# What do you think about the new iMac?



## ddma (Jan 7, 2002)




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## ddma (Jan 7, 2002)

By the way, it looks like the Hong Kong Space Museum!


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## Ronnie Fitz (Jan 7, 2002)

Looks like a table lamp to me!!!!!!!
hell i have one of thoes on my desk now!!!!!!!!!
Sorry guys i just dont like it!!!!!!!!!
but what do you expect comming from a guy who still likes the
look of the bage g3 miny tower the best
thats when macs lookes like macs!!!!
please dont flame me!!!!!!
just my O.P.


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## ddma (Jan 7, 2002)

Yea, it looks like a table lamp to me too.

I think I would like it if I get more information about it!


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## dePoPo (Jan 7, 2002)

if it comes with a wireless keyboard & mouse it would realy craete a lot of space on the desk, i like the idea


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## theed (Jan 7, 2002)

I just don't get it.  I need an explanation of how one is supposed to use it.  Then maybe I'll like it.  Sooking at it as though it's a replacement for my current computer, I hate it.  As a lamp, I'd rather it reflected light off of the ceiling like a torchiere lamp reducing eyestrain and minimizing shadows.  As a blender, it would seem to ... not blend.  

I'm holding full fledged opinion until I see how this thing is supposed to be used.


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## Naz (Jan 7, 2002)

Think Different!

iStillwantone


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## Dradts (Jan 7, 2002)

HAHA LOLOLOL!!!


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## fiznutz (Jan 7, 2002)

LOL thats funny Naz
but i really like the new imac design at first i was what the f***
but over the last hours it has grown on me i have to see the picture again and again. To bad though i hope steve has more up his sleeve cause otherwise the pre expo hype might be ruined!
LOL thats funny the iCap...


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## Ralph J. (Jan 7, 2002)

so far, i don't like it, but you can't tell very much from that picture. so, for now, i'm taking a wait and see attitude.


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## MoNkeY mAgIc (Jan 7, 2002)

I first looked at it and thought - yeuuurrgh

However it's a a grower.

The more I think about it and the more I look at my angle poise lamp I think how cool would it be to have a pooter like that.

The angle poise is a design classic and hopefully this mac is too.

The flexibility of a pooter like that is maginificent I spend my whole life shuffling my old skool Imac about and an easily adjustable version that takes up little desk space is fantastic.

I'm all for it. It's very different and I think that's part of it's problem - it no longer looks like a pooter. People won't be able to get their heads round it for a while, but once they do everyone will see the benefits.

ooooh I could crush a grape.


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## ManicDVLN (Jan 7, 2002)

HAHAHAH shut up all of you, you guys are just in self-denial, thinking little Steve would pull off something greater than this...

The only thing that doesn't keep me for saying this is a total failure, is the cost!

We'll soon enough know how much this tin can costs.


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## Zim (Jan 7, 2002)

Apple keeps missing the boat.  They need to bring the cube back (and not over-price it this time).

I have a perfectly good 17" VGA monitor.  Why should I have to pay for a smaller 15" screen that I don't want?

Or they should at least offer a 17" panel.

Yawn.

Mike


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## ulrik (Jan 7, 2002)

A 15'' Flat Panel equals a 17'' VGA monitor.


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## AdmiralAK (Jan 7, 2002)

loos like a boot to me, is that really it ?
I wanna see the official thing at apple.com


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## vanguard (Jan 7, 2002)

I'm surprised that nobody likes it.  I think it's really cool.  It's exactly what I want.  The fact that it has a G4 just gets me really excited.  I didn't expect that.

It's fast and it's priced well.  As for it's looks, I think it's attractive and functional.  I have an iBook (the new kind) and a thinkpad in the house.  I'm typing this on the iBook and my wife is fussing at me for taking the "good" computer.  That tells me something about what my next machine should be.


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## BlingBling 3k12 (Jan 7, 2002)

Check this... $1800 for what a $5000+ PowerMac G4 can do.

now if that right there isn't beautiful itself, i don't know what is!

but hey, this design is excellent. that photo doesn't do the iMac any justice so we will wait on the high quality PR photos tomorrow (or after the keynote)

well... i'll talk to ya after I SEE IT IN PERSON!

bye! 

"It's off to see the wizard... the wonderful wizard named Steve!" - ok, that's a bit much, but o well!


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## Ralph J. (Jan 7, 2002)

you know, after seeing the larger photo in the iPhoto thread, i kinda' like it now. it's cool.


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## Jadey (Jan 7, 2002)

I also think it looks cool. I'd want one. I think we should be calling it the iLamp though.


