Man dissects Apple's Magic Mouse
PC mice were harmed during this teardown
If you’ve been wondering what’s so magical about Apple’s new Magic Mouse, you aren’t alone. US repair-and-parts shop iFixit has been asking itself the same question, so it took the mouse apart to find out.
Apple's Magic Mouse, as dissected by iFixit
The Magic Mouse comprises of an aluminium base, topped off with a smooth multi-touch panel that iFixit said gives the device a “lustrous buttonless appearance”.
Unlike its predecessor - the Mighty Mouse - the Magic Mouse relies solely on gesture-based controls. You can, for example, scroll in any direction with one finger or swipe through web pages with two fingers.
IFixit’s teardown discovered that there isn’t actually any magic to the Magic Mouse.
Batteries, touch sensors and a Broadcom chip make-up the Magic Mouse
The underside of Magic Mouse’s top surface is covered with orange capacitive touch sensors that pick-up the user’s finger movements, the firm said.
From here a Broadcom Bluetooth chip allows the Magic Mouse to talk to its host.
Magic Mouse – which can be ordered online now for £55 ($90/€60) - is powered by two ordinary AA batteries.
The top of the mouse is translucent
Further information about the Magic Mouse teardown is available from iFixit’s website now. ®
COMMENTS
Hmm.. only 2 kinds of people would pay that much...
1. Gamers... and they wouldn't certainly buy anything like that lame mouse
2. Err... no comment on the second group of people
No one expect the title field police!
Re: AC, acceleration Curve, try Googling "mac os x mouse acceleration curve" for some solutions (but I agree it shouldn't be necessary).
Re: Mikey, I hope it will allow any part of the surface of the mouse to be used as the button. Having to hold my largish hand over the mouse in order to reach the buttons is a major cause of hand-cramp for me - being able to touch the middle of the mouse to click would allow me to hold the mouse much more naturally.
Re: Matt Bucknall, I suspect more gestures will be added in future, just as Apple did for the multi-touch trackpads.
Re: Vincent Himpe, does it not take ordinary rechargeable batteries? If so, how is it worse than any other device powered by batteries? Exaggerate much?
Re: GettinSadda, I imagine the iFixIt article is based on the US price, and the Register article quotes the US price as converted from the UK price.
Re: Simon C, I'm a Mac user and I don't even know what "smell my own guffs" means, but I'm pretty sure I don't do it, whatever it is. You seem to know a bit about it though? Got a mini in the closet or something?
Re: david 63, you have won the internet!
Teledildonics?
So the touch sensitive membrane covers the entire surface of the mouse. Now all they need is some sort of haptic (vibrating) feedback mechanism and a bottle of Wet Stuff, and who knows what new iApps will spring up?
An improvement on the mighty mouse
At least you wont' have to turn it upside down and give it a good hard rub every week to get the grit out of the track ball. If only they offered a wired version so we didn't have to worry about batteries.
Aa batteries
for that price i want rechargeable batteries and a contactless charger / mousepad ! that would truly have been 'magic'.
Apple is one of the biggest e-waste producers in the world. now they add batteries to that too... Greenpeace will have a field-day over this one.
