to say that it's perfect -- some GUI navigation's a bit half-assed (i.e. no direct equivalent to Windows's Alt+F (file menu) S (save)). But that's largely mitigated by the consistency and utility of standard shortcuts.
(phew, quite a rant
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Funny)
Um... if you rotate the wheel fast enough, would you get the joke that flew by at Mach 10 over your head?
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:3, Informative)
You have an MX700, right? That is the only mouse Logitech has released in a pig's age that actually came with OS X drivers. None of Logitech's current offerings have been blessed in a like manner. I am still waiting--actually, I have long given up waiting--for drivers to their diNovo products. I guess they just don't want the business. Apple probably figures they might as well scoop up that market share since Logitech clearly sees no value in it.
On the other hand, Kensington has supported the Mac since the
Re:Pan wheel... (Score:5, Funny)
You've got to think corporate:
Memo from QA, 'Firefox compatibility'.
2 months later: Action Meeting decides to have report done.
2 weeks later: Meeting about report.
16 months later: Issue report request, 'Firefox compatibility'.
15 minutes later: Intern produces report.
6 months later: Meeting to discuss report.
3 weeks later: Meeting to discuss follow-up report.
2 months later: Action plan established.
1 week later: Action plan steering committee appointed.
3 months later: Action plan steering committee asks intern to recompile mouse drivers.
15 minutes later: Drivers ready.
Re:Doesn't anyone remember Lisa (Score:5, Informative)
The Lisa mouse is easily recognized by having a beige color scheme similar to the original Macintosh mouse, but with a different connector, a wider, shorter button, and somewhat different case styling.
This [nifty.com] is a Lisa mouse.
The second mouse seen here [decodesystems.com] is the original Macintosh mouse, IIRC.
They'll place... (Score:3, Funny)
Two button mouse my... (Score:5, Insightful)
Increase in functionality (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm firmly in the 3 button camp (UNIX/Linux user) but two is better than none, and I can see why they're doing that - especially given Apple's "interesting" notions about mice.
I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who will
Re:Increase in functionality (Score:3, Interesting)
I've been wondering, though, as I've read this thread, will the second mouse button be used to bring up context menus?
I mean, is Apple simply giving in to the pressure, or are they doing something else? Honestly, as an OSX user, I don't find the context menus in OSX that useful. Giving quick access to context menus... I can to without it. If you give me a three button mouse
Re:Increase in functionality (Score:3, Insightful)
OS X really needs middle-mouse-button copy/paste support. Some apps already have ctrl-k support, but when I switch between work box and home box I always find myself having to remember to apple-c/apple-v when I want to copy stuff like search terms, etc..
(and when Finder goes Cocoa, please please PLEASE put the Services menu in the
one step at a TIME! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Two button mouse my... (Score:3, Interesting)
Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity. For most users, 2 buttons would be enough, and the design is simple enough to be non-intimida
Re:Two button mouse my... (Score:5, Funny)
Let the mouse button wars begin!!
25 years later...
mac OS XX user: "WOW the new Apple Bluetooth mouse has 3 buttons and a scroll wheel"
Windows Longwhore SP4 user: "Lame, my MS Intellimouse has 16 buttons, 2 pressure-sensitive-tilt-slide-rotate-scroll wheels, 2 lasers, a 3-axis fiber optic ring gyroscope with GPS tracking, an inertial-charging battery system and 2-parameter biometric analyser to combat privacy, I mean piracy"
Re:Two button mouse my... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Two button mouse my... (Score:5, Funny)
Two button mice are so yesterday. (Score:5, Interesting)
I told her that the newest wheel mice have tilting wheels. When she understood it makes horizontal scrolling easier, her face lit up and she said "Ooooh...that sounds wonderful! Tell my grandson Mother's day is coming!"
Re:Two button mouse my... (Score:3, Funny)
They will be compatible with 1990 era PC's
[/rimshot]
now i'm curious... (Score:4, Funny)
In other news (Score:5, Funny)
Give me a Scroll Wheel (Score:5, Insightful)
Luckily, I have a lot of multiple button Logitech mice running around that I can use. But can anyone tell me how I can map f9 to the middle mouse button? Whenever I try, it just pops Expose open instead.
