It's been almost 15 years since we first laid eyes on a Mac. Specifically, it was about Apple The PowerMac G4 that literally changed my life. It was he who made me try to find out as much information as possible about what it actually was Apple is and how it works. I thought it might be of interest to younger readers in particular, as it was back then Apple what it looked like and what it offered.
I got one of the most legendary mice in computer history with my PowerMac G4 back then – specifically Apple Pro Mouse. A mouse made of transparent plastic with a perfect design looked literally like something from the future at the time. When I found it on the bazaar in its original packaging for 20€, there was nothing to think about and I went to get it. Let's reminisce together about what this legendary mouse from Appyou.
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Apple presented his for the first time Apple Pro Mouse in July 2000, where it was presented as part of the package of the well-known PowerMac G4 Cube. Apple the legendary replaced her Apple USB Mouse, which is more commonly known as a hockey puck. Apple Pro Mouse was on sale from 2000 until 2005, when it was replaced by the already well-known to our readers Apple Mighty Mouse, the predecessor of today's Magic MouseFor many people and designers, it is Apple The Pro Mouse is one of the most beautiful mice in the history of the computer industry, and I have to admit that I like its look. I also consider it to be something artistic that I simply had to have in my collection.
Unfortunately, not only from today's point of view, but also from the point of view of the time, the mouse is really more of a piece of art than a productive tool. I personally encountered this mouse for the first time with my first Macintosh PowerMac G4, for which I received the Pro Mouse. Apple introduced the mouse together with the Pro Keyboard, which is equipped at both ends above the top row of keys with a pair of USB ports. You should have connected the mouse to one of these ports. Reaching the port of the PowerMac G4, which you usually had under the table, was really impossible with the 60 cm long cable. Apple so he equipped the keyboard with a long cable, with which you conveniently connected it to the computer, and the mouse then only needed a short cable to connect it to the keyboard.
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In order to keep the cable in your desk as little as possible, most people solved the connection so that if they were right-handed, they connected the mouse to the left USB port of the keyboard, and if they were left-handed, they used the right port. Thanks to this, the cable from the mouse ran behind the keyboard and did not get tangled on the table. However, there was no usability problem in the connection solution. It consisted in the number or lack of buttons. Apple For Mouse, she had to make do with just one button. Many people believed that it was also equipped with a pair of side buttons. However, this was only a design element that also allowed the movement of the upper transparent part on the body of the mouse. If you wanted to trigger a right-click, all you had to do was hold down the control key - something that today's users can hardly imagine. It should be noted that in 2000, two-button mice were a matter of course, but Apple it went more with the design than with the times and so users had to make do with one button.
Using one button was for two things, but if you haven't noticed it yet due to the fact that Magic Mouse it also doesn't have a wheel, so believe me, it wasn't used in 2000 Apple For Mouse, technology from Magic Mouse. You may be wondering how you used to browse the web with such a mouse, i.e. the thing with which the wheel or now the touch sensor Magic Mouse you use most often. Unfortunately, the answer is simple, but the practice is even more complicated. If you wanted to scroll a web page, there were basically two options. The first was to move the mouse to the right side of the window, where you grabbed the scroll bar by clicking and simply scrolling it down. The second option was to do the same directly on the page and scroll down by selecting text/objects. Does that sound comedic to you? That's probably because it really was.
Burdening your problems with the cable, which was often damaged and especially with the first pieces produced, there was a problem with it being pulled out or short-circuited in the places where it led into the body of the mouse, is quite unnecessary. Today, none of us will complain about the mouse, so at least believe that if you really wanted to use it for work, it was better to buy two straight away, because one was often subject to complaints precisely because of the mentioned cable. Instead, I would like to point out some positives as well. In addition to the truly incredibly sophisticated design, the mouse was seriously comfortable. It didn't hurt my hand even during prolonged work, and thanks to its bulging body resembling a bar of soap, it fit perfectly in the palm of my hand. In addition, due to the plastic body, she was Apple It's also light for the Mouse and glided great on the pad or table.
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The optical sensor with the typical red color on the bottom took care of the sensing. Unfortunately, I was unable to find out the exact DPI neither then nor now, but the mouse was very accurate and its accuracy is quite comparable to today's Magic Mouse. If you wanted to adjust the sensitivity, you could already go into the settings in your Mac OS X, but you could also turn the wheel around the sensor to change the sensitivity. The mouse had three hardware-preset sensitivity levels, which were changed by turning the plastic wheel around the sensor. This allowed you to have a standard, faster or slower response to your movement.
Apple The Pro Mouse is a beautiful example of a product that has done away with anything that would limit the design. For me personally, it is the most beautiful mouse in the history of computers, but on the other hand, it is necessary to note that working with it was not a chore, quite the opposite. Next time we will look at another mouse from Applu, which will be none other than the familiar Apple Mouse in the form of a hockey puck. If you would Apple Pro Mouse is interesting, then it is possible to get it in very solid condition, often even in original packaging for prices around €30 to €50, often including shipping.
I also have a few in my collection. Both versions, black and white. I think only people from the PC world or other platforms missed the 2nd button or wheel on them. Those who worked on Apple from previous systems often did not understand what the second or next button was needed for. OS 9 and lower practically didn't need it (it can survive without it even today). Well, where are we today... mice can make gestures, they have maybe 6 buttons... At that time, the USB ports on the keyboard were truly genius. Apple they screwed up with the aluminum keyboards (but then again the HUB was already 2.0), you can stuff it there maxIdeally a cable, you can't fit a large flash drive in there.