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They evidently were cautious about "fixing what wasn't broke" too, because their new The Mouse II (The Mouse Laser) is identical in form factor to my first generation MacMice The Mouse, with the only differences I can discern being that a 1600 DPI resolution laser has replaced the 800 DPI LED optical backup of the earlier model, the clear base of the mouse no longer glows red (thanks to the erstwhile red LED) when the mouse is tracking, and the cord is longer.
However, with the introduction of Apple's Mighty Mouse, MacMice decided they needed to hedge their competitiveness by adding a new flagship mouse product to the line to augment The classic Mouse II, and the result is the MacMice Danger Mouse, which, despite my initial skepticism, I actually do like better than The Mouse and Mouse II, although the latter are still kick-ass products.
"Like Apple, we were seeking the simplest, cleanest design that would perform well and look great on the desktop. The Danger Mouse is the result of this effort," says M.H. Peng, CEO of AllSpirit Co., Ltd., Taiwanese manufacturer of the new MacMice product, which was designed by MacMice in Tennessee, U.S.A.
Happily, the basic Mouse/Mouse II symmetrical ovoid form factor has been retained with Danger Mouse, although in opaque white or black (or red, about which more below) livery rather than the clear-over-white motif of the older design. Very similar to what Apple did with the dual USB iBooks midway through their production run. It's still attractive and very comfortable, but I do prefer the aesthetic effect of clear-over-white. The opaque color looks a bit bland and utilitarian by contrast. On both mice, the entire mouse housing cover serves as the button - or more accurately in this case two of the three buttons. The front half of the case is split and flexes to serve as left and right buttons.
Functionally, the difference between the Mouse II and Danger Mouse is that the latter has a smaller diameter (10 mm) "Micro-Scroll" scroll wheel mounted nearly flush with the top of the Danger Mouse housing - in answer to the Apple Mighty Mouse's miniature trackball, and one that I think is more usefully practical. I didn't think I was going to like the tiny, barely-protruding scroll wheel as much as the conventionally-sized and configured one in The Mouse, which is as smooth as silk and virtually zero effort. However, once I got used to the Danger Mouse scroll wheel, I now definitely prefer it.
MacMice notes that Apple's use of a miniature scroll ball on Mighty Mouse exposed many users to a new and seemingly contradictory concept: a tiny scrolling device "feels" more precise in usage than a larger one. However, they suggest that many of these same users have learned that a sealed, embedded mini-trackball is not the perfect implementation of this idea. The MicroScroll miniature scrollwheel delivers the precision of an ultra-small scrolling device, but without the frustrations of a tiny trackball.
On both mice, the scroll wheels are clickable, and can be, for instance, configured to toggle the Expose a feature in Mac OS X.
Aside from the color aesthetics and the different scroll wheels, there is little to choose between The Mouse II and Danger Mouse. Both have identical dimensions and weight. Both have the 1600 DPI res. laser pickups, are nicely balanced and weighted, and both glide smoothly and almost effortlessly on my mousepad, thanks to their light weight and MacMice's very effective proprietary "glide pads." I am of a mind that smoothness and low effort are as important in preventing and minimizing mousing fatigue and pain as exotic "ergonomic" form factors.
Before we leave the topic of weight, I'd like to note that the MacMice products' lack of it doesn't seem to make them flimsy. My three-year-old The Mouse is for all intents and purposes indistinguishable from the brand new Mouse II, and I have to look at the sensors on the bottom or the cord length in order to tell which is which. The oldie still works perfectly and has never given any hint of trouble.
For my needs, the 1600 DPI resolution feature is overkill and not any particular advantage over the 800 DPI LED in the older units, and I have to confess that I get a kick out of the internal illumination from the LED on The Mouse. The higher resolution makes the new generation mice rocket-sleds, even on a moderately high resolution display like the wide screen in my 17-inch PowerBook. However, I expect it would really shine in high-end photo editing and other finally-detailed graphics work.
For general computing, I think most folks will want to either adjust the mouse tracking speed setting in the Mac OS preferences, or utilize the built-in MacMice option for reducing the resolution to 800 DPI, which is toggled by holding down both the left and right mouse buttons simultaneously for five seconds. Works for me, and I still have the higher res. available if I ever feel the need.
I've never had any personal complaints about the Mouse LED's tracking accuracy, but these laser mice are extremely impressive in that department, and should satisfy the most discriminating users.
One of the nicest things about The Mouse has been its supple, flexible cord, and the Danger Mouse and Mouse II cords are made of the same soft material, but five feet long - three feet more than The Mouse's cord. I'm a fan of long mouse cords (especially appreciated when using Apple 'Books with the USB ports located on the left side) so thanks for the extra length, MacMice.
Often when changes are made to an already excellent product like the original MacMice The Mouse was, they turn out to not be improvements at all, but I would rate the as an evolutionary enhancement to the original The Mouse's design to be an unqualified success. I have a new favorite mouse, but if you still prefer the classic (and classy) look and conventional scroll wheel configuration of The Mouse II, it's still available as well. Win-win.
Was there anything I didn't like about the Danger Mouse? Not much. It's pretty great. However, if I were to be nitpicky, I would have to say that the scroll wheel, much as I like its size and ergonomics, isn't quite as smooth as the one in me three year old The Mouse. I hasten to add that it is still very smooth, and this is a "princess who could feel a pea through a stack of mattresses" observation. The click function of the scroll wheel is also a lot stiffer than I prefer, but I only use it for Exposé toggling anyway.
As I noted above, the Danger Mouse is also available red version to benefit the new the other Red fundraising effort to benefit the Peace Village School & Orphanage in Kenya, Africa. The Danger Mouse Red is priced at $29.99 (with $3 or 10% of the gross going to the other Red charity) and will begin shipping on November 21st, 2006. Shipping anywhere in the world by ground service for $6.99.
Danger Mouse Red web page:
http://www.macmice.com/dangermouse_red.html
other Red web site:
http://www.otherred.com
Danger Mouse is compatible with the standard mouse drivers included in either Mac OS X or Win XP systems.
Danger Mouse is available for $29.99 from the MacMice web site or any MacMice retailer worldwide, such as Mac-Pro at:
http://www.mac-pro.com
For more information, visit:
http://www.macmice.com/dangermouse.html
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Charles W. Moore
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