Fixing the Lightning port on the Magic Mouse 2
- okt
- 16
Here's what Apple's new Magic Mouse 2 would look like with the Lightning port on the back.
When Apple released the updated Magic Mouse 2 earlier this week, like the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2, it came with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Unlike the keyboard and trackpad, however, the mouse didn't have the Lightning charging port on the back. It had it on the bottom. So, how would it look if we fixed that?
Ugh. Um. Damn.
We've gone from what's a possible irritation for a few minutes every month or so to something that would likely be an irritation for every minute of every day we use it for that month or so.
Both the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2 have large back surfaces that can easily allow for a Lightning port. That means when they do deplete, we can easily plug them in and keep using them while they recharge. That's the ideal.
The Magic Mouse 2 has no such back surface and so, in order to preserve the existing look and feel, Apple's put the Lightning port on the bottom. That's a surface large enough to easily, aesthetically handle it. Just not conveniently for those times when you do want to charge and keep using it. And that's not ideal.
To mitigate it, Apple's made it so that 2 minutes of charge will provide enough power to last a typical 9 hour day. That way you can finish work and then plug it in to charge fully. And then you don't have to worry about it again for another month or so.
It's still a problem, though, and it's Apple's job to solve hard problems. But the solution for this problem—having your port and using it too—will likely require a complete redesign.
I've bought a Magic Mouse 2 for testing but I won't be using it full time. Confession: I've never been a fan of Apple's mouse designs. Aside from the Lisa and original Mac, which had pure novelty in their favor, none of them, not hockey puck, not mighty mouse, not Magic Mouse have ever appealed to me.
That's part of the reason I switched to laptops years ago, and why I bought the Magic Trackpad the minute it became available. And why I just bought a Magic Trackpad 2.
I'm guessing that's why Apple makes the Magic Trackpad, and why they support USB and Bluetooth standards, so if you don't like their mouse or their trackpad, you can buy something else.
