Apple declares the mouse will soon be dead
Nearly a year ago, I opined on TechRadar that Apple declares that the mouse is dead. As soon as I saw Apple’s Magic Trackpad, it was clear to me that while Apple had popularised the mouse, it now believed the time had come to bin it:
iOS has taught Apple that the general public responds extremely well to gesture-based computing, and while Apple trackpads still force a level of abstraction that a touchscreen device does not (controlling something by touching in one place while seeing it elsewhere, rather than direct interaction with content), they nonetheless enable users access to intuitive multitouch gestures that are becoming increasingly commonplace.
It’s unlikely that we’ll suddenly see iOS apps appearing on an iMac anytime soon, or a fully touch-based Mac (hello, RSI!); but what we will see is Apple increasingly working multitouch lessons learned on iOS into Mac OS X, and consumers happily moving between Mac OS X and iOS without a second thought.
And although Magic Trackpad is a standalone accessory today, don’t be surprised if it’s suddenly bundled with new desktop Macs in 2011, consigning the suddenly limited-in-scope Magic Mouse and other Apple mice to history.
Although I was bang-on about Mac OS X (what with all the gestural stuff being added to Lion), I apparently got my timing wrong regarding the trackpad, given that it’s not yet bundled with new desktop Macs; but it’s nonetheless interesting to see Apple’s BTO page today for the new iMacs.
The trackpad hasn’t yet usurped the mouse, nor is it even the default option, but it is now a straight switch, with no premium price. To that end, I think I was simply a year out—next year, Apple will swap the default, so you’ll get a trackpad in the box, but a BTO option of a mouse. And not long after that, an Apple-branded mouse will cease to be an option at all.
So far so good – and the while trackpad might be alright for the average user (no disrespect intended), I just can’t imagine working in Quark Xpress or InDesign with a trackpad. Or even Photoshop. Except Apple’s got something up its sleeve where you can work right on the screen with your, erm, fingers – and a totally redesigned OS. But at present even the magic mouse is not ideal when it comes to design work in Quark or the Adobe suite. In fact I think I’ll just get a cheap Microsoft mouse with a damn scroll wheel. At least they just work. 🙂
If they’re going to stop me using a mouse they’re going to have to do a hell of a lot better than the trackpad.
But then so long as they don’t stop me using a mouse, why do I care? I wouldn’t use that dreadful mouse either.
The trackpad’s actually pretty good—like the laptop ones but bigger. Personally, I still use a Wacom, which means RSI doesn’t bring my working day to a close after about five minutes.
I detest trackpads, although the Apple one is the least horrible by a long. long way.
I’m utterly lost as to why you’d use it when there’s a mouse available though. If the Magic Mouse was not a shape scientifically designed to break me it’d be a good compromise.
@Dudley—Trackpads are better for multitouch gestures, and it’s pretty clear Apple’s going that way heavily with Lion. From what I’ve heard from devs, Apple’s almost assuming you’ll have a trackpad (on a laptop or otherwise) available for a lot of time-saving nav.
The magic mouse or some kind of other mouse can do multi touch gestures just fine.
What it can’t do is allow me to move the pointer somewhere on the screen without wanting to murder everyone who thought getting rid of trackpoints was a good idea.
By that I mean what the trackpad can’t do, obv.