Will the yet to be released Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse be the direct PC version of the Apple Magic Mouse? I think not.
From the gallery of (stolen?) shots from Russian site WinFuture the mouse will come in a mix of metal, rubbery and plastic black and will a 2.4 Ghz usb radio receiver to connect to your PC. There is no signifying that the broad surface will be a multi-touch surface like the Apple Magic Mouse. From the looks of it, it’s just an ordinary mouse that is ergonomically different.
The Arc mouse’s main feature is that it can be shaped to ergonomically fit the users hand. The customizable back spine is still a mystery and how well it performs is still unknown. Unlike the Apple Magic Mouse which I personally have tried and can attest that it is too flat to be used comfortably through out the day, this Arc Mouse looks easy.
I hope that I’m wrong and this Mouse does multi-touch because Windows could use a fresh interactive experience much like what the Magic Mouse did to my OSX experience. With the use of BetterTouch Tool for the Magic Mouse (like Setpoint software) I was able to set numerous actions and “tap” points for the Magic Mouse. Tapping right could open the Dashboard, Tapping right could activate Expose. Imagine what it could be like on the PC.
Microsoft is well known for good quality hardware so aside from the similar price of $69.99 to the Magic Mouse I think I can’t say that the hardware will be the same. But I hope I’m proven wrong. ( It’s nice to set a low expectation when it comes to Microsoft sometimes :) Let it compete with the Magic mouse AND Trackpad. That would surely make me get one!
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