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## theed (Jan 7, 2002)

It IS form follows function.  It's not just a fixed table lamp, it's very much what the computer should be.  You need that base to allow the movement they gave the monitor.  I wish they'd have made the display a modular option so that 2 years from now you could drop a 17" phlat panel on that neck if'n you want to.

I like it now.


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## Zim (Jan 7, 2002)

> _Originally posted by ulrik _
> *A 15'' Flat Panel equals a 17'' VGA monitor. *



who cares?  I already have a monitor.  why must I go thru the hassle of buying a NEW one, and taking the loss on selling my old one.

Shall we be penalized for being previous customers?  Why no upgrade-friendly path?

Mike


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## Ronnie Fitz (Jan 7, 2002)

DITIO!!!
I still dont like it!!!!!!
my god what a piece of crap
please do flame me i just think apple could have dun better
it still looks like a tabel lamp!!!!


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## Ricky (Jan 7, 2002)

Hehe.

I like it but I still want an iBook  ;D


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## rinse (Jan 7, 2002)

why did they go back to 169 pin SO-DIMMs? f*ckin' expensive memory sucks!

my wife had the 233mhz bondi mac and it had so-dimms.... they sucked then, why would they suck less now?

the rest of the mac is nice.... 3 USB ports is great! (would have like 1 usb in front and a firwire in the front too!)


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## themacko (Jan 7, 2002)

When I first saw that picture last night, I was disappointed.  I thought it was ugly and it didn't look like an Apple.  Now that I've seen the Keynote, though, I think I do like it.  It's actually quite impressive.  I won't be ditching my iBook for one (although I'd like a G4 and SuperDrive) but it's not as bad as I originally thought.

Hopefully others will go for the new design as well...


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## kenny (Jan 7, 2002)

> _Originally posted by rinse _
> *why did they go back to 169 pin SO-DIMMs? f*ckin' expensive memory sucks!
> 
> my wife had the 233mhz bondi mac and it had so-dimms.... they sucked then, why would they suck less now?
> ...



It's worse than that... from the spec:



> 128MB or 256MB of SDRAM expandable to 1GB; one factory-installed 168-pin DIMM and one open user-accessible SO-DIMM slot



So, it uses a standard DIMM somwhere inside, but changing it would likely be a warranty-voiding quest, and the one you _can_ change is SODIMM?? Oi....

I also have to wonder about the harddrive (internal). They say it's UltraATA, but is it another one of those warranty-voiding thingies? I know, there's external FW drives, but that tends toward complicating the cable mess again... 

Other than the memory thing, I really like the new iMac. One last question. I don't see mention of it anywhere, but is this thing fanless? It'd be a shame if the thing was so visually beautiful only to have a nasty fan noise the whole time (yes, i've been spoiled by my iBook  )


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## theed (Jan 7, 2002)

I agree that expansion is limited, but that's like the working definition of this device.  This is meant to be a one time swat-the-problem-dead solution ideal for first time buyers.  It's not meant to a be a parts is parts upgrade path.  Hopefully they'll do something that makes the towers reasonable in comparison to this new powerdouse.

As for so-dimms, they're small.  And since when is $50 for 256 Meg expensive.  You're insane, or you've only been following RAM prices for 2 months.  I distinctly remember paying $200 for 128 a few years ago.  RAM is cheap, get over yourself.

As for a fan, I assume there is one, there's not enough vertical to create a heat draft, and the silence was never mentioned.  It probably has a fan.


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## IslandJordan (Jan 7, 2002)

Okay. So the loyal Mac community seems to hate it - at first glance. Then I remembered that most of the people posting on these boards are "power users." If you hate it, you must remember why the iMac was introduced in the first place: so the average user could have an easy to use, setup, and look at computer. Apple must please MANY audiences - not just the techie or the power user.

For what it's worth, I love it. I love the way it looks, I love the way it functions, and I even love that it's not necessarily easily upgradable becuase its main audience will have no reason or desire to upgrade it. For those of you who are criticizing the all-in-one model, you must again remember what makes an iMac an iMac. If it was not an all-in-one unit, they wouldn't call it an iMac. 

Maybe it's because I'm young. Maybe it's because I'm queer. Maybe it's because I like stylish things. But I think its design is kick ass. It's time we stop imagining the PC as a square box that sits on the desk of a geek surrounded by bags of chips and pop cans. Jobs is set on making the Mac the "digital hub" fit for anyone's life - and with a stylish, sleek, futuristic, non-technical and aesthetically pleasing design, the PC can come out of the "computer room" and start to become a stylistic component of any room in the house - where it can, indeed, be used as a digital hub.

