Apple Usb Mouse

Released with the iMac G3 in 1998 and included with all successive desktop Macs for the next 2 years, the round "Hockey puck" USB mouse is widely considered one of Apple's worst mistakes. Marking the switch from ADB, the colorful translucent mouse was a radical departure from its predecessors, down to a ball whose two-tone surface fluttered past the user's eyes as it spun under the mouse's translucent housing. However stylish, the mouse's round shape is widely considered clumsy, due to its small size and tendency to rotate in use. This was a major cause for the success of the Griffin iMate ADB to USB adapters, as they allowed for the use of the older, more comfortable ADB Mouse II to be used with new iMacs. Later revisions included a shallow indentation on the front of the button, but this was not enough to prevent a flood of third-party products like the iCatch, a shell that attached to the USB mouse to give it the ADB mouse's elliptical shape. Another flaw introduced in the Apple USB Mouse, shared across all of Apple's USB offerings, is the atypically short cord. Though intended for use through the integrated hub in Apple's keyboards, Apple's transition to USB coincided with the relocation of ports on their laptops from the center to the left edge. As none of Apple's USB mice have cords longer than two feet, they are impractical for most right-handed users. In 2000, the Apple USB Mouse was replaced with the Apple Pro Mouse. The USB mouse's colors were:
Bondi Blue-iMac G3

Blueberry-iMac G3 and Power Mac G3 Blue and White

Strawberry-iMac G3

Grape-iMac G3

Lime-iMac G3

Graphite-iMac G3 Special Edition and Power Mac G4

The colors of the Apple USB Mouse on an iMac G3 box

The original Bondi Blue Apple USB Mouse

The graphite USB mouse used on the special edition iMac G3 and the Power Mac G4

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Apple hardware since 1998

Consumer computers

eMac  iMac (G3: Tray, Slot; G4; G5; Core; Core 2: Polycarbonate, Aluminum)  Mac mini (G4; Core; Core 2: Server)

Professional computers

Mac Pro  Power Mac (G3: Outrigger, Minitower, AIO, B&W, Server; G4: Graphite, Quicksilver, MDD, Server, Cube; G5)  Xserve (G4, CN; G5, CN; Intel)

Notebook computers

iBook (G3: Clamshell, Dual USB; G4)  MacBook (Core; Core 2: Polycarbonate (Discrete, Unibody), Aluminum)  MacBook Air  MacBook Pro (Core; Core 2: Discrete, Unibody)  PowerBook (2400c, G3: Wallstreet, Lombard, Pismo; G4: Titanium, Aluminum)

Consumer electronics

Apple TV  Displays (Cinema, Studio)  iPad  iPhone (Original, 3G, 3GS)  iPod (Classic: 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, Photo, 5G, 6G; Mini: 1G, 2G; iPod+HP; Shuffle: 1G, 2G, 3G; Nano: 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G; Touch: 1G, 2G, 3G)  Newton (MessagePad: 2000, 2100; eMate 300)

Accessories

AirPort (Card: B, G, N; Base Station: Graphite, Snow, Extreme G, N, Express G, N)  iPod (Click Wheel, Dock Connector, Camera Connector, iPod Hi-Fi, Nike+iPod)  iSight  Keyboard (Pro, Wireless)  Mouse (USB, Pro, Wireless, Mighty, Magic)  Remote  SuperDrive  Time Capsule  USB Modem  Xserve RAID

Italics indicate discontinued products, bold italics indicate announced but not yet released products. See also: Apple hardware before 1998.

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Categories: 1998 introductions | Apple Inc. peripherals | Macintosh stubs