Apple has a chance to fix its worst product next year

By Luke Larsen December 9, 2023

Magic Mouse next to a Mac keyboard on a desk. — kaboompics / Pixabay

Apple updated all of its Mac desktops in 2024, but left the worst part untouched: the accessories. In particular, we’re talking about the infamous Magic Mouse. The mouse has been dunked on for years at this point, often pointed to as an example of the worst of Apple’s design ethos. Despite all the positive changes to Macs over the past few years, the Magic Mouse has remained stagnant.

A new report, however, indicates that the Mac accessories will undergo a major change in early 2024. The Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse will reportedly all be moving to USB-C to match the latest iPhone, after having previously used the Apple-exclusive Lightning connection. This seems like an obvious change that probably should have happened earlier. In fact, it was even rumored to happen in time for the launch of the M3 iMac — but it didn’t.

Recommended Videos

But if Apple changes out the port type and doesn’t fix the Magic Mouse, it will have been a serious wasted opportunity. Why? Well, the biggest design flaw in the Magic Mouse is its port placement. The horrible ergonomics and lack of other buttons isn’t great either, but if there was one thing I could change about the Magic Mouse, it would be the location of the charging port. With it being located on the underside, you can’t charge the mouse while using it, like most wireless mice. This might have been acceptable in 2015 when the Magic Mouse first came out, but in 2023, it’s embarrassingly outdated.

So, if Apple is going to mess with the connection already, it would be a great time to give the Magic Mouse a redesign and at least fix the charging problem.

Systems engineer and hardware hacker, Ivan Kuleshov shared his results making a fix for Apple's Magic Mouse. — Ivan Kuleshov

Apple has redesigned and reengineered nearly every aspect of its Macs over the past few years, including the desktop options such as the iMac or Mac mini. Rumors aside, the idea that they Apple would still sell the Magic Mouse with all its problems feels more and more mind-boggling every year. As seen in the photos above, there have been homemade attempts to hack a better solution together — but we need a proper solution from Apple. If not, it’s going to continue to be a blot in its otherwise excellent Mac lineup.

So, Apple, please. Switching to USB-C is a good idea, but the Magic Mouse needs more than just that.

Topics

Senior Editor, Computing

Luke Larsen is the Senior editor of computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.

Computing

macOS Sequoia fixes a problem that’s bugged me for years

The iPhone Mirroring feature from macOS Sequoia being demonstrated at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024.

Sometimes, people think it’s the big, headline features -- like Apple Intelligence -- that make an operating system great. But there’s one new feature in macOS Sequoia that shows the opposite is true -- that a collection of less glamorous, yet meaningful changes can have a much bigger impact.

I’m talking about Apple’s new iPhone Mirroring feature. Or rather, one particular element of iPhone Mirroring: its new drag-and-drop ability. Even in the few short days it’s been available, it’s managed to improve my daily workflow and fix an issue that’s been bugging me for years.

Computing

The next Apple Vision Pro is tipped to debut the M5 chip next year

an Apple Vision Pro headset plugged in.

A new Vision Pro model will enter mass production during the second half of 2025, according to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and it will be powered by the yet-to-be-announced M5 chip. The headset will also get Apple Intelligence, which, combined with its spatial computing, will be its main selling point.

It's expected that other design, spec, or hardware elements won't change much, which should help keep the price from going up. Instead, Kuo speculates that the price will stay pretty much the same, giving Apple another chance to provide enough value to justify the $3,000 price tag.

Computing

Apple Intelligence: Here’s everything we know so far

Apple Intelligence features.

Apple Intelligence is Apple's take on AI, and it looks to fundamentally change the way we interact with technology, blending advanced machine learning and AI capabilities into everyday devices.
Promising more conversational prose from Siri, automated proofreading and text summarization across apps, and lightning-fast image generation, Apple's AI ecosystem is designed to enhance user experiences and streamline operations across its product lineup. Here's everything you need to know about Apple's transformational new AI.

Apple Intelligence release date and compatibility
Apple Intelligence was originally slated for formal release in September, coinciding with the roll out of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. However, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported, Apple subsequently decided to slightly delay the release of Intelligence. It is currently available to developers as part of the iOS 18.1 beta release on September 19, though it's looking unlikely that Apple Intelligence will be released publicly before the official 18.1 roll out scheduled for October, per Gurman.
https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/1817632719175901531
The company has specified that, at least initially, the AI features will be available on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, as well as iPads and Macs with M1 or newer chips (and presumably the iPhone 16 handsets as well, since they'll all be running iOS 18). What's more, the features are only available at launch when the user language is set to English.
Why the cutoff? Well, Apple has insisted that the processes are too intensive for older hardware, as they utilize the more advanced neural engines, GPUs, and CPUs of these newer chips.
Users who run an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max part of Apple's Developer program gained access to an early version of Intelligence in July with the release of iOS 18.1 beta.