Exploring the Magic Mouse's Wired Functionality: What You Need to Know

The Magic Mouse is a popular wireless mouse designed and sold by Apple Inc. It is known for its sleek and minimalist design, multi-touch capabilities, and seamless integration with Apple devices. However, one limitation of the Magic Mouse is that it relies solely on Bluetooth technology for its connectivity, which can sometimes result in connectivity issues or delays. To address this limitation, Apple introduced the Magic Mouse with wired functionality. This version of the mouse includes a Lightning to USB cable that allows users to connect the mouse directly to their Mac or PC. This wired connection provides a more stable and reliable connection, eliminating any potential connectivity issues that may arise with the wireless version.

The top surface feels smooth to the touch and provides little resistance when swiping a fingertip to activate one of the gestures that the Magic Mouse accepts, although it isn’t quite as whisper-smooth as the delicious matt surface of the Magic Trackpad 2.

Aside from these issues, the problem with the Magic Mouse 2 which is also lovely-looking is that so little has changed in six years; perhaps Force Touch would be asking too much, but a virtually identical design and no new gestures is disappointing. Handily, the Magic Mouse 2 comes with a Lightning cable left that you can obviously press into service when charging iPhones and iPads; less pleasingly, it has to lie on its side to be charged right.

This wired connection provides a more stable and reliable connection, eliminating any potential connectivity issues that may arise with the wireless version. The Magic Mouse with wired functionality offers the same smooth and precise tracking as its wireless counterpart, thanks to its laser tracking engine. It also retains the intuitive multi-touch capabilities, allowing users to swipe, scroll, and navigate with ease.

Magic Mouse 2 review

The Magic Mouse 2 looks lovely, but doesn't offer much in the way of new features. Our Magic Mouse 2 review tests its features, design and build quality, and helps you decide if it's the right Mac mouse for you

Expert's Rating

Pros

• Still looks lovely
• Improved glide action on the desk
• Don’t have to keep changing batteries any more

Cons

• Costly
• No new gestures
• Physical design is the same and many will find it too flat for comfort

Our Verdict

The Magic Mouse was always an acquired taste. It looks quite lovely and offers some neat, fun gestures, but you can’t help feeling that, as with most of Apple’s mice over the years, minimalism has been achieved at the expense of usability. It’s too flat – and sleekly symmetrical – to fit comfortably in most hands (which further impacts the effectiveness of the more advanced gestures, which are harder to activate when you haven’t got a confident grip of the mouse), you only get two mouse buttons, and it’s all too easy to grab it the wrong way round when you’re not looking. Aside from these issues, the problem with the Magic Mouse 2 – which is also lovely-looking – is that so little has changed in six years; perhaps Force Touch would be asking too much, but a virtually identical design and no new gestures is disappointing. You do get a noticeably smoother action on the table, mind you, and a rechargeable battery is an admirable step forward, even if the placement of the charging port is irritating – not disastrous, thanks to the quick-charging feature, but definitely irritating. We’re going to give this a rating of 3/5, but you should know that it spent much of this article flirting with a 2. Your reviewer finds the physical shape of both Magic Mouse 1 and 2 frustrating, but peripheral design is a personal matter: we recognise that plenty of other Apple fans enjoy these mice and use them all the time. If that describes you, then the Magic Mouse 2 represents an overly cautious but still solid update, with a disappointing lack of new features but an improved action and the removal of the Magic Mouse 1’s greatest weakness – batteries that constantly needed changing. For those of us who like a bit of bulk to our mice, the Magic Mouse is no more appealing than its predecessor.

Best Prices Today: Apple Magic Mouse 2

The Magic Mouse 2, Apple’s follow-up to 2009’s original wireless Magic Mouse, was launched earlier this month alongside new iMacs and a two other ‘Magic’ branded peripherals: the Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Keyboard. Our Magic Mouse 2 review tests its features, design and build quality, and helps you decide if it’s right for you.

Using the wired functionality of the Magic Mouse is incredibly simple. All users need to do is connect the Lightning cable to the mouse and their computer's USB port, and they are ready to go. Additionally, while connected via the cable, the Magic Mouse charges its built-in rechargeable battery, ensuring that users have a fully charