Yesterday Apple released the bluetooth version of their Mighty Mouse, many people were happy, myself included, so I ordered one, and being the geek I am I upgraded the shipping, and much to my surprise my Might Mouse Wireless arrived this morning. Yes!
As I was waiting for the software to install on my Powerbook I looked through the documentation that came with it, skimmed it really. But something caught my eye, and I am not sure if this was the same on the first Apple bluetooth mouse (I had one but don’t remember), this mouse is designed to run off of one or two AA batteries!?! That is weird I had never thought about that, but I know for sure that if a bluetooth mouse has two battery spots it won’t run off of one, until this mouse.
Further reading indicated that this was so a person could decide between less weight with one battery or longer usage with two. For now I am testing the mouse the two batteries, but I have tested it with one and it works just the same, no notable difference except it is one AA battery lighter, which is kind of nice actually.
Another thing is that Apple shipped this is Lithium AA batteries instead of normal alkalines, these are much lighter batteries which last longer, and cost more. Just a side note though.
Overall this mouse is great, works the same as the original USB mighty mouse, and the tracking with the Laser is excellent, I use the mouse without any mouse pad on a surface that is not smooth, and the tracking is superb with no noticeable problems.
The scroll ball is great especially on a small screen when scrolling diagonally, and horizontally is needed from time to time. Not to mention the extra buttons on the mouse, which are really nice to have. The fact that it is an Apple product also means you can rename it in Sys Prefs and view the battery life, these are a couple of nice touches that other manufacturers do not have.
The only thing that I find a bit odd, is that I had to set the tracking speed rather high on this to get it to feel right for my system. Normally I have tracking speeds at about half way, but with the Mighty Mouse I have it nearly all the way up to fast. No matter though, this is a great mouse and I suggest you buy one.
UPDATE: Reader bunnyhero asked how well this new mouse works with Windows. Personally I have not tested it with Windows, nor will I be able to as I do not have a Windows computer. My advice is to trust Apple, if they say it will work, then I think it will work just fine. I would buy it though from an actually physical store, so that you have some place to return if it doesn’t work. Also please email me and let me know your experience with Windows and the Bluetooth Mighty Mouse. Thanks!
UPDATE 9/29/08: I am on my second bluetooth mighty mouse. The first one stopped scrolling on me. I attempted to clean it many times with no success. After which I took apart the mouse, cleaned it and put it all back together. Now the scroll ball does not work at all, but atleast it is clean. Long story short I now have a new mouse.
hi, i found your review via a technorati search. i was wondering if you’d had an opportunity to try the wireless mighty mouse with windows? i noticed that apple’s tech specs page shows the wired mighty mouse being windows-compatible, but not the wireless one. i was wondering if that was actually true…
thanks!
I have not had a chance to use the mouse with windows, I only have Macs. I have typically found that if Apple says it will work with windows it will work just fine. I would have no reservations about using it with Windows. Good Luck to you, and let me know how it works with windows.
After reading some reviews online (yours included), I decided to stop by the Apple Store and pick up a wireless Mighty Mouse. I’d have to say that I’m less than enthusiastic about its performance and features than you are. First off, the pressure-sensitive side buttons are almost impossible to push without jittering the mouse. Secondly, and worst of all, the tracking of the laser nowhere compares with the precision that I’ve gotten used to with the trackpad. Not a fair comparison, I know, but having used only the pad since I got my MBP, that’s where my standards are.
On a positive note, the scroll ball is the best feature of the mouse. If it weren’t for all of the other annoyances, I’d keep it despite its hefty price tag.
itiogo that is to bad that you don’t like the mouse. But before you return it I would urge you to try it out for a while longer, I liked the wireless b/c I already had a USB version of the mouse. There is an adjustment period to using it over another mouse. The side buttons are certainly one of those, I have found that on my older mouse (the wired version) those buttons press easier than the new one, and the scroll ball moves smoother as well. I think that you may find that you press those side buttons to easy after a while, especially if it is not your full time mouse. As for the tracking, what kind of surface are you using it on, many times that is the problem.
Let me know what you decide to do, thanks for reading.
I am interested in purchasing this mouse but I have had trouble with bluetooth mice before. Usually the bluetooth connection isn’t as good as the wireless usb. Is there any jittering with this mouse from the bluetooth or is it smooth sailing?
A great news to you guys, this lovely mouse works fine on both windows xp and vista x64 as i am using them. I am still looking for any software or tweak to customise the side button. The default setting of side button in windows is back button.
