Apple Rolls Out Mighty Mouse

Apple on Tuesday shipped its first multi-button mouse, nearly 21 years after debuting the one-button mouse that made the Mac famous.

Dubbed Mighty Mouse, the Mac- and Windows-compatible input device offers users four programmable buttons and something Apple calls a "Scroll Ball," essentially a scrolling wheel that lets users browse through long Web pages or large photos vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

"With Mighty Mouse, we've simply built a better mouse," said David Moody, Apple's vice president of product marketing, in a statement.

Programmable mice, and scrolling wheels that move in more than one direction, however, are not new; they've been around the Windows world for years.

Although the new mouse boasts four programmable buttons, it looks like a uni-button device. Four touch-sensitive areas under the shell respond to pressure to act as the "buttons." Some of the areas can be programmed to give users one-click access to Mac OS X 10.4.2 (Tiger) features such as Spotlight or Dashboard.

"Mighty Mouse adds functionality while retaining the elegant, easy-to-use Apple design," said Moody.

The USB mouse is available immediately for $49, and works with Mac OS X, Windows 2000, or Windows XP systems.