The OoBE (or 'Out of Box Experience') is typical Apple - small, stylish and very nice. There's not really a lot to say about the packaging; it has some pictures of the mouse and an Apple logo on it, and thats it. Opening it up reveals the Mighty Mouse tucked away in a cardboard holder.
The Mighty Mouse utilizes USB 1.1 or 2.0, and has an 800dpi optical sensor (with a red LED underneath). However, there is a wireless version available which uses Bluetooth and has an invisible laser sensor instead (this review applies to both models since the wireless version is virtually identical)...
The mouse itself is a bit smaller than an average mouse, and it is classic Apple white - it looks and feels like the outer case of an iBook or MacBook. It's not very small, but it's slightly smaller than the Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 2.0 we also have. It's about the same width and length, but it doesn't have the 'hump' that the Microsoft mouse does. It is comfy to use, although we can understand that people with larger hands might find it uncomfortable to use.
Functionally, the MM has two 'normal' buttons which are used for normal clicking around, a scroll ball and two side buttons, both which can be programmed in Mac OS X. Unfortunately, the buttons cannot be programmed in Windows, but this mouse is made by Apple for its computers. The top buttons are advertised as being 'touch sensitive'. They are not touch - sensitive in the way that we expected - not like a third-generation iPod. Rather, you still need to press down on the shell to click, and we found that you could only press down on one side at a time, otherwise you can't click - otherwise you can't click the other button. At first we found this rather annoying, but when we got used to it, the motion became second nature.
The scroll ball on the top is one of the best things the mouse has to offer. It offers 360 degrees of scroll-ability, beating every other mouse we have tried in this area. The scrolling is smooth and the ball gives the user tactile feedback, in the form of little click it is moved. However, the scroll ball is very sensitive to dust and dirt, and every so often you will need to clean the scroll ball to make it work again. To do this, all you need to do is hold the mouse upside down and rub the ball with a cloth - this should get rid of any dirt inside and get it working again. However, if this fails you can either send it back to Apple and get sent a replacement (assuming it's still under warranty)
The side buttons, although there are two of them, act as only one. These buttons can be programmed in System Preferences in Mac OS X only, and cannot be programmed in Windows, although the mouse is compatible with Windows. However, this is not a problem since it is made by Apple to be used with Macs, so most users will not use it on Windows. We did test it on Windows XP, and it acts just as you think it would - with the notable exception that the side buttons do not work. The scroll wheel only works up and down, not side to side. We programmed the side buttons to activate Exposé (the Mac OS X version of Flip3D, which was actually in the Mac first), and it quickly became part of our workflow. However, although we liked the positioning, not everyone will and we recommend you to try out the mouse before buying.
In the end, how good the Mighty Mouse is depends on the user. If you have large hands, it is definitely not for you. Otherwise, it is a very good mouse. Be warned though, the cable is quite short, so unless you get the wireless version or a keyboard with a USB hub (like the Apple keyboards), you will definatey need an extender cable.
Pros
- Can be used in both right and left hands
- Very smooth movement
- The scroll ball
- A mouse from Apple which has two buttons!
Cons
- Can be fiddly trying to get it to right-click
- Could be uncomfortable if you have large hands
- Keeping the scroll ball working
- Short cable
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