The wireless mighty mouse does NOT work with Windows XP Pro. Bluetooth finds the mouse, but once connected, it doesn’t work. Just wanted to clarify this for people. If anyone has found it to work on their system, please list the exact installation steps.
I am in the same ballpark as Greg. The BT Mighty Mouse DOES NOT work in WinXP Pro. Just like everything else in that worthless OS.
The BT Connection finds the mouse, but just as Greg stated… nothing.
I am running XP Pro on a Mac Book Pro under BootCamp.
But in agreement with the author of the original story… Trust Apple, they make stuff that works! It’s when you introduce Windows into the mix that things get mucked up.
The BT Mighty Mouse DOES work in Windows XP.
I am using it right now. First off, you need to pair it with the passkey 0000 – then in windows, go to “Bluetooth Configuration”, then select the Might Mouse, click “Properties”, then go to the “Services” tab.
Once there, click the checkbox in the list, then OK.
It works fine, I’m using it right now. If you google, you will find many references on this exact thing.
Leci!!!!
After my IT support told me that it will not work and tried out some stuff I did not want to give up and was lucky I found your comment.
It worked and I am soooo happy to get a little bit of MAC glamor using my crappy PC laptop at work.
Thanks a lot!
Laci
You are awsome! Thanks for your timely directions. I just booted into windows xp with my new bt mighty mouse and got no joy. Followed your directions now all is well.
I’m running the mouse in vista. Bluetooth paired it without a passkey, somehow. Scroll ball works but not for side scrolling. If this problem is solved then the mouse is at 100% of mac functionality.
Thanks for the Windows XP tip. I just bought the bluetooth mouse and got a little concerned when it wouldn’t work on the window side of my computer (I’m running bootcamp). Many thanks.
Just to confirm. I got it working both on a WinXP pro on my desktop and a MacBook Pro. There were some problems with the passkey phase, but just be persistent and it should work…
Vista Ultimate has no problems with thise cutie either
Did any one figure a way out to change the functionality of the side buttons? I want all the windows to be displayed (like mac)…
Yeah cool. My Mighty ( i would say Naughty) Mouse broke down 3 months after i bought the MacPro wich it came with.
Talked with Apple España and their answer sounded like: “yeah? so youve hitted it with a hammer – yes sir, thats what i do on my freedays, study the fisics of awfully expensive gadgets under extrem conditions – ah ok, come by the closest retailer, they’ll send it to apple headquarters in barcelona, theyll check it out, and in about 15 days youll have a new mouse or a 60€ bill if we found out what you did with that hammer. Running out of space, ill write a novel post by post someday soon.
So I had to buy one, 49€ (arround 14bucks more than 49$).
Today I’ve installed Vista using bootcamp (bootcamp killed my intel iMac by fucking up the firmware… and the guys at apple claimed that i killed a computre (its hardware!!!) with that software!) And well… what a fucking rip off of osx4.
Now the selfish paragraph:
Anybody knows how/where/when we will be able to use the exposé buttons and horizontal scroll with this promising piece of shit called vista?
thanks blokes, found interesting stuff in here.
Works fine in Vista, though only provides the basic mouse functionality – left click, right click, vertical scroll. Paired with no problem. Horizontal scroll doesn’t work, and the side buttons seem to trigger “Back” function in Windows Explorer. Considering that Boot Camp 1.2 brought up the Apple Remote [limited] support, I really hope at some point we’ll get the horizontal scroll working and side buttons acivating Flip3D.
[...] Bluetooth Mighty Mouse Review [...]
Hi i just got the mighty mouse, i have a pc and am running windows xp. i bought a bluetooth dongle. now the bluetooth recognizes the mouse, but asks for the bluetooth security key, i tried all numbers that were in and out of the mouse on the package in the mouse, nothing was working, if someone could please explain to me where this kez is id be very gratefull, thanks.
Darian, try a passkey of 0000 — if that doesn’t work it’s possible Apple has made it impossible for MM’s to work with PCs. The 0000 passkey does work under Boot Camp.
I can also confirm that the BT mighty mouse does work in windoze xp pro. Make sure to use the 0000 passcode when pairing. that did the trick for me.
I’m running MBP 07 and i purchased the BT MMouse and it works well with OS X. Im running Windows XP pro, under BCamp. but my BT Driver cant find it..i need help.. ASAP!!!
detials–doesnt find it at all
I’ve got the BTMM running under XP on a MacBook. The problem I have with it, however, is that the mouse doesn’t autodetect under XP. Even though it will be listed under the BT Devices applet, I still have to remove it, power-cycle the mouse, and reinstall it every time I boot into XP. Apple recommends a BT key of “0000″ but I’ve successfully run it with an OS-assigned key and with no key.
