Apple's infamous Magic Mouse gets a lot of hate for its different design, impractical charging situation, and has become somewhat of a meme following Tim Cook's comments that it was important they got the ergonomics right, on the Magic Mouse.

Despite all of this, I have used the Magic Mouse everyday for over a year, and have not looked back since.

Design

The Magic Mouse has an elegant design, with its low profile and smooth glass surface, that sits on top of a high-quality silver aluminium base, whereas many other computer mice opt for lower quality plastic.

It fits right in with your other Apple devices and any other magic accessories you may own. Its sleek look fits in with the Magic Keyboard and the silver aluminium on the mouse perfectly matches my silver Mac mini and Studio Display.

The Magic Mouse provides consistency if you're deep into the Apple ecosystem of devices and accessories. Plus, the mouse comes with a colour matched braided cable, depending on the colour you order, which is a nice touch.

Overlooking the charging port for now, Apple's Magic Mouse uses precise optical tracking, working on a range of surfaces. It does not emit a red light like traditional computer mice, as it uses infrared illumination not visible to the human eye.

Multi-touch Surface

This is a major unique selling point (USP) of the Magic Mouse, and is something I miss when using other mice.

Instead of a traditional scroll wheel mechanism, you can simply swipe your finger up and down the glass surface, similar to how you use a trackpad. This allows you to make the most of the many gestures built into macOS.

In addition to swiping up and down, Magic Mouse supports side swiping. This is useful for content that carousels sideways, such as a Final Cut Pro timeline, or for simply scrolling through content sideways on a website.

You can also double tap the glass surface for Smart Zoom, which will enlarge content on your screen.

Criticisms

Many people will criticise the ergonomics of the Magic Mouse. Some people do not like the low form factor, complaining it strains their wrists after long sessions. The device is extremely slim when compared to the average mouse, and some people may prefer the taller design that allows them to firmly hold onto the mouse.

The devices ergonomics were unexpectedly thrown into the spotlight during a WWDC interview with Tim Cook in 2024, by Marques Brownlee.

The interviews YouTube comment section is full of references to the Magic Mouse, after Cook was asked about his thoughts on the mouse.

One top comment said:

"Mentioning ‘Ergonomics’ and ‘Magic Mouse’ in the same sentence is insane"

Another viewer said:

MKBHD: Magic Mouse Tim Cook: *sweat intensely

These comments come from just a sentence from Cook, out of a 16 minute interview, where he said it was "important we got the ergonomics right with the Magic Mouse".

Some people also said that it seemed he had not thought about that device in a while, which could be true. Apple launched the first magic mouse in 2009, 17 years ago.

Image Credit: lifewire.com

The form factor has not changed since, with the company replacing the first battery model with a lightning port model in 2015, and later refreshing the device with the USB-C port in 2024.

This could explain the second gripe users have with the Magic Mouse, where the charging port is on the bottom of the device. This prevents you from being able to use the mouse when charging.

Though the battery can last months, when it does die, you have to stop what you're doing and wait for the mouse to charge.

This has never inconvenienced me, as I do have a Magic Trackpad, but if the mouse was your only tracking device, you would have to wait before you can use your Mac again.

The was never a problem with the original model, that was powered by two AA batteries, and had a removable cover. However, when Apple introduced the lightning port to the mouse in 2015, they did not rethink the design and simply stuck the port to the bottom.

Final Thoughts

Apple's Magic Mouse is not the best mouse for everyone. But, as a Mac user who values Apple's design language, the Multi-Touch surface and integration with macOS, it's hard to find another mouse like it.

It remains unclear if Apple plans to address the devices criticisms any time soon, but it remains funny that we could soon mark 20 years of the Magic Mouse, with no design changes.