Ladies and Gentlemen, stop the presses!

Well, in today's world, I should change that... Stop uploading the websites! This is BIG News. Ever since Apple came out with the Macintosh (1984), they have only shipped with one-button mice. Even mice prepared for the Apple IIe / IIc / IIgs had one mouse button. The reason was clear enough -- the OS was designed to be simple and effective to use. It would just take one button. With the development of USB, PC-based mice would work with Macintosh, and Apple built right-button functionality into OS 9 and OS X.

WOW.

Check the mouse out... http://www.apple.com/mightymouse

What do I like?

* The little scrolling ball. I want to run down to the Mac store and check this out. No big wheel to collect dust and dirt. Having a smaller surface area, it should remain cleaner. And it is 360 degrees, meaning it behaves like a trackball. Can go sideways. My Microsoft-Mouse-Wannabe with a scroll-wheel here cannot go left and right. Wow.

* Thumb buttons. One on each side. The website says it is programmable, but I wonder if they are separate, similar to Left and Right speakers on a stereo system. The web says the buttons are programmable with Tiger. That is nice and flexible.

* SRP of $49 is at a nice price point. Not cheap, but not going to kill me either. I wonder if Amazon will carry it at reduced pricing.

* It is USB. Means that other Operating Systems have a chance to use it. I wonder if YellowDog Linux will see the mouse and work with it properly. Also means that I can use the mouse on my desktop, and then take it with me. I wonder if a wireless model is in the works... And the Tech specs talk about Windows XP and 2000. I will not be annoyed... having a Gates OS driven by an Apple mouse would make me smile.

But the best thing that I can think of is that... the mouse is NOT ROUND! The last mouse Apple came out with was ROUND, and shaped like a hockey puck.

This thing is cool. I WANT ONE!

Christian