Re:Give me a Scroll Wheel (Score:3, Informative)
I'd second that, and add another ... (Score:3, Funny)
Apple has just recently reduced the price of its wired mouse to $29 and its wireless optical mouse to $59. The two-button wireless optical mouse would likely debut at the $69 price point once reserved for the company's current wireless mouse.
"Jaws will drop," said one insider.
Now, I know what the Mac fans will say: 'Plenty of people spend far more than that on gaming sticks and PC peripherals,' etc, etc.
But why can't they make the mice cheaper? I
Re:I'd second that, and add another ... (Score:5, Informative)
1) Most USB Mice work.
2) MSFT Intelli mice are nearly identical in price. You pay for quality. And yes MSFT mice are good quality, and work great with Mac's.
Re:I'd second that, and add another ... (Score:3, Informative)
Next up.. (Score:5, Funny)
Bill Gates says: "One mouse button ought to be enough for anybody."
Optical Out on AirPort Express, not Base Station (Score:5, Informative)
AE already has optical out (Score:4, Informative)
Re:AE already has optical out (Score:3, Informative)
It had to happen... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm sure this will help a lot of people convert over to Macs.
2 button mice (Score:4, Informative)
Cool, but redundant (Score:3, Insightful)
I've got an eMac and an iBook that I love, and I happily use the one-button option Apple provides, but when I get bored of that I plug in the 5 button + scroll-wheel Microsoft branded monstrosity trackball. It all works perfectly. I'm assuming this move is to get people to impulse upgrade while they're buying a new system, and to quell the usual hand-wringing from the PC fanboys. I don't think it's going to be the default option.
Why not just... (Score:4, Informative)
I got my 6 button mouse working on a mac with http://www.usboverdrive.com/ [usboverdrive.com] fine. I'll I want know is a similar app for windows, as I can only get 5 buttons to work how I want them:/
one button mouse does make sense (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:one button mouse does make sense (Score:3, Insightful)
Software developers could easily adapt to a one-button mouse model, if only they wanted to. Hold down the mouse for more than a few seconds and generate a "left-button" event. Ho
Re:one button mouse does make sense (Score:4, Interesting)
That doesn't explain why Apple's $3000 multiprocessor workstations come with a 1 button mouse.
A better theory is that Apple has many long-time Mac-Only users, who despite their years of computer experiece, have only experience with single button mice. Apple doesn't want their best and most loyal customers feeling stupid becasue they don't know what button to push.
Re:one button mouse does make sense (Score:4, Interesting)
>That doesn't explain why Apple's $3000 multiprocessor workstations come with a 1 button mouse.
It absolutely does. Look at some of their promotional stuff about who's using their computers: it's people who are good at what they do, but not experienced computer geeks. Doctors, lawyers, photographers, musicians, small business owners. People who don't care about computers -- people who care about getting their stuff done.
Apple is all about making difficult things simple. Look at video editing before Final Cut, for example. Just because you want to do something that requires lots of gigahertz, doesn't mean you need to be a l33t computer geek -- they've gone to great lengths to make even formerly-complex things as simple as possible (like video editing, which is arguably one of the most potentially complex things you can do on a computer today).
Note that they don't even call the PowerMac G5 a "workstation" -- they call it a "personal computer". It's built for people who want to use an Apple, but need a faster system, or a bigger screen (or two). Just because you have 2 CPUs so you can work faster shouldn't (and doesn't) mean you should be presented with an interface that's any more complex.
In fact, if their faster systems came with different mice, they'd be sending the implicit message that "if you want more power, you need a more complex interface". And Apple's goal seems to be to smash that myth to smithereens.
Re:one button mouse does make sense (Score:4, Interesting)
That doesn't explain why Apple's $3000 multiprocessor workstations come with a 1 button mouse.
I want Apple to ship a one button mouse by default on every system I buy. I will not use that mouse. The reason I want a one button mouse is not because I am an idiot, and can't use more buttons. Developers are idiots. If Apple ships a multi-button mouse, developers will immediately begin coding applications to require multiple buttons. This is something that sucks badly on Windows right now. As I mentioned earlier, Notepad on Windows has the second mouse button mapped to a contextual menu that is completely unnecessary. Other programs put controls only in this contextual menu. That means disabled people, voice interfaces, and scripts that use the menu controls usually can't get to those features. That sucks. Right now on the mac, while running a text editor, the second mouse button can actually do useful things, like spell checking, or a thesaurus, or translation, or online dictionary lookup, or any number of other services I assign.
