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Why did Apple stick with the single button mouse for so long? Anyone with an iota of experience with computers would understand the concept of a right click. Even hardened Mac fans were happy to admit that the “one button mouse was a mistake” and PC fans used to use the one button mouse as fanboy ammunition gleefully.

Macs have supported more than two buttons since forever. Surely it would have been easy for Apple to develop a 2 button mouse years ago. Most serious Mac users, such as myself immediately plugged in a multibutton rodent.

I suspect that Apple was loath to switch to a two+ button mouse for two reasons. The first reason, and one most commonly heard is that Macs are simple, and the single button mouse is a more simple device. This reason, today, seems almost ridiculous. Everyone knows how to use a two button mouse. Surely having two buttons can’t be much more complex than the concept of double clicking.

The second reason is the killer, and one I haven’t heard mentioned before. I don’t know whether Apple considered this reason or whether it was a beneficial side effect.

By including a one button mouse with all their machines, the developers have been forced to consider that in the design of their software. That is why there are very, very few hidden and critical contextual menus in the Mac OS. Almost everything found in a contextual menu is either not important or is duplicated in the programs menus or visible controls.

Contrast this to Windows, where a lot of software, even high end packages such as Liscad, 12d, and Autocad use the right mouse button to give you extra commands that aren’t duplicated in the menus. 12D in particular uses contextual menus for access to certain critical commands in their input boxes. This program behaviour is unintuitive and can be horrible to use. Hiding critical commands ruins the whole concept of a GUI. You may as well rote learn them through a command line instead.

Apple’s since managed to switch to a multibutton mouse. However, the Mighty Mouse is still effectively a one button mouse when it’s first plugged in so I’m anticipating that Mac developers don’t forget the lessons learnt and continue developing intuitive software.

while I am currently using a 1 button mouse (this 'puter will eventually become headless and I can't be bothered buying a new mouse for it) the first thing I did with my macs was buy a good scroll mouse (MS, Logitech or Macally) for them.
One button mouse ppppfffwwwwhhh!!

sao

(you're not a Mac user unless you use a one-button mouse ... )

The single button mouse has already risen and fallen anyway.

Plus/Classic - angled shoulder, square button - hopeless.

ClassicII/LC/PM/G3(Beige) - rounded shoulder, button goes right to edge - good feel. not tiring.

G3(B&W)/G4 - Round mouse, groove in button - very different. Grows on you. but not as good as the LC mouse. The downfall has begun.

G5 - the one-button mouse looks better, but is worse to use and tires more. The downfall continues.

Note the above is on the ergonomics, not the technology (ignores trackball vs optical and corded vs cordless).

.......................... if interested you could even compare the keyboards over the time. Once again, the PM takes the cake, but this time is followed in second place by the newest apple KBs.....

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION.

I currently use a 5 button A4-Tech mouse, by the way.

kbs: I have used the black and the white ones lately, prefer the black ( touch is better). typing this on the little kb that came with the imacs.

sao

Yay for my wireless Might Mouse

though i think you need two button mouses for increase productivity, i don't care how much of a mac fan you are, the one button mouse was a bad idea in a multitasking world, PERIOD.

however, i think the comment on forcing developers to make better software is a valid one and i give appaluse to that, when i moved across to mac os x i was delighted to see that everything was accessible, nothing was hidden in a menu ten a sub menu then another drop down menu etc.

just a comment, i hate how some makers are over doing it like logitech which believe that a mouse should have a million buttons, a air freshier and cup holders, there is so much stuff on their mouses that if i slip a finger off goes the lauch sequence for all the nukes in the world and we then have nuclear winter... on a side note microsoft make the best mouses in terms of functionality!

so i think there is a thing of having too many buttons or too little...

ALSO, has anyone wrote something on the apple keyboard? i just love it, keyboards these days are just so big, ugly and have too many useless functions and gadgets on them, and the hand rest never actually reduces strain. i also love the position of the apple key... why? well if you want to access a shortcut on a windows machine you would press crtl and keys such as x,c,v,b,n etc... which is sort of a long reach, by using the apple key you have less distance so you don't get sore hands.

that sounded very very geeky.

****
personally i don't like the new apple mouses because the scroll wheel is rubbish as it breaks after a few days of use, the side buttons are useless and i'm not a fan of the touch sensetive left and right button, when i press a button i want it to feel like a button, with the click and everything.

With my two hands I can turn a one button mouse into two with a control click

careful designer I was chastised by a moderator for hyperbole earlier, and it pales compared to your post. I bet you can't launch all the nukes, just the russian ones.
I prefer the MS mouses (low end ones, simple efficent, long lasting) but I want that mouse with a cupholder.

sao

I was always a fan of the one button mouse. And I had used one for years up until last year when I bought a Mighty Mouse.

Even then I never found the need for a second mouse button, and I still think the one button mouse is excellent for my parents, grandparents and any newcomer to a computer.

I prefer the Apple ADB keyboard the best, that came with my 1996-build powermac 6100/75. It was the best for typing speed and the lowest typos, for me.

I agree.
The apple key next to the space bar is deliberate i'm told, so you use it with your thumb instead of the windows-esque little finger (which THEY use on the control key). Is supposed to be quicker, because you have two thumbs - one for the command key and one for the space, wheras if you use your pinkie for a modifier key you must move it back quick smart if you need it to type some letters (a,q,z). with your thumb on the command key, you can get z,x,c,v or a,s,d,f or q,w,e,r (most of these are shortcuts most widely used, e.g. close, all, save, undo, copy, paste). wheras with your little finger on the control key, you have to think more to get z, x, c, v, and really stretch for y (common in Office for "repeat").

I've always thought that, and I think it's even been publicly stated by Apple in the past.

It does make a lot of sense. Good UI design shouldn't hide important functions and usually there's a simpler, cleaner way of doing things. Case in point: Toast vs Nero.

i love how apple moved to USB keyboards and mouses ages ago, PS/2 is just so old and PCs still use it.

sorry the 1 mouse button was and still is a shit idea....

Did you even read my article. :P