In one of the recent chapters of our daily ‘Infinite Loop’ podcast, our colleague Javier Lacort mentioned something important: We’re too focused on redesigning the iMac when with it can also come the redesign of its peripherals.
I’m talking about the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad, which are often redesigned with the iMac. We wouldn’t find too many changes to the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, but another rooster can crow with a third generation Magic Mouse.
Everything you could ask for in a redesigned Magic Mouse
The Magic Mouse (and we can make it expandable to its predecessors) has always been one of those Apple accessories that you love or hate, without intermediate terms. Its great response to gestures with Macs is praised, but its ergonomics (for this reason the server uses a Logitech G502) or the unfortunate position of its charging port is often hated.
Let’s review this mouse’s past, as there have been controversies in the past as well. The first iMacs had this Apple mouse:
The most veteran will remember him as a mouse that broke the mold with its semi-transparent color design and round shape, but precisely because of that shape it was one of the most uncomfortable mice. It was solved with the following generations of mice with more elongated shapes:
The Mighty Mouse, in turn, caused complaints because your trackball it got stuck with accumulated time and dirt. Solution? Get rid of that mechanical part and create the Magic Mouse we all know. It is a kind of trackpad with a built-in mouse-shaped click.
And as I said before, the idea is good. But not ergonomically, as we all know, working long hours in front of a Mac. So, with the first serious overhaul of the iMac in over a decade, What can Apple do to convince everyone with their desktop mouse?
The first thing a Magic Mouse redesign needs is ergonomics
The first, ergonomics. A Magic Mouse 3 must learn from the mistakes of its first design. And now that Jony Ive is no longer in the ranks of Apple Park, we should see an approach to that comfort rather than design.
The second, that the load does not prevent the use of the mouse itself. It would suffice to place the Lightning port on the front, or to provide it with an induction charge to be able to leave it on any wireless base. Or as Lacort mentions in the podcast, create a mouse pad that charges the mouse when we hover over it.
Also optional we could talk about additional buttons, although we are already getting closer to an area that Apple does not normally want to enter for that of defending the ease of use of its products.
The rest of the features, such as materials, are guessable. Usually, the leaks appear shortly before the launch of the new iMac, but since they won’t appear until the fall, it’s still too early to expect them.
Apple cancels some changes for a season that were made to improve design, like the return to a modular Mac Pro or the disappearance of butterfly-mechanism keyboards. Rumors suggest these are changes that will continue to be made, so I admit I’m very curious if the Magic Mouse will be affected as well. Personally, I think he can take advantage of the room for improvement he has.
