Apple Magic Mouse 2

Continuing with the Apple theme from the last post, I will try to explain why Apple’s Magic Mouse 2 is the worst mouse I have ever used.

Looks

The mouse looks very futuristic and elegant. It doesn’t look anything like a traditional mouse. There is an aluminum body, covered by a curved glass touch-sensitive top surface. Here’s a picture from Wikipedia:

Battery and charging

The mouse charges via a lightning port on the bottom. It takes about an hour for it to be fully-charged, and the battery lasts me a couple of months. This is when I keep it on all the time. I never toggle the switch to turn it off. So even though many people make fun of the position of the charging port, I found that it is a non-issue in usage.

Pairing

Pairing the mouse to your Apple laptop is simple. Just plug it in using a lightning cable and it instantly pairs and will reconnect over Bluetooth automatically.

Design

Here’s where the fun stops. The design of this mouse is horrible. It is the most anti-user design I’ve seen. It is almost designed NOT to be used, just as a showpiece.

Due to the low profile, it is impossible to rest your hand on it. Also, the entire top surface is touch sensitive and you don’t want to unintentionally trigger gestures by touching it. So the only way to move the mouse is by gripping it from the edges using your thumb and pinky finger, with the rest of your hand in the air. Also, the glass and aluminum construction makes it very heavy for a mouse. In conclusion, expect a hand-cramp if you use this for more than 10 minutes at a stretch.

Tracking

On this mouse, the surface tracking is very mediocre. It will not track on most surfaces, you will need to use a textured mousepad. Even then, it is very inconsistent and I’m always frustrated by the lack of precision and control. A basic gaming mouse from Logitech that costs a third of what this does will blow it away in terms of the quality of tracking.

Bluetooth issues

This mouse connects to your laptop over Bluetooth. I like that this doesn’t need you to plug in a dongle like most other wireless mice. However, Bluetooth has its issues.

When you leave the mouse unused for some time, it goes into some sort of sleep mode. Moving it around will not wake it up. You need to click, and then it resumes. This would have been fine if there were some LED on the mouse letting you know its state, but there’s none. So you’re always uncertain.

I also found that it skips horribly if you have a Bluetooth headset connected to your laptop at the same time. Now this could be due to a problem in my laptop, but every other device works fine with it. And I expect at least Apple devices to work with each other without these problems.

Conclusion

Please do not buy an Apple Magic Mouse 2. It will hurt your hand, it will not work properly, and it will cost way too much for what it is. If you are setting up some sort of showcase where you need everything to look very high-tech and need the Apple-y look, then maybe you can consider it.