WWDC Kicks Off - New Apple Mouse?
In Apple land, today kicks off the 2002 WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) in San Jose, California. Many will be eyeing Steve Jobs' keynote this morning, for he will give audiences a sneak peak at the next major revision of OSX, code-named "Jaguar." Most expect OSX 10.2 to be publicly released at MWNY in July, but for now Mac users can get an advanced look at the refinements Apple has been working on for the past year. With their recent hiring of key developers from the now defunct Be, there could be some big surprises in the operating system.
Besides OSX, rumors are also swirling that Jobs may unveil a new two-button optical mouse with Bluetooth wireless technology built in. If true, it would be the first multi-button mouse Apple has ever produced.
So what's the big deal about a stupid mouse? Everything. Since the dawn of the Macintosh, Apple has stodgily held to the belief that a one-button mouse makes computing easier to learn, and that the operating system should be simple enough to require only one button to push. That may have been true in 1984, but times have obviously changed. Most Apple users I know, myself included, never use the one button mouse Apple ships with their machines. Because many Windows, UNIX, and Linux users are migrating to the Mac, the noise has undoubtedly become louder, and Apple may be ready to break the mold.
If they do, expect a "pro" multi-button / scroll wheel mouse shipping with G4 towers (or available for purchase), and a design that may indeed be quite different. Considering what Apple did for MP3 players with the refined , Lord only knows what they could do to reinvent the mouse.
Comments
I came from the Windows world and just recently moved to OSX and I love the Apple Pro Mouse. The only thing I really miss is the scroll button. If they could make a PRO mouse with a scroll, I would be perfectly happy with one button mice.
Posted by: M.Kelley at May 7, 2002 11:38 AM