One final note. The iMac has contained a G3 since its birth in order to reserve the G4 for the poweruser. The new iMac is still for the same audience, but now contains the main element in a poweruser's computer. This makes me think that Apple has the G5 up their sleeve in order to satisfy and again distinguish the power user from the novice or the "casual user."

Again, all in my humble opinion.

Jordan


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## MoNkeY mAgIc (Jan 8, 2002)

I am very much in agreement with Island Jordon.

The iMac is not a computer that should be judged by the same bench marks as a server or a high end workstaion. That is not it's purpose.

This is an ailen concept in computers a way of looking at things differently - hence the different design. It must not be mistaken either visualy or by any other means for a computer in a traditional sense.

This makes the next bold step toward the future of Home computing (not work computing). Something I welcome with open arms. I'm more than happy to have the Imac at home (where it will do all those things that I need easily) and a high end workstation at work, where ROI is important.

The cube failed becuse it could be still mistaken for a computer in the traditional sense, in essence it sent out mixed messages. The new Imac has tried to steer away from this and in my opinion succeeded.

Phew! Got all that off me chest - I think I'm becoming quite excitable in my old age


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## FrgMstr (Jan 8, 2002)

I think the new imac is sweet, well laid out, cool, good performance and at a good price point. I really am impressed with what apple have done to the imac i really am.

Im definately going to get one, ive got the cash waiting its just a matter of time now, oh and im getting an ipod too.

Got my pc on one desk and my imac on the desk next to me, best of both worlds i cant lose really, sound, photo, video editing = Mac Development and Gaming = PC

well the imac has got gf2mx graphics so i will ofcourse play some mac games i cant play on my PC too.


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## RacerX (Jan 8, 2002)

You hold off on buying a new Mac for a couple weeks and this comes out! I haven't gotten a new system in over a year and a half! Of course my wife says I can have one if I get rid of one of my current systems.  

I haven't used that Apple IIe in a while, and I have to sgi Indigos (don't ask why). Okay who's going up for adoption!


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## edX (Jan 8, 2002)

he he, why do wives always think something has to go in order for something new to come in to the house? Tell me where that's written 

so frgmstr - waiting seems to have really paid off for you!!!  You're getting a brand new mac-chine that is almost equivilent to the one you started out wanting, at about the price you wanted to pay. i don't think you could have planned it much better.
it will be interesting to hear your views of your experience with the imac. i suspect there will plenty of pc users tempted by this one. (users, not fanatics)

btw - love that positive attitude your sporting now


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## tagliatelle (Jan 8, 2002)

Why want you absolute be fixed with hardware? I find that it looks better than the old one and has better specifications, but this is no reason. Why can't you be more objective and see that people like Macin... are more nagative (because they are just using a PC instead of owning a mac) than people who are just saying that there messages are filling up the place and enoying people who has proven to own a mac or writing crossplatform stuff. If this site is intended for Macosxpeople then the messages about crossplatformsoftware are more considering than software that is intended not to work with Macosx like software that uses an old xtmodem or network that is completely abandoned and hardware as an old vt220 Digital terminal without anything.


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## ulrik (Jan 8, 2002)

He was crazy when he only posted one or two lines, but this? This is....this is.....it's extreme-Herve 

Hmm, it's interesting to see that even PC users (and I am not only talking about FrgMstr, who already planned to get a Mac) are impressed. On more than one news-forum, I red posts like "I want that one...with XP on it". Man, let these people come near an Apple store and then "test drive" OS X. The chances are good the leave the store with an i-machine (iMac or iBook). I think the new iMac has lost the "toy" image it had for the non-Mac world and gained some kind of a "funky" image, stylish, powerful (compared to the older i-series of Macs), fully equipped with everything you want! And with the growing number of Firewire products, the mentioned problems in expandability (spelling???) won't be that hard to overcome. 
I am deeply impressed, and after the dust has cleared now, I have to admit, they hype Apple did was worth it. 

And now let's wait for the next Keynote and the new towers 

But I won't get one of them, just ordered the iMac and the middle-range iBook, that's enough for the next three months  
(That's what I call "just in time"-finance...save until the Macworld, then BUY EVERYTHING YOU CAN AFFORD and then use that stuff to earn money until the next big Macworld is here...you see, my signature is not a joke


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## FrgMstr (Jan 8, 2002)

Yeap it certainly did pay of Ed 

OSX is gonna be sweet on one of those beasts, i still cant believe Apple really hit the sweet spot with this new imac.  

