New iMac and Magic Mouse unboxing and quick hands-on
By Paul Miller 
posted Oct 20th 2009 12:57PM
posted Oct 20th 2009 12:57PM
When we flicked the mouse on it was easy enough to spot it over Bluetooth on our regular Mac, but it only worked with tracking and single click -- none of this capacitive nonsense without a software update, naturally. On the iMac's first boot it was able to pick up the mouse and keyboard without a problem, even letting us use the capacitive scrolling to work through the setup wizard. We quickly spotted our first usability problem: coming from a trackpad heavy workflow, our fingers were expecting a capacitive tap-to-click action, instead of having to physically click the mouse. It's not a huge problem, but there's no 1:1 usability model between an Apple trackpad and this mouse. Scrolling is single finger, with a two finger left or right swipe doing back / forward in a browser or the finder. Right clicking requires a lifting of the left click finger, just like the Mighty Mouse, though all-in-all it feels much less frustrating to use than the Mighty Mouse, which almost seems to rage against the click at times. Like we said before: no pinch to zoom, but given the shape and texture of the surface, we're not sure we could pull it off even if the software allowed for it.
Very sexy but not useful.
magic mouse?
it looks like a slug instead
iSlug
a giant, white slug.
Glossy mouse makes me sad :(
Why can't they use the same premium looking aluminum material everything else is made out of?
hmm, it might leave white trails behind
Ding dong the scroll wheel is dead.
Let me see if I understand this correctly:
Apple took the things that everybody hated about the mighty mouse and the wireless keyboard and made sure that the new mouse contained everything they hated (ie no two physical buttons) and no number pad on the keyboard and are now shipping them standard?
I'm just in love with the new i5Macs, but the Magic is only complementary IMO. If you like gestures however, you're gonna love the Magic.
Also, SD slot? Holy Hell my friends, IT IS ON =D! I'm gettin' all my kingstons and SanDisks and I'm gonna go nuts on this thing!
I agree. they should have included a blu-ray player so that we could backup our home movies at $3/25GB and watch real HD content
What about center button expose and side buttons? No more?
I'm not even a fan of Apple and i think this is sexy.
I'm not even a fan of Apple and i think this is sexy.
Anyone else spot the new Apple Remote?
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC377?mco=MTMzNzQ4ODg
They should have included bluray and SSD!;)
I assume this is the same "sense which side of the mouse your finger is touching" style clicking from the mighty mouse? I'll pass, real mice are cheaper and don't require you to re-train your fingers.
I'd really like to know the answer to this as well.
No, it is using the new multitouch technology found in the iPhones and new trackpads. Not the same technology as the old mighty mouse by any means. Better recognition of which side you are clicking on by 1000-fold (I have played with one myself).
Detox -
Go Away. You haven't shut up for 10 seconds today. Do you have anything to say that's not about the haters and whiners?
Neither can your time machine, Paul.
I think the hate is for you not the product.
Seriosly engadget next time just tell us you have a "suprise" rather than telling us lies.
reffering to the "apple store awaital" anxiety engadget makes.
Whoa, new SKUs... whoa, a bunch of press releases and the accompanying posts written in a couple of minutes... whoa, the stuff is at our door...
Life moves fast for the buffoons at End-gadget.
Do you guys even know what "embargo" means?
It doesn't mean make shit up.
"Toot! Toot! The Whine Train is pulling into the station!"
Will you grow up, Chapel. If you are looking to not be banned again, then I suggest you take it down a notch.
"Toot! Toot! The Whine Train is pulling into the station!"
Unlike your train of thought, which is apparently still boarding at the station.
i so want one of those!!!
τα θέλω τώρα!!!!!
I'm liking the Bamboo Pad more then this mouse, this mouse is cramping you in.
You guys knew what Apple had in store all along!
Shame.
MS has already demoed Multi touch mice and with pinch zooming too so if some apple fanboy is having an orgasm i say please stop it's a copy of MS
It's not who comes up with it first, it's who releases a product with it first.
Besides Apple made multitouch popular anyway. (that's coming from a daily windows user)
Except that this has been implemented in macbook pro touchpads for some time.
I think this is a case of one goal, and many chasers.
Apple should be congratulated for releasing this first, lets hope it lives up to expectations.
To be fair, I think we all know that microsoft was clearly responding to the rumors of exactly this mouse that started showing up shortly before that showing. They basically just wanted to call everyone's attention to the fact that they had this tech already in the making before Apple announced this to preempt any claims that they copied it.
Geepers, enough Mac already.
Funny how no one says this when we get 4 new Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Vizio, Canon, etc., etc. items.
Why is everything semen colored?
you got serious problems if your semen is aluminum colored
sorry semen splattered on aluminum.
@glam
Freud based a theory of psychology on people like you....
No one really takes Freud seriously, his methods were innovative his theories are antiquated.
Guess you and your hand would know...
That 27 in. looks small for some reason on the table.
That's what she said.
If she says that to 27in., it's probably time to move on.
The core i5/i7 for the iMac is certainly a welcome addition, but I'm not too impressed by the magic mouse so far(I was impressed at first, until I saw the battery life and tried out the gestures for myself on my own mouse). Overall, I think the biggest addition was the new iMacs, the rest just either seemed incremental or, in the case of the magic mouse, just... bad.
Hi,
you make mac users look bad.
Bye.
really sharp system! props to apple once again
The iMac itself, yes. The Magic Mouse, not so much.
Does anyone know if the new mouse has a way to activate expose or dashboard?
It doesn't look like the Magic Mouse has the buttons/gestures to do Expose, Spaces or Dashboard.
Total deal breaker for multi-taskers.
The keyboard has dedicated keys for those. Otherwise you can set hot corners on the screen, can't you?
