Wireless Mighty Mouse

Sadly, Apple’s wired Mighty Mouse wasn’t an instant hit with creatives. Although it boasted a typically comfortable and stylish design, it was neither precise enough, nor versatile enough to suit intricate design work.

Its new wireless offering promises to correct some of the deficiencies of its predecessor. The new laser tracking system is a quoted 20 times more responsive, and the AA batteries that power it give a reassuring weightiness to the unit, which certainly lacked in the original.

Installation is very straightforward. Those running Tiger need only match it once via Bluetooth, while an installation disc is included for anyone running an older OS. Although great for laptop users, Bluetooth radios sap power, so if you’re planning to use this mouse on the go, beware the drop in battery life.

All the features of the original are here, including the scroll ball – which enables DTP workers to flick quickly about a page and zoom in and out of a document with Ctrl held – and the right-click and squeeze-button functions. The right-click option is a handy short-cut for CS2 users, but as most are used to working with one hand on the mouse and another covering the keyboard, you’ll find yourself using the Ctrl button just as often as ever.

In practice, the Wireless Mighty Mouse does feel much more responsive than its wired cousin, yet still not completely precise. It’s certainly sharp enough to use in Illustrator, but only with the sensitivity ramped up, and although the useful squeeze-buttons are programmable, the right-click option and scroll ball are not.