There is only one thing im gonna change on that imac when i get it and thats the mouse. I like my Microsoft Optical Intelimouse, really smooth and its got 5 buttons and a scroll wheel.

Id really recommend any Mac user using the single button mouse to go for the Microsoft Mouse, it really is sweet and comes with Mac drivers. Also with OSX supporting more then one button you get the full benefit.

Oh and im really looking forward to developing apps for OSX too


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## edX (Jan 8, 2002)

that multi button mouse thing - this is one i will admit that i am naively prejudiced about. it has always been so m$ish that i can't stand the idea of even looking into it!! i don't know of anything you can do with multi buttons that you can't do with one in a different way. i'm sure it comes in handy for some pro apps but i've never seen the need.  i feel pretty proud of myself for having gotten an ergonomic keybaord recently. never thought i would do that but several site members 'typed me into it'. 

maybe in another 5 yrs i'll consider upgrading the mouse


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## theed (Jan 8, 2002)

I am fond, somewhat, of a multiple button mouse, but the buttons where they are would alter how I hold my moule now.  Why can't someone create a mouse where the alternate button was on the side or samething.  I'm not talking about the 87 button M$ mouse, 2 buttons, and the scroll wheel (if it weren't right where I want to click) seems reasonable too.

Or maybe a mac mouse where the alternate buttons is the control key, so you still cntrl-click, holding the modifier button then clicking.  Why isn't anyone even trying this?

I hate M$'s software, I don't think they innovate there at all, but they do some stuff on the hardware line, they buy out small innovative ideas / companies and then sell them to more people than would have happened naturally.  Although destructive to the small businesses, it seems almost beneficial in a way.  Apple does some stuff, but it's different.  I can resspect both of them.

Kensington does some neat stuff, and logitech does a thing or two, but neither of them has given me a multi-button mouse that isn't just a microsofty thing.  I want a truly alternate so that the 98% of the time when I want to slap the big button I can do so on a button that's (98/2) times as accessible as the "ALTERNATE" button.  Any application that uses the alternate button nearly as much as the main button needs to be fundamentally reworked.

If the two little thingies on the side of the Apple mouse that aren't buttons could be squeezed inward to "push the control button" I think the hybrid would be pretty sweet.  And upward infra-red (so it doesn't blind anyone) optical tracking of my finger should I want to "scroll" would be pretty sweet too.  Solid state happiness.  Optionally assignable to horizontal window movement as well.  Yay.

I'm 6'3" and lanky, and nothing ergonomically designed for any specific body type EVER fits me.  I've hated every console game controller for years.  The M$ mouse feel like crap in my hand.  The Apple mouse doesn't assume a specific body size.  It makes me happy.  I'm glad my fingers aren't fat or I'd probably hate every keyboard in existence as well.

So that's my rant.  Summed up (kinda)  the multi button mouse was the original, so don't think that it's an innovation.  Apple's one button mouse was a hardware simplification around a radically intuitive user interface innovation.  It's reasonable to use multiple buttons again, now that we have come up with a relatively standard use for the other buttons.  At the same time, the alternate button should feel alternate.  Not like f4 feels like an alternate to another key, but like double clicking is obviously not single clicking.  Squeeze clicking would feel different to the body, thus getting associated differently to the UI feel.  Unlike the "buttons of equal size" that drive me up a wall.


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## ulrik (Jan 8, 2002)

I'm using the Microsoft Optical Trackball (since I hate mices, especially for games) and it's great! 

As much as Apple products help you be creative and get your job done real fast, the mouse is - well - a bug if you ask me. I know that most hardcore mac users might now start to hate me, but I remind you: I am using Macs only since two years, before, I was a PC freak. The second mouse button isn't the real important thing, since most Apple apps have their shortcuts placed in a way that you always have your left hand (if you are a right-handed person) near the ctrl-key, but what drives me nuts with the optical mouse is the lack of the scroll wheel.  I mean, the mouse is one of the MAIN interface devices we use, apart from the display (passively) and the keyboard.

Am I alone with this??? Anyone?


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## FrgMstr (Jan 8, 2002)

I agree ulrik, you really miss your scroll when its taken away from you, its just mundane things like scrowling a document in Word or a webpage in IE etc etc.

That right button really helps in games though, secondary fire in UT, Q3


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## ulrik (Jan 8, 2002)

Secondary fire in Q3? How could I miss those, baby? Hehe, seriously, I know what you mean, I am also happy to have five "mouse" or trackball buttons.