I use MacOS X, Windows, and Linux every day. I wish all of them and the applications on them were built for a single button mouse, and left everything else to the user to configure. But, as I said, developers are stupid. Luckily Apple isn't.
average user (Score:3, Insightful)
Anyone who's done phone support with an "average user" will agree. Trying to communicate the differences between right- and left-clicking can be difficult. Never mind having the person learn in exactly which circumstances you have to do each one.
Zero button mouse. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Zero button mouse. (Score:4, Insightful)
I know I'm alone... so very, very alone. (Score:5, Insightful)
current Apple mouse is great for kids (Score:5, Insightful)
On the other hand the size of the current Apple mouse is just perfect. It is not too small for an adult and not too big for a child. Because of the size and the fact that the whole mouse is one big button, my kids can hold the mouse near its middle, and then it does not rotate while being moved.
I have heard the argument that once you start using a computer long enough you start wanting extra mouse buttons. What I think is that those people are not sophisticated enough. Even when I was using unix primarily, I configured fvwm and vim so that I could do almost everything from the keyboard. Today there are keyboard shortcuts for almost anything on OS X plus a bunch of small apps to add even more shortcut functionality. I really do not miss a three button mouse all the much at all. In fact I use SideTrack on my iBook and think that is perfect for the times I need to copy and paste in X11.app. Maybe Apple should make a compact keyboard with a trackpad instead of a two button mouse. If that keyboard was wireless, it would be perfect for sitting on the couch too especially with two finger scrolling.
One thing about OS X that is very frustrating is that I have not figured out an easy way to use the built-in spell checker with only the keyboard. If anyone knew an easy way to pop-up that menu with suggested corrections, I would really appreciate it. Also using the accessibility features and that spelling dialog box with only the keyboard is really annoying because the things you want to do are too many key presses away, so that is not really a viable solution...
Re:current Apple mouse is great for kids (Score:5, Interesting)
THANK YOU !
This is my experience as well. My home iMac mouse died ( crimped a cable ) and I ran with a spare three-button mouse for a while- not a MS mouse, but a very vanilla, small, fairly standard one. It totally pissed off my then-two-year-old son. And yes, he at completely mastered use of the mouse before he turned two- he could hit the exact square he wanted on a color chooser panel with squares smaller than 1/8". By age two. But it turns out he would have found learning to use the computer much more difficult with the three-button scroll wheel mouse so popular among power users.
I suspect most folks who don't like 'no'-button mouse are just used to what they're used to- it's actually a great design, fits well in a wide range of hand sizes, tracks movement very precisely, has and adjustable click response, and is blindingly easy to use.
The three-button scrollwheel mouse is great for power users, but have you ever watched a novice to average computer user work? They never use those extra features. A small percentage of normal users eventually figure out when they can use the scroll wheel, which, be honest, is not always obvious, but even then they frequently won't use it when they could. The right-click? Unless your application ( or OS ) absolutely requires that you use it, it's not used. I'm not saying you don't use it, and maybe you find it productivity-enhancing, but you know what's more productivity-enhancing? Learning ( and having ) keyboard shortcuts so you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard.
I can not believe the attitude people have about mice- a multi-button mouse is not the ideal choice for everyone, probably not even for the majority of computer users. Apple for a long time has targeted the more casual user, and for them I think the single-button mouse makes a lot of sense.
Of course, with all things, I prefer companies to offer their customers options, and I hope you'll be able to order whichever type of mouse you want from Apple in the future. Of course, there's always the possiblity that they'll do what they've done with the Mac mini, and stop shipping you all these standard parts with every machine anyway, under the assumption that you either already have them or will want to order exactly the ones you want ( based on what some companies are selling [kensington.com] I'm still unconvinced that's a good assumption ). I personally use a trackpad with extra buttons and a scrolling area ( on a contour keyboard ) at work... but at home, I've yet to find the one-button mouse a burden. It's far from the big deal people seem to want to make it.