To those of you having trouble with Windows. I would read through some of the comments again, I am using the mouse now under bootcamp with Vista and no problems.
I would recommend two things, use the “0000″ key not the auto key. Next, if pairing is your issue, once windows starts up, and the mouse is on, click and hold the left mouse button for a few seconds, that does the trick in Mac OS X.
Using MM with XP Pro on a Mac with Bootcamp. The mouse gets recognized with 0000 (four zeros) but the Bluetooth Devices windows shows the mouse name but with noting that ‘NO Passkey Connected’. When I log in again, I need to Remove the mouse than Add it again. Why won’t the passkey hold? and/or what am I doing wrong?
I’m running windows vista ultimate and bootcamp 1.2 and once I pair it, it asks for software… Then after that it does nothing. So it pairs good but just does nothing…
Sent from my iPhone.
The mouse works on my vaio, when you’re pairing it, please choose passkey supplied by vendor or something like that, then type zero zero zero zero, and VOILA!!! it paired immediately.
it’s too bad that the squeeze and side scroll don’t work.
confirm that the Bluetooth Might Mouse works fine on Windows Vista on MacBook Pro , using passcode ‘0000′. And pleased to also report that it works fine as a two button mouse on Vista, without any further config. smooth sailing.
the key here was to learn the passcode hardcoded into the Mighty Mouse….
thanks!
THANK YOU!!!
After trying for ages, I was about to return the bluetooth version when I googled this up, 0000 works, the scrolling is pure bliss. Thanks guys!
ok… Sanity returns.
As I use the mouse in XP, I have found that the scroll works vertically, however not side to side.
Anyone know of a fix for this? Any XP driver update?
Thanks in advance.
I also have the same question about sidescrolling as Arif does. Does anyone know how to get sidescrolling to work under Windows XP?
Thanks in advance as well,
djExprice.
I read alot about this mouse and horizontal scrolling not working. Still, i bought one yesterday for PC. Got it not to work with Vista Home premium with Bluesoleil BT-software. BT found the mouse, found its name, found its service (HID mouse), got paired and connected. But then, nothing. Looking at BT network adapter properties, data was actually moving when i moved the mouse but cursor styaed still. Doh.
Then i plugged USB-BT-adapter to another pc (XP home). It installed Microsoft BT-software. Then searched for mouse, found, gave password (0000), paired and voila, it worked. Though i didnt test for horiz scroll but moved to first machine, removed bluesoleil, let windows install its own BT-software. Found mouse, asked password, gave password and…
Dammit it works, vertical AND horizontal scroll, even the side buttons work, tough both work as “back” in browsers (IE and FF tested), scroll button works too, in browser as “open link in new tab”.
I wont uninstall everything to see which setting or previously installed software did it, but i guess it was because i had microsoft mouse and software installed before i installed mighty mouse. And because of that, in mouse properties i had both horiz and vertical scroll options.
Nice mouse in any way, works really well, only the side buttons could be a bit lighter to push.
I also have the problem that my BT-MM does pair without problems. But two things:
- I can pair it typing any passkey
- When I reopen BT settings it shows “no passkey” for the MM (even when I connect it using the recommended 0000 key).
I so need to delete and reinstall the MM on every XP startup.
Any solutions on this one yet?
When i tested MM with another machine (XP), i got 4 different options to provide password, like “let windows generate”, “use manufacture provided”, “make your own” and something, using the second option worked. With Vista, third option worked. Yesterday when i tested, i plugged in a USB-BT adapter, paired the mouse and it worked. Today i plugged adapter in again and it worked right away, no pairing, passwords or anything… I wish i knew how did i do it… With this Vista machine it works with that first pairing…
Firstly i would like to say, thank you this tread really helped me!
for anyone still having problems pairing wireless mighty mouse(WMM), when in your bootcamped partition, DO NOT click on a little yellow bubble if it pops up prompting you to set up your bluetooth(BT) device. go to the tools tray(bottom right hand corner, on taskbar) and click the BT icon.. now do the following:
1. turn WMM off and back on again
2. check box in first screen of BT setup(saying BT device is ready to be found) and click next
3. windows should have found your WMM, click on its icon in the window
4. click option 2, “Set up WMM using MY OWN passkey”
5. enter four zeroes(0000) and hit next, windows should now accept passkey and install WMM
6. click done, and AFTER you click done(well, maybe before) you will be able to control your computer with WMM
aaaaaaand, YOUR DONE!
*joy*
i used it on my vista, all was well