Apple Pro Mouse (M8690G/A)

Before I get too far into this review I should tell you that I use my mice upside down. When I first sat down at a machine with a mouse someone played a practical joke on me and turned my mouse upside down. I discovered that it was wrong rather quickly but my hands and eyes had already figured out how to use the mouse upside down and I've never been able to unlearn it. Thus I find highly ergonomic mice unusable and even some relatively simple mice difficult to use.

In that respect, the Apple Pro Mouse works well for me. Its long oval shape and perfect left-right and front-back (other than the cord) symmetry make the mouse easy to grasp and comfortable no matter which hand you hold it with and which direction you use it in. It's also extremely lightweight which helps with comfort as well.

But really, that's not what stands out about this mouse. No, anyone who's ever laid eyes on it will tell you this mouse is cool because it's clear. I will be the first person to admit clear is cool. I own several clear Palms and clear Palm accessories and I absolutely adore using them. It's a lot more fun than using the same model in boring gray or black. When push comes to shove you do eventually need to do more than lustfully stare at your gear, or at least you do if you want to justify its purchase price. The Apple Pro Mouse does not justify its expensive $60 price tag.*

Unfortunately that lovely clear surface quickly gets grimy and disgusting. The surface seems to attract smudges and dirt. If there's a speck of anything, no matter how small, anywhere nearby it will end up stuck to the mouse.

Like most mice these days, the Apple Pro Mouse is a USB mouse. Its cord is sufficiently long for most uses but it is a bit shorter than the cords of most of my other mice. If you use some type of mouse cord locking scheme that further shortens the effective length of the cord this may not be the best mouse to buy.

It's an optical mouse with a bright red led that shines rather brightly whenever the mouse is getting power. I found the light very disconcerting at first, although I got used to it somewhat as time wore on. However, I cannot tolerate the light at all when I have a headache. I wish they'd make the led optional or provide a switch for turning it off. On the positive side, it is a good diagnostic tool for the mouse - if the light isn't on it's not drawing power through the USB connection.

Because it's an optical mouse there's no ball to gather dustballs or to get stuck and stop rolling properly. Over the years I've collected a huge graveyard of mice that just stopped working for one reason or another. This was my first optical mouse and I was hoping it would be more durable than the old balled mice. Alas, that was not to be.

About five or six months after I first acquired the Apple Pro Mouse it just suddenly stopped working with absolutely no warning. The led was no longer on and rebooting, switching USB ports, and other tricks had no effect. I was able to get a replacement which is still working about two months into its life.

All in all, I'm fairly ambivalent about the Apple Pro Mouse. It's very cool to look at and very comfortable to hold and use but the led bothers me, the cord is a bit on the short side, it seems to collect grime, and it died with no warning and for no apparent reason within the first six months of use. If you get one for free with an Apple computer purchase then it's probably worth using but I wouldn't pay for one, especially given the hefty $60 retail price tag.

This review has been part of the First Official 3-Legged Writeoff! Please check out my partner rumpel2, his review and those of all of the other participants.

You can find more information about the writeoff at http://home.earthlink.net/~epskids/