The new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro look good, but Apple desperately needs to rethink its worst accessory
Well, that’s a summary of another Apple showcase: the Live event ‘Let Loose’ gave us a whole bunch of new technologies to look forward to, from a brand new technology Apple Pencil Pro to the iPadPro 13-inchnow equipped with the powerful M4 chip.
The event also gave us a new one Magic keyboard for the iPad, which was a welcome addition, but there’s still one Apple accessory that I absolutely hate and wish Apple would show some love to. I’m of course talking about the Magic mouse.
The iconic Magic Mouse has remained virtually unchanged in design since its release in 2009, and while it’s a pleasure to use thanks to its sleek design and multi-touch gesture support, it’s honestly not a great mouse. Not only is it expensive, but it also lacks side buttons, doesn’t make enough use of the multi-touch capabilities and worst of all, the charging port is on the bottom!
Time for a redesign
Of Apple is making waves in the field of AI In addition to moving forward with new silicon in the M4 chip, it is also time for the humble Magic Mouse to get a new design. It doesn’t have to be anything big; just accept that convenience is more important than aesthetics and that no mouse should be unusable while charging. Personally, I use a trusty Logitech G502 Lightspeed as my daily mouse at home, which I can plug in and continue using when the battery is low.
Apple has a history of prioritizing form over function, from the lack of buttons on the third-generation iPad Shuffle to the ridiculous charging method for the original Apple Pencil. The Magic Mouse is probably the most egregious example of this: having to turn the mouse upside down to charge it is simply absurd, as its functionality is reduced for the sake of a more ‘perfect’ appearance. Long battery life is no excuse, Apple.
I’m hoping we’ll see an overhaul for the Magic Mouse – and possibly the Magic Keyboard for Mac, another (admittedly much better) accessory that could also use a fresh look – on Apple’s WWDC 2024 event in June. Now that the M4 chip has been officially unveiled, we’ll probably see it predictions of a new M4 Mac and MacBook range come out – so hopefully Mac accessories won’t be left behind.