Apple used to have an OS you could use with only one button until the support for contextual menus came . I am not perfectly sure when, since in those times never cared about Macs, but IIRC it was either System 7 or 8 which introduced this feature, and - as it seems - everybody noticed that these menus - standard at that time in Windows - are great! They help! Even Apple used them like crazy in their Apps but somehow, they still don't wanna give us that second mouse button...it used to be one button, so it shall always be.

It is stupid, but well...


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## mindbend (Jan 8, 2002)

I just dribbled two drips of peepee from Herve's latest. My god is that funny to me.

He really had me going there for a minute, than he slid into his typical brilliant gibberish.


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## GadgetLover (Jan 8, 2002)

Some people have been criticizing Apple for the new iMac because it is more expensive than the older (emphasis on older) iMacs.  To them, I have a few comments:

1) The new iMac is substantially faster and more powerful than its predecessor and justifies the increased price.  Also, the LCD display is superior in quality to the CRT one used by the original iMac (it is sharper, brighter, doesn't pollute the environment as much, etc.)

2) Popcorn used to cost 10¢ -- well, the original Macintosh was $2,495!  This is almost have that price and is INFINATELY more powerful (and sexier than a beige box!).

3)  Apple has NOT abandoned the price concious.  I'll just let an independent journalist and Apple itself respond:

CRT-based iMacs continue as an option 

"Apple thinks the new iMac will be a huge success, but they also recognize there are some customers that won't be able to afford the price. The company has decided to keep two original CRT iMacs available for the education market and consumers -- both systems are priced under $1,000. 

'Starting today we've kept the $799 price point of the existing iMac and we've taken the $1,299 CRT iMac and dropped that down to $999,' said Schiller. 

Apple has long been accused of pricing its products too high, but Schiller counters that while price is important, the quality of the product and the technologies Apple puts in its computers bear consideration, as well. 

'Price is very important. We work very hard to make the most affordable products we can, but we also care about making great products. We want to make the best product we can with great value and the best technology,' said Schiller. 

'One of the wonderful things about the Mac is that a customer can buy a Mac, use it for a couple of years and they'll find that it still works great -- they didn't realize how forward-looking some of these technologies were. That's not always true in the PC world. Sometimes building the most forward looking technologies means you can't make it the cheapest, but at least you made the best.'"


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## symphonix (Jan 8, 2002)

I like it. I figure there is no actual way they could have made a computer more USEABLE. The monitor on a swivel arm is a very neat idea. We were all pleased to see the G4 end up in there, and Superdrive for that matter. In fact, the G4-800 Superdrive model will hit the streets here at $4100 Aust. That is VERY competitive. It is likely that we will see different screen sizes, since that wouldn't change the cost of production much. And as for the So-Dimm RAM, I figure they just chose that to keep it compact, and after all, this is not a PowerMac, it is an iMac.
I'm considering buying the bottom-model. I don't think I'd be likely to burn DVDs for a while yet, don't really need another DVD player, and am happy to plug it into my Yamaha stereo rather than Pro Speakers. Also, it has the fastest CD-RW of the lot. At $2999 Australian, it is cheaper than similar brand-name PCs here with CRT screens.
How could they have made it better? Perhaps a TV-out port (like those on the iBook) or a built-in webcam? Honestly, I can see no way it could be improved without it missing that critical "everyday user" price-point. This is a computer built to be USED and ENJOYED, its aesthetics are pleasing but we've all been a little shocked, since the only thing it resembles is a table-lamp.
In a year from now, the PC makers will be trying - and failing - to copy this concept.


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## serpicolugnut (Jan 10, 2002)

I noticed some people lamenting the Apple mouse and it's one button woes. I have been using a Kensington MouseInABox Optical Pro for the last couple of months. It's the only mouse with native OS X drivers that allow for acceleration and assigning tasks to the the extra buttons. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it didn't feel as nice as the Intellimouse Explorer (that now sits in a corner because Microsoft won't create OS X drivers for it.)

However, Kensington has just released a new Optical Elite mouse. It has 5 buttons and a scrollwheel, and a much better feel than the MIABOP. It's $30 right now at the Kenginston Store and you can get free shipping using the Macworld code "macshipfree".

http://www.kensington.com/products/pro_mic_d1463.html


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## symphonix (Jan 11, 2002)

OS X supported my 2-button Logitech optical with scrollwheel right out of the box, no drivers needed. I would have bought an Apple mouse, though, if the cable were just that little bit longer.


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