I really don't see why they couldn't have added middle-click recognition or a three-finger-fanning gesture to start expose. I hate having to right-click something in order to open something in a new tab...
(Sorry if this is a repost, I experienced an error the first time I commented and I wasn't sure if it worked)
Is the squeeze functionality gone from the Magic Mouse? I *live* on the side buttons of my Mighty Mouse, switching between Spaces.
Not to go off topic or anything but what table is that?
I was thinking that too, screw the Mac, I'll spend $2000 on this grainy mofo.
I think they're just updating for the sake of updating. The new mouse looks sweet, but the remote control is a bit ugly for my tastes
No matter how much we try to believe otherwise, as "engadget" is growing, it's becoming more and more like the regular "Tech" reporting websites. I guess it's only natural.
Just saw the Magic Mouse video on the apple site, all my complaints are gone. The scrolling looks fantastic, its exactly like the iPhone, and it has got tactile feedback. I'm about to order one...
Are they really allowed to label the screen as 27" LED display, if in fact it is an LED Backlit LCD display?
what a boring, carpal tunnel inducing mouse.. dam its ugly!
is the ram user replaceable?
Always was. It's that little screw-on panel on the bottom between the speakers.
yeah i knew it was in the past, but i read that this one has 4 ram slots so i didn't know if they changed the layout.
Why the heck won't Apple give us a version of the wireless keyboard with a numeric keypad. Oh wait, I'm a data analyst so I must be a PC.
My thoughts exactly. You'd think that with the price of this thing they'd at least throw us a bone.
Mac people are creative, they don't do numbers.
The numeric pad keyboard is a no cost option.
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB950LL/A?mco=MTMzNzYwMDY
What, no mention of the new Apple Remote?!
here ya go.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/20/apple-updates-19-remote-predictably-coats-it-in-aluminum/
Think Different!
It's on the case. And Macintosh instead of Mac.
Is this a homage to the original.
I didn't know Apple was sentimental.
Good catch.
seems that these is the Apple Advertising day for engadget... are you paid for it?
Engadget reports tech news. This is considered tech news. If Microsoft did something like this it'd be exactly the same. (see Zune HD)
ok now it's normal that 9 posts about new apple's products where posted today, the Oct 20th ?
can't make one or two with all the contents? sorry but that smell me of SPAM!
that mouse looks so insanely uncomfortable, those gestures are ridiculous
The the mouse... do you have to lift your finger up to click?
So does it power up, or just stand there and look pretty?
I am totally a PC guy and I have to say that this computer is simply sleek and beautiful.
Apple scores a win with a first multi-touch mouse.
I'll stay in PC land and I can;t wait until MSFT and or RAZER muti-touch mice.
Apple only scores a win with the "Magic Mouse" if it doesn't become a gimmick and wind up as hated as the Mighty Mouse.
There's no way that mouse can be comfortable after prolonged use.
Really? Did you try actually doing the gestures for two-finger swipe? Personally, I can't even bend my fingers far enough over to be where the arrows start. Even just trying to do it minimally hurts and feel really uncomfortable. Things like scrolling up and down and zooming in and out seem easy enough, though scrolling can already be done at least as easily with a normal mouse with a scroll wheel. The only gesture that actually seems useful is the zoom in/out, which saves you a press to ctrl(on windows/linux, can't remember the shortcut for mac). Like I said earlier, I'm fairly impressed by the iMac, but not so much by anything else, and especially not for the magic mouse.
I'm curious if this mouse will play with windows or linux PCs.
Damn, I don't care which camp you belong to, that is a sexy combo.
Please keep in mind that this Magic Mouse and the wireless keyboard comes with the computer as a package, so in terms of prepackaged keyboard mouse combos, this is the epitome of awesomeness. Unless someone decide to include an optimus keyboard with their computers. I do however agree with the ergonomic concerns, it could be a little uncomfortable to use overtime.
If the entry level iMacs can hit the 999 mark, i will purchase one in a heartbeat. However for now i shall just sit and drool over the new designs.
Buy from a reseller and you save atleast 50 bucks and get it tax free!
Macmall, onsale, amazon etc
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary?utm_source=embedded_video
Don't really care about the new mouse but the new iMac actually makes me want to buy one for Christmas. Even if I don't really need it.
@Whoever is down-ranking me: It'd be a bit more believable if you down ranked each comment once at a time, rather than going through one by one(in the order you find them) and down ranking it to lowest rank instantly before moving onto the next one. Just a tip, so you can avoid being so obvious.
There's no middle click.
I think I have a device in my bedroom similar to that mouse.
How is your comment not high ranked? Saucy!
Hey Mark, did you ever consider that maybe it's not them, it's you?
I don't get it... why release a brand new machine with a T9900 C2D when mobile Core i7 is already on the market? This computer is obsolete on the day it was released. Strange.
They also have an i5 and i7 version.
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB953LL/A?mco=MTMzNzY5NDA
9th apple message in a row!
Engadget, could you please test the video input on the 27" iMac, i'm thinking of picking one of these up for my room and hooking it up to my Xbox 360 or PS3 via an HDMI to Mini Display port adapter.
Really?
@dparis For a home computer+ really really really awesome TV you simple cannot beat this. The color gamut and accuracy and black levels on these monitors will make your high end HDTV look like crap in comparison.
Well any Game Console+decent pc monitor (VGA or otherwise) looks fantastic.
@Mitch: Did you ever consider reading my comment? Note that I'm just giving them a hint so they can make it seem more realistic, rather than having each comment, one by one instantly becoming lowest ranked(regardless of the content, even for ones everyone agrees are helpful) and then slowly floating back up, several times all the way up to highest ranked. But hey, don't let logic get in the way of your hatred.
Mark's pretty much right, can't wait to see the increase in carpel tunnel amongst mac users.