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View all posts by: John Ward | View all posts in category: Macintosh History

Apple Computer is responsible for the mouse interface standard used by today's computers. Apple did not invent the mouse, but just like Apple's popularization of the graphical operating system, they made the mouse a fundamental part of the personal computer. The Apple mouse has been evolving since the early days of Lisa and Apple II. Apple's first mouse used a DB-9 connector. They were compatible with the Apple IIs (except the IIgs), Lisa, and the early compact Macintosh computers. This mouse was somewhat clunky and heavier than the later ADB (Apple Data Bus) mouse.

Apple decided to go with a single button mouse because their extensive research suggested that users found it the easiest to use. The "one-button" philosophy remained in place for over 20 years and fueled countless Internet arguments over the wisdom of this decision.

Apple DB-9 mouse (older and newer)

Apple DB-9 mouse bottom

Apple DB-9 mouse with DB-9 connector

The Apple IIgs introduced the world to the ADB mouse. Apple used the ADB mouse until the introduction of the USB mouse with the iMac in 1998. The ADB mouse has two varieties: the original and the Apple Desktop Mouse II. The ADB mouse was far lighter than the older DB-9 mouse. The original ADB mouse was wedge shaped and did not really have a natural feel, but for any Apple fan, it is a classic. The Desktop Mouse II was a better overall design and with its rounded edges, it was much easier on the hand.

ADB mouse (original and Desktop Mouse II)

ADB mouse bottom

ADB mouse with ADB connector

With the introduction of the iMac in 1998, Apple unveiled its first USB mouse. These were generally unpopular, but were very stylish. They were lampooned for their hockey puck shape and were in my opinion, very uncomfortable to use. They tended to cause the user to draw up the hand in order to maneuver and click at the same time. Finally, Apple introduced the Pro Mouse in 2000 and retired the hockey puck shortly thereafter.

Hockey Puck, Pro Mouse (Black), Pro Mouse (White), Mighty Mouse

The Pro Mouse was not only a more comfortable design, but it did not rely on a mechanical pick-off. Unlike every mouse Apple sold up to that time, the Pro Mouse used an LED instead of a rubber ball to detect movement. Soon, Apple began to ship the Pro Mouse with every Mac making Apple the first computer company to offer such a mouse as standard equipment. The Pro Mouse was originally black with a transparent shell. Apple replaced the black Pro Mouse with a white one beginning with the white G4 iMacs.

USB mouse bottom

Mighty Mouse OS X Control Panel

In 2005, Apple introduced a redigned version of the Pro Mouse it called the Mighty Mouse. The Mighty Mouse is in my opinion Apple's best mouse to date. The Mighty Mouse offered users up to four independently programmable buttons, without compromising simplicity for users who preferred just a single-button mouse. The Mighty Mouse also introduced a scroll ball that let users scroll in any direction - vertically, horizontally and even diagonally. The Mighty Mouse basically functions seamlessly as a single unit or as a multi-button mouse. Later, a wireless version was introduced that incorporated a more precise laser-driven device.

Mighty Mouse with USB connector

Today's Apple mouse no longer abides by the one-button standard. With Apple's introduction of the Mighty Mouse, Apple finally gave Mac users the mouse they had wanted for years - a mouse that has multi-button functionality.

On August 4, 2003, I wrote an article on my impressions of the Kensington StudioMouse, a multi-button wireless mouse. During my musing I came to the following conclusion:

"Apple should consider a two-button mouse. There, I said it. It has been said before, and it will be said again, and again, and again. The old standard is no longer valid. Apple's ease of use philosophy is beginning to work against itself. Besides, with the advent of OS X, Apple has turned many of its human interface standards inside out."

Furthermore, I suggested:

"Apple doesn't even have to make a big production out it. I think they could modify the Pro Mouse with a seamless right button. This right button could be locked in place to work as a unit in the traditional Mac way. The user could switch off the locking mechanism if he or she wants to use two buttons. I would be willing to bet that most would unlock the right button. This system would give Mac users a real choice without forcing Apple to admit that its old one-button mouse is old hat."

It appears that Apple has precisely done just what I would have suggested they do (if they had asked). If you take a look at Apple's description for the Mighty Mouse on their website, they proudly claim, "Single-button looks, multi-button charm." Apple is free to spin it any way they want, but it is clear that the day of the one-button mouse is over.

Special thanks to Low End Mac for giving our little site and this article some attention.

June 17, 2006:

Hello,

Apple's first mouse used a DB-9 connector.

To complete the pictures, the oldest Apple mouse, the Lisa 1 mouse:





With Regards,


L. Herman

Feb 2, 2007:

"The Pro Mouse was not only a more comfortable design, but it was a laser mouse. Unlike every mouse Apple sold up to that time, the Pro Mouse used a laser instead of a rubber ball to detect movement. Soon, Apple began to ship the Pro Mouse with every Mac making Apple the first computer company to offer a laser mouse as standard equipment."

In fact, the Wireless Mighty Mouse is Apple's first laser mouse. The Pro Mouse up to the (Wired) Mighty Mouse were optical mice (which used an LED, not a laser).