How about the 104-button mouse? (Score:4, Funny)
How to teach people to use a two button mouse. (Score:4, Interesting)
As for the quote from the tech support person who claimed that having someone use the right mouse button caused the person to evermore ask "right or left" when asked to click: That's ridiculous. You just say, "If I, or someone else, or a book or manual instructs you to 'click' on something without telling you which button, you use the left button." You explain that the left button is the "default" button and then go into a brief explanation of what "default" means.
Here's how to explain "default."
The "default" is what's expected in the absence of any other instructions. The default hamburger in diners and other traditional restaurants is usually just meat between two buns (with perhaps some garnishes on the side). At McDonald's and other fast food chains the default includes ketchup, pickles, onions and sometimes more.
Once you understand the default configuration of burgers at the place you eat, you know what to expect.
less use for the two button mouse (Score:4, Interesting)
One excellent reason is the terminal
Another is the fact that control click, command click and option click all do the same things in pretty much every program (I can't say what exactly, it's that intuitive)
All I know is that when I want a new tab in firefox instead of a new window, I always make the right kind of click
nevertheless, I like multibutton mice, and now that I see this discussion on slashdot, I'm going to go get me a USB wireless mouse with a scroll wheel. I've forgotten how nice those were...
Nah, "To button" and "Fro button" (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Meh (Score:5, Interesting)
The issue is really with powerbooks which only support one button on the case trackpad- a major pain - will apple release a two button config with the new PB's as well? I hope so.
As as side note, I use (as do many others) a program called sidetrack, ( http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/sidetrack/ ) which allows you to place regions on the track pad to support up to an additional 4 buttons, and v/h scrolling on the edges of the pad. It works well- but takes a lot of getting used to (to avoid accidentally hitting the buttons) IMHO but it's better than nothing- however howabout a mod for the PB itself to have it on the HW, along with the two button mouse.
I wonder how Job's will keynote this. Not a guy who likes to say 'I was wrong'
Re:Meh (Score:5, Insightful)
Not to sound like an ardent Jobs supporter, but why would he have to say that he was wrong? The idea of a one button mouse still appeals to many less skilled computer users. I know that getting my grandma an Apple all those years ago was a great decision and I still think that she would do better with a one button mouse.
I don't think that the idea here is to replace the one button mouse, just offer a choice to those who wish to use two buttons and don't want to go third party.
Re:Meh (Score:5, Insightful)
I have to disagree here. I really can't stand the one-button mice on Macs (well, aesthetically they're nice, but from a usability standpoint they feel like they are forcing me to wear a mitten). On the other hand, I have never found a multi-button trackpad/ball/point on a laptop that I found even remotely usable. The nice thing about multi-button mice is that you are able to use one button with each finger. With a trackpad, you generally use both buttons with a thumb (I pondered the idea of placing the second button above the pad, but I have never seen an implementation of this concept), and so right-clicking is less ergonomic than control-clicking.
Re:Meh (Score:3, Interesting)
The one thing I miss on a pad is a scroll wheel. "Sidetrack" type solutions are not satisfactory, because I don't want to have to pay attention to where my thumb is on the pad--pads are designed for relative, not absolute motion. Apple's two-finger
Re:Meh (Score:4, Insightful)
NeXT's mouse had two buttons.
I'm sure the introduction of the new mouse will be somewhat humorous (ie: "Hell finally froze over" (iTunes for Windows), Fast User Switching (Windows had something first), etc).
My suspicion is that the one-button mouse will remain default, and iBooks will keep the single button (although the PowerBooks may go two, at least as an option). Multi-button trackpads are really awful from a usability point of view.
Since Mac OS is designed to utilize, but not require, a two-button mouse, making it default would be a mistake (IMO).
Re:What?!? (Score:3, Funny)
Is it Saturday night already?!
Re:Insanely Insane Apple Design Decisions (Score:4, Insightful)
In the PC world you simply pushed a button right next to the drive. No such luck there.
After a few days I finally had to call a friend of mine to explain it to me. And to this day I don't understand why deleting the floppy icon from the desktop is more "insanely great" than simply pushing one button. Then again, maybe the emphasis isn't on the "great" but is on the "insane."
Re:Insanely Insane Apple Design Decisions (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Insanely Insane Apple Design Decisions (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Insanely Insane Apple Design Decisions (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, basically the trash stands as a catch-all for "get rid of" and has since the first Mac OS. You can drag toolbar items to the trash, you can drag dock items to the trash, connected servers, if you happen to be dragging and dropping some text and you drag it to the trash can a clipping will be formed inside of it with the text of the drag etc.
