Apple Introduces New Mouse with iPhone Touch Features

A company introducing a new computer mouse is usually no big deal. A new shape, specific application, color, material or innovation seldom attracts much attention unless the company making the mouse happens to be Apple. Apple recently introduced a new type of computer mouse without any buttons to click for a retail price of $69. Instead of using physical buttons to send commands, the new input device is itself the button, according to Apple.

Using wildly popular touch technology which has made the iPhone and iPod Touch huge hits around the world, the top of Apple’s Magic Mouse is a sensor that can detect and execute common mouse commends such as scroll, pan, swipe and click on website links, business software, and a wide range of different applications. While earlier versions of Apple’s mice were criticized for their uncomfortable and sloppy feel and loose fit that wasn’t ergonomic at all, Apple’s Magic Mouse is Bluetooth-enabled for wireless convenience. The company says it is designed to be comfortable to use for both right- and left-handed users.

Windows users interested in buying and using the new mouse will be disappointed. The Magic Mouse will only work on Macs running the Leopard operating system versions 10.5.8 or newer. The company announced recently that the new mouse will ship with a new range of desktop iMacs. During the same conference, Apple also said that a new, bottom-of-the-line MacBook will be introduced soon that will retail for $999.

The new iMacs will feature back-lit displays either 21.5 or 27 inches in size. Prices for the new IMac will start at $1199 with Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz chips. Apple said the 27-inch display would render images at 2560-by-1440 pixel resolution, which will translate to a stunningly clear image to distances of four feet away. The iMac with the 27-inch monitor will ship with a wireless keyboard if users want to compute from a more relaxed posture and will retail for $1699.

The new $999 MacBook will feature a 13.3-inch LED screen and a longer-life, seven-hour battery, but the reduced price means that the laptop computer will feature a polycarbonate housing rather than the aluminum housing found on other laptops. Apple plans to ship the inexpensive model with a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, and a 250-gigabyte hard drive.