The Magic Mouse is a multi-touch wireless mouse that is manufactured and sold by

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

. The first-generation Magic Mouse was released on October 20, 2009, and introduced multi-touch functionality to a computer mouse. Taking after the iPhone, iPod Touch, and multi-touch MacBook

trackpad A touchpad or trackpad is a pointing device featuring a tactile sensor, a specialized surface that can translate the motion and position of a user's fingers to a relative position on the operating system that is made output to the screen. Touchp ...

s, the Magic Mouse allows the use of multi-touch gestures and inertia scrolling across the surface of the mouse, designed for use with

macOS macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

. The second-generation Magic Mouse (initially marketed as Magic Mouse 2) was released on October 13, 2015, removing the use of AA batteries, replacing it with a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery, and a

Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

port for charging and pairing, and was later made fully compatible with

iPadOS iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for its iPad line of tablet computers. It is a rebranded variant of iOS, the operating system used by Apple's iPhones, renamed to reflect the diverging features of the two product ...

Description

The Magic Mouse connects wirelessly to a Mac computer via

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...

, with the second-generation additionally supporting iPads. The mouse is powered by two

AA batteries AA, Aa, Double A, or Double-A may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * '' America's Army'', a 2002 computer game published by the U.S. Army * '' Ancient Anguish'', a computer game in existence since 1992 * Aa!, a J-Pop musical group * D ...

, and is operated by a solid-state laser tracking sensor, like the previous-generation wireless

Mighty Mouse Mighty Mouse is an American animated anthropomorphic superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox. The character was originally called Super Mouse, and made his debut in the 1942 short ''The Mouse of Tomorro ...

. Apple includes two non-rechargeable batteries in the box. Until 2016, Apple sold a battery charger that includes two rechargeable

NiMH NIMH may refer to: *Nickel–metal hydride battery (NiMH), a type of electrical battery *National Institute of Mental Health, an agency of the United States government *National Institute of Medical Herbalists, a professional organisation in the Un ...

AA batteries, designed for use with Mac peripherals, including the first-generation Magic Mouse. Like its predecessor, the

, the Magic Mouse includes support secondary click. The Magic Mouse has been included with most desktop Mac computers since its introduction, including the

iMac iMac is a family of all-in-one Mac desktop computers designed and built by Apple Inc. It has been the primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since its debut in August 1998, and has evolved through seven distinct forms. In it ...

, iMac Pro, and third-generation Mac Pro, as well as being available as a standalone purchase. The Magic Mouse uses its acrylic multi-touch surface for 360-degree scrolling, replacing the rubber scroll ball on the Mighty Mouse. The mouse does not support left and right-clicking simultaneously, and also removes the ability to middle click without third-party software workarounds. The Magic Mouse borrows design elements from the preceding

Apple Pro Mouse Apple Inc. has designed and manufactured several models of mice, trackpads and other pointing devices, primarily for use with Macintosh computers. Over the years, Apple has maintained a distinct form and function with its mice that reflect th ...

, notably its seamless "zero-button" design and translucent acrylic surface. The second-generation Magic Mouse was introduced in October 2015, alongside the Magic Keyboard and second-generation Magic Trackpad, and has since been made available in a large variety of colors. A space gray color was introduced with the iMac Pro in 2017, and was later made available as a standalone purchase. iPadOS 13.4 introduced mouse support to iPads for the first time, and supports all functionality of the second-generation Magic Mouse. A variety of pastel colors were introduced in 2021 to match the colors of the M1 iMac. Additionally, standalone purchases now include a USB-C to Lightning cable, instead of USB-A to Lightning. The space gray color was replaced by a black color with a silver aluminum finish in 2022, which was originally only available bundled with the third-generation Mac Pro. All colors of the second-generation Magic Mouse have been introduced alongside matching colors for various Magic Keyboard models.

Reception

1st generation

Initial reception to the Magic Mouse was mixed, with reactions to its inability to trigger Exposé,

Dashboard For business applications, see Dashboard (business). A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel (IP), or fascia) is a control panel set within the central console of a vehicle or small aircraft. Usually located directly ahead of the drive ...

, or Spaces, as its predecessor could, or to middle click. Later versions of Mac OS X include gestures to open Mission Control, which incorporates functionality from Exposé, Dashboard, and Spaces. Other issues included the mouse's unstable connection to first-generation Mac Pro models, and its low-profile design being uncomfortable for some users.

2nd generation

The Lightning charging port is located on the bottom of the mouse, rendering it unusable while charging, a design choice that was widely criticized by critics. Critics have also noted the omission of Force Touch technology, compared to the second-generation Magic Trackpad.

Gallery

References

Citations

Sources

* * {{Apple hardware Macintosh mice Computer-related introductions in 2009 Computer-related introductions in 2015