Basically apple wants to create the best "digitized office" for their users. They wanted as little as possible to be on the outside of the computer, more buttons == greater complexity, for a bad example, its the same reason some people can't even program their VCR.
--Dan
Re:Insanely Insane Apple Design Decisions (Score:3, Insightful)
That explains what Apple was thinking, but doesn't change the fact that it is a tortured metaphore in this case and results in user confusion -- the parent poste
dumb and dumber (Score:4, Insightful)
if dragging a disk to somewhere used to be a trash can is dumb, talking something you don't know is dumber.
I understand why you don't understand.
The reality is if you are draging a disk, the trash can becomes a "Eject" sign magically.
Re:Insanely Insane Apple Design Decisions (Score:4, Interesting)
Dammit, you've convinced me.
When this was first explained to me, I thought it meant that the when you dragged a drive/share icon over the trashcan, the trashcan icon would transmogrify into an eject symbol. This would be daft.
But if I understand you correctly, as soon as you click and hold on a drive or a share, the trashcan disappears (because deleting a drive is impossible) and is replaced with an eject symbol.
This suddenly makes sense to me. I suppose it would make even more sense if the trashcan were to quickly swoosh offscreen, and the eject icon were to swoosh on to replace it. In other words, the object is not changing its behaviour and appearance: a different object is positioned where the old one was.
Are there other areas where Aqua rearranges the desktop depending on context? I can imagine, for example, if you start to drag a file, some area could empty itself of icons that wouldn't accept that drop, and populate itself with icons appropriate to the format of the file being dragged.
I need to try out OSX, just so I can be more informed, but the cost! the cost!
Re:Insanely Insane Apple Design Decisions (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Insanely Insane Apple Design Decisions (Score:4, Informative)
The power button... (Score:5, Funny)
I don't think I can count on one hand how many times people have switched off their PC's when trying to eject a floppy!
Re:Insanely Insane Apple Design Decisions (Score:3, Interesting)
It's the mechanical eject button that is the insane design decision.
Re:NeXT lives (Score:3, Informative)
No.
NeXT never shipped a scroll wheel mouse at all. Next used a 2 button mouse. By default the second button was identical to the first. The mouse preferences allowed the user to use the second button to display a copy of the application menu at the current cursor position. Which button (left or right) did this was user definable to allow lefties and righties to use the system comfortably.
I was a NeXT user for about 9 years before switchi
Re:Mac Users will now need (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Apple will do it with far more flare (Score:3, Informative)
But people don't see these messages often, they usually mean something is wrong with hardware (most often memory).
Re:BSOD? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:BSOD? (Score:4, Funny)
So true. I particularly loved, back in the 9x days, how--after the computer crashes and forces you to restart--you are slapped on the wrist for shutting down the computer wrong. This was especially frustrating while working on a program or paper for class...
Re:Predictable timing... (Score:4, Insightful)
But the iMac in my kitchen (which I'm using now) has a single button Apple mouse, and it's quite useable.
I think the rumored tactic of shipping a two-button mouse as an option is fine, but I don't ever want to see Apple ship a mouse with more than one button with the computers, for one simple reason. I've spent too much time trying to get computer novices to understand what a second button does, and many never get it. (these are the same people who never quite get the difference between a click and a double-click - when you throw another unlabeled button on the mouse, they lose it.)
Re:Predictable timing... (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyone who has used either a touchscreen or laptop trackpad would probably agree that UIs should be designed to work with a single mouse button.
Re:Predictable timing... (Score:3, Insightful)
True, but... (Score:5, Insightful)
This is especially true if you need to keep multiple windows open and are running an image-editing or multimedia-editing program.
Re:$70 ??? (Score:5, Informative)
Not to justify $69, but the Apple one is Bluetooth, and works with a (built-in, if you prefer) Bluetooth dongle, rather than the Logitech's PS2/USB remote receiver dongle.
Minor point, but Apple users tend to prefer the aesthetics of not having extra bits plugged in everywhere
Mark
PS Cue dozens of people finding cheaper Bluetooth meeces now!
Re:$70 ??? (Score:5, Informative)