Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Apple Archive

Is there a Two-Button Mouse in Apple's Future?

, 2005.03.18

A recent report I read on AppleInsider suggests that Apple is going to be introducing a 2-button mouse soon. After years of saying, "Oh no, two buttons is far too complicated for the average computer user" (who is somehow supposed to already know that pushing the Control key while clicking the mouse button does the same thing as the right mouse button), it appears that Apple is finally realizing that it will lose sales without a two-button mouse - especially in the low-end markets it's now entering.

These Windows users are so used to having more than one button that using an Apple mouse will be a frustration for them. Control-click really isn't easy for beginning Mac users to figure out, and even after years of using it, it can still seem a bit awkward.

I have found that I can live with a single button mouse if I have to. On my PowerBook, there's only one button for the trackpad. On my G3, while for some time I had been switching the Logitech mouse that I shared between that and my PC, I'm now back to using the original round Apple USB mouse that came with the machine - the main reason being that I dislike having to reach around the back of the computer to disconnect the Logitech mouse, then try to bring the cord up behind my desk so it can connect to the Mac's keyboard.

I don't mind the Apple mouse, mostly because it takes up very little room on my desk. Coordinating with the rest of the system isn't a huge factor, since my CTX monitor is beige and my Apple Design Speakers (ca 1993) are also beige. I also don't find the round Apple mouse difficult to use like some people do, but it could be just because I'm used to it.

If I had a second two-button mouse, I'd switch to it without a second thought.

People have been complaining that Apple doesn't have a two-button mouse for years. Many of them end up using the Apple-supplied mouse anyway. Why? It was provided with the computer, and perhaps they never had the chance to pick up another one.

I tend to use whatever comes with the computer instead of bothering to go out and purchase a new mouse. I figure that if what comes with the machine is useable, I'd rather spend that money on something that doesn't come with the machine (a printer or speakers, for example).

I'll use the provided mouse - unless the computer doesn't come with a mouse. This might be exactly what Apple's aiming to do in the near future. They've already started it with the Mac mini, this time saying that users can use their existing PC keyboard and mouse with the new Mac. Perhaps, though, they'll end up doing something like this for the iMac and PowerMac G5?

It's more probable that if they get this far offering several different keyboards and mice as an option in addition to the provided ones, eventually they'll stop including them and give you the choice when you purchase the Mac.

The base iMac, for example, would not include a keyboard and mouse (yet another way to lower the sticker price of the machine). If you don't already have a keyboard and mouse that you can use, you would have the option to add whichever variety of Apple's (or another manufacturer's) at an additional cost.

The number of options available to Mac users is increasing and will only increase again if Apple decides to introduce a two-button mouse. There are a number of wireless keyboards and mice (from Logitech, Macally, Apple, and others), and many, many corded keyboards and mice that work with the Mac.

However, there are very few that coordinate design-wise with current Mac models. Apple's two-button mouse will fill the hole faced by those who want an all-Apple system and also want more than one button on their mouse.

And it would be nice if that two-button mouse also has a scrollwheel.

Recent Apple Archive articles

iPods, notebooks, and other modern electronics more readily replaced than repaired, 12.07. Whether it's an intermittent failure or a broken display cable, more often than not it's cheaper to replace a broken electronics device than repair it.
Options for replacing your older iPod, 11.19. Whether you've run out of space on your old iPod or want features it doesn't have, here are your options in new and used iPods.
Could the $200 'green' PC with gOS Linux become a threat to Apple?, 11.14. The low cost, low power Everex desktop comes with a customized version of Ubuntu Linux, has a Mac-like Dock, and sells for $400 less than the Mac mini.
Leopard different, a bit buggy, but worth the upgrade, 11.02. Leopard on a Power Mac G4 and a MacBook Pro: It runs well on both computers, but each has some odd bugs, and some of the changes are a step backwards.
More in the Apple Archive index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac mini Core Solo, Feb. 2006 - The only Mac to use a Core Solo CPU, this model ran at 1.5 GHz, has integrated graphics, and includes a Combo drive
Group of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
November 24 in LEM history: 98: Microsoft's heavy hand - 00: Looking at the iMac - 04: The best Mac for the holidays - Picking the right replacement for a dead mouse - Better battery for 15" AlBook
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best G4 iMac Deals, 11.24. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $150; 800 MHz Combo, $229; 1 GHz, $289; 17" 1.25 GHz, $200; 20" 1.25 GHz, $509.
Best MacBook Air Deals, 11.24. Used from $899; refurb from $1,099; new 1.6 GHz/120 HD, $1,150 after rebate; 1.8/64 SSD, $1,150 a/r; 1.86/128 SSD, $1,350 a/r; 2.13/128 SSD, $1,694 a/r.
Best PowerBook G3 Deals, 11.24. Used 233 MHz WallStreet, $75; 266 MHz, $160; 400 MHz Lombard, $199; 400 MHz Pismo, $289; 500 MHz, $350.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.23. Used 867 MHz SuperDrive, $348; 1 GHz Combo, $379; SD, $519; 1.33 GHz, $529; 1.5 GHz Combo, $549; SuperDrive, $609.
Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.23. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 4-core. $1,919; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.93 8-core, $4,999; new 2.26 8-core, $2,290.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 11.23. Used 802.11g AirPort Extreme, $49; 500 GB Time Capsule, $150; new, $190; 1 TB dual-band, $280; 2 TB, $469; 802.11n AirPort Extreme, $170.
Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Apple Archive articles copyright ©2000-07 by Adam Robert Guha. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.