Regards,

Guy

Vectronic:

We corrected the oversight. Thanks.

Feb 2, 2007:

You might also point out in your mouse article that the hockey puck evolved slightly to include an indentation at the top to help you feel the top. You might like to listen to my podcast at www.retromaccast.com.

James S.

Feb 2, 2007:

The Apple Pro mouse was not a laser mouse, neither is the Mighty Mouse. Both are optical mice, but not laser mice. The only laser mouse Apple has ever made is the Wireless Mighty Mouse. There's a huge difference between an optical and a laser mouse, in that a laser mouse has a much higher DPI count, and can work on more types of surfaces.

Henry Y.

Vectronic:

We corrected the oversight. Thanks.

Feb 3, 2007:

Just read your article about the history of the Apple mouse. Nice overview of their history, but there's one considerable error towards the end. The Pro Mouse (both black & white) and the USB Mighty Mouse are NOT laser mice. They use an optical sensor, which simply shines a red light at a surface. The Wireless Mighty Mouse is the first, and only, laser mouse Apple has every sold.

Brandon N.

Vectronic:

We corrected the oversight. Thanks.

Feb 3, 2007:

Hello! I really enjoyed your evolution of the Apple mouse article. It might be interesting for your readers to know that the original mouse was actually designed for Apple by a small Palo Alto based design company called Ideo. See link below.

http://www.ideo.com/portfolio/re.asp?x=50184

Best regards,

Vince

Feb 3, 2007:

You made a big mistake in your mouse article. Apple's pro-mouse was not a "laser mouse." It is an OPTICAL mouse with an LED, not a laser. The only Apple mouse that is a laser mouse is the bluetooth Mighty Mouse.

This is industry standard -- there are generally two types of optical mice -- LED and Laser. Those familiar with the industry would find your mistake laughable.

Jon I.

Vectronic:

Thanks for reading the article. We are glad to have brought laughter into your life. We know a lot of people in the industry, and many of them help us with this site. However, we tend to gravitate towards those who offer constructive help. No one likes being laughed at.

Feb 3, 2007:

I just read your article on the evolution of the Apple mouse (http://www.vectronicsappleworld.com/macintosh/mouse.html). It was a good read, however it seems to me like you are mixing laser mice with optical mice. The Apple Pro mouse was NOT the first mouse from Apple to use a laser, it only used IR. Only the latest version of the Mighty Mouse use a laser. Short version: laser is invisible, IR gives the familiar red glow. Hope this is of help :)

Andreas T.

Vectronic:

We corrected the oversight. Thanks.

Feb 3, 2007:

Hi John,

[The article] is a very nice piece on the mouse. You correctly say Apple did not invent the mouse, so you may want to include a link to an online documentary on the guy who did:

www.invisiblerevolution.net

As you can see, and as you probably already know, he invented a whole host of other interfaces as well :-)

Frode H.

Jan 6, 2008:

The first picture captioned "Apple DB-9 mouse (older and newer)" appears to show the original Macintosh (128K) Mouse and the Apple IIc Mouse (4 months later). As far as I know, the IIc mouse was not used on any other Macintosh and possibly not any other Apple II (since it matched the IIc which was unique in colour and not used on any other computer in the Apple line) - I'm not even sure it was fully compatible with the Macintosh. Regardless, it is unlikely once the IIc turned Platinum, that they continued offering the IIc mouse design at all, instead most likely replacing all DB-9 mice with the Mac Plus Platinum version to cut production costs.

You may find this of interest -

http://www.decodesystems.com/apple-mice.html

This suggests to me that a Beige and Platinum DB-9 mouse that was compatible with earlier Apple II mouse cards, but not the Macintosh, was the only other later DB-9 mouse offered. Nevertheless the design was the same with only internals being replaced.

Woodwyn L.

Vectronic:

All the images of the DB-9 mouse shown on this page are compatible with the Apple II, IIc, and older Macs with a DB-9 mouse port. We have tested them on the Apple IIc, IIe (with mouse card), Macintosh 512K, and Macintosh Plus.

Jan 8, 2008:

You might find these of interest:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=7522

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=6383

My understanding for why there is an incompatibility stems from the fact that the IIc uses pin one as a mouse identifier since the port did double duty with joysticks, whereas the Mac 512K and Plus use pin one as a ground. Whether there are incompatibilities or not on the Mac, the wiring configuration is wrong. The same is true for certain Apple II mouse cards as well. I am aware of others using the IIc mouse with vintage Macs with no issues. But as the Apple articles describes, the original Macintosh mouse should not work if pin one is wired to ground. The fact that there were two Mac Plus mice and one worked with the IIc and one didn't, would indicate that the IIc mouse most likely operates with no problems on the Mac.

Woodwyn L.

Jan 15, 2008:

Here's another good one, which gave most of the technical info I indicated (in previous comments):

http://www.apple2.org.za/mirrors/ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/MiscInfo/Hardware/mouse.iic

Woodwyn L.