Apple Pro Mouse (M8690G/A)

Very soon after I bought my Power Mac G3 (blue and white), I knew I would have to get another mouse. The silly little round poor-excuse-for-a-mouse had to go. I ended up getting a Contour Unimouse to replace it and was reasonably satisfied with this for about a year.

Recently, however, it started to have the same classic "hygiene" problems that most of these critters eventually have. The pesky track ball gets gunky from all the crumbs and hair and lint on the mouse pad and stops working effectively. I took it apart and cleaned it repeatedly but it still kept sticking. In addition, the little rubber grippers on the side kept sliding off and had to be repositioned.

Just about the time that I was about rip this mouse out by it's tail (uh, cord), I had the pleasure of trying the Apple Pro Mouse that came with my new iMacDV+. I knew in an instance that I could never go back.

A Mouse Is Just a Mouse, Right?

No, in this case, it's a work of art. I'm not kidding.

The first thing you notice about the Apple Pro Mouse is the incredibly (dare I say sexy?), smooth-as-glass surface. If fabulous looks aren't enough to float your boat, the feel of this mouse will. I find myself absent-mindedly stroking it fondly in a meditative fashion as I read my email or ponder my next Epinions review. It's probably lowered my blood pressure by 20 points!

The satiny smooth surface is also translucent so you can see inside the mouse, sort of. What you see from the top is a clear shell over a black base with the small white Apple emblem printed in the center. Understated elegance.

With motion, though, the tranquil image is dramatically transformed to fiery passion. The translucent case lights up in a bright red glow. Leave it alone for a second or two and the red glow dims to smoldering embers. I often spend more time looking at this changing red light show than I do my computer screen. OK, well not really, but I do look at it a lot!

So What If It Looks Cool. How Does it WORK?

Now, do you really think I'm so shallow that I would allow my judgment to be swayed by good looks? OK, so usually I am. But not this time!

The Apple Pro Mouse is flawless in operation. It uses a high-precision optical tracking mechanism in place of a track ball so there is no sticking or skipping or other problems in tracking. Simply put, the mouse takes your cursor where you want it to go, quickly and accurately, with minimal effort on your part.

Another feature that makes this mouse especially effective and easy to use is the all-over clickable surface. Rather than having to find the elusive front button of the circular hockey puck mouse or the correct button on a multiple-button mouse, all you have to do with the Apple Pro Mouse is to click anywhere on the front two-thirds of the smooth surface. The whole top "pivots" up an down in a subtle but sensitive clicking action.

It was remarkably easy to get use to this different sort of button. Even my three-year-old figured it out without assistance. If you don't like the feeling of the click on this mouse, you can easily adjust the tension by rotating a little ring on the bottom side.

If you are selecting a large field and find yourself scrolled into a corner, you can keep the mouse "clicked" by squeezing two semi-circular sections on the side of the mouse and then lifting it and moving it to a surface where you have more room.

You aren't limited to using a mouse pad, either. The Apple Pro Mouse will work on virtually any surface, though non-reflective, opaque surfaces are best. The only time you need a mouse pad is if you are working on a highly reflective glass or mirrored surface. I've even used it on my jeans-clad legs. It would probably even work on bare legs (or other body parts) but I haven't gone there yet. Our computer station isn't that private.

A final feature that makes this a user-friendly mouse is the elliptical shape. It works well in both little and big hands and equally accommodates right and left-handed people. All you need to do is plug the attached cord into the USB port of your Mac or Mac keyboard and you are ready to go!

What About the Flaws?

Personally, I haven't noticed any flaws. None at all. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Neither has my husband ("It works fine" he just yelled from the couch in the next room). He may not be the best judge since he rarely gets to use the computer. However, my kids can vouch for it, too, and they are very hard on computer equipment.

I was so smitten with the Apple Pro Mouse on the iMac that I went right out and ordered another one for the Power Mac G3. I'm hoping that, like all good mice, they'll breed and we can get rich off their offspring. One can always dream?.