The Magic Mouse is a

multi-touch In computing, multi-touch is technology that enables a surface (a touchpad or touchscreen) to recognize the presence of more than one somatosensory system, point of contact with the surface at the same time. The origins of multitouch began at CE ...

wireless

computer mouse A computer mouse (plural mice; also mouses) is a hand-held pointing device that detects Plane (mathematics), two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of the Cursor (user interface)#Po ...

sold by

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

and manufactured by

Foxconn Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (), Trade name, doing business as Hon Hai Technology Group () in Taiwan, Foxconn Technology Group () in China, and Foxconn () internationally, is a Taiwanese multinational corporation, multinational electron ...

. The first-generation Magic Mouse was released on October 20, 2009, and introduced

functionality to a computer mouse. Taking after the

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and formerly marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a po ...

, and multi-touch MacBook

touchpad A touchpad or trackpad is a type of pointing device. Its largest component is a tactile sensor: an electronic device with a flat surface, that detects the motion and position of a user's fingers, and translates them to 2D motion, to control a Cu ...

s, the Magic Mouse allows the use of multi-touch

gestures A gesture is a form of nonverbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or othe ...

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, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

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

Lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...

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

iPadOS iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple for its iPad line of tablet computers. It was given a name distinct from iOS, the operating system used by Apple's iPhones to reflect the diverging features of the two product lines, suc ...

. An October 2024 revision replaced the Lightning port with a

USB-C USB-C, or USB Type-C, is a 24-pin reversible Electrical connector, connector (not a Communication protocol, protocol) that supersedes previous USB hardware#Connectors, USB connectors (also supersedes Mini DisplayPort and Lightning (connector) ...

port.

Models

1st generation (A1296)

The first generation Magic Mouse was released on October 20, 2009, and introduced

functionality. It 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 li ...

. It is powered by two

AA batteries The AA battery (or double-A battery) is a standard size single cell cylindrical dry battery. ANSI and IEC battery nomenclature gives several designations for cells in this size, depending on cell features and chemistry. The IEC 60086 system c ...

, and operates using a solid-state laser tracking sensor like the previous-generation wireless Mighty Mouse. Apple includes two non-rechargeable batteries in the box. Until 2016, Apple sold a

battery charger A battery charger, recharger, or simply charger, is a device that stores energy in an electric battery by running current through it. The charging protocol—how much voltage and current, for how long and what to do when charging is complete� ...

that included two rechargeable NiMH AA batteries, designed for use with Mac peripherals. Like its predecessor, the Mighty Mouse, the Magic Mouse includes support for secondary click. The Magic Mouse has been included with most desktop Mac computers since its introduction, including the

iMac The iMac is a series of all-in-one computers from Apple Inc., sold as part of the company's Mac (computer), Mac family of computers. First introduced in 1998, it has remained a primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since and evol ...

, iMac Pro, and third-generation

Mac Pro Mac Pro is a series of workstations and servers for professionals made by Apple Inc. since 2006. The Mac Pro, by some performance benchmarks, is the most powerful computer that Apple offers. It is one of four desktop computers in the current ...

, as well as being available as a standalone purchase. The Magic Mouse borrows design elements from the preceding Apple Pro Mouse, notably its seamless "zero-button" design and translucent acrylic 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.

2nd generation (A1657)

The second generation Magic Mouse was introduced in October 2015, alongside the Magic Keyboard and second-generation Magic Trackpad. 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 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

. All colors of the second-generation Magic Mouse have been introduced alongside matching colors for various Magic Keyboard models.

2nd generation with USB-C (A3204)

On October 28, 2024, Apple released an updated Magic Mouse that replaces the Lightning charging port with a USB-C port. It requires a Mac running

macOS Sequoia macOS Sequoia (version 15) is the twenty-first and current major release of Apple Inc., Apple's macOS operating system, the successor to macOS Sonoma. It was announced at Worldwide Developers Conference#2024, WWDC 2024 on June 10, 2024. In li ...

or later to function properly.

Criticism

1st generation

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

Dashboard A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel or IP, or fascia) is a control panel (engineering), control panel set within the central console of a vehicle, boat, or cockpit of an aircraft or spacecraft. Usually located directly ahead of the ...

, 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 the first and second-generation Mac Pro models, and its low-profile design being uncomfortable & unergonomic was causing palm-aches, and hand cramping for some users.

2nd generation

When the second-generation Magic Mouse was released in 2015, Apple’s design choice to put the Lightning charging port on the bottom of the mouse, rendering it unusable while charging, was widely criticized by reviewers. Critics also noted the omission of Force Touch technology, which was included in the second-generation Magic Trackpad. When the Magic Mouse was refreshed in 2024, charged using USB-C rather than Lightning, the ports remained on the bottom, renewing criticism which noted that the switch to USB-C was the only change to the mouse in 9 years.

Gallery

References

Citations

Sources

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