Magic Mouse being dropped in favor of Magic Trackpad?
updated 04:45 pm EDT, Thu August 4, 2011
May be sign of Apple pushing OS X toward gestures
Apple is discontinuing the Magic Mouse, throwing its weight behind the Magic Trackpad instead, a retail source claims. In detail the person alleges that Apple Stores are not receiving new Magic Mouse inventory, and that Apple is in fact phasing the peripheral out of its product lines.
While the claim has not been confirmed, Apple has been working toward making gestures a central part of the Mac OS, rather than an extra. In Lion, for instance, users can swipe to switch between programs running in fullscreen mode. The OS as a whole borrows concepts from Apple's touch-based iOS, as evidenced by features like Launchpad and iPad-style native applications.
Analysts and others have been conjecturing that Apple intends to merge iOS with Mac OS. Many obstacles are in the way though, such as the cost of desktop- or notebook-sized touchscreens and the need to retain the flexibility of Macs while offering the simplicity of iOS. The latter platform is currently locked down in many respects for the sake of security and a consistent experience.
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Joined: Aug 2001
of course
If users don't like it, they can just get a mouse from somewhere else. I'm sure in 20 years we'll hear how Apple was the lead in throwing out the mouse (like they led the way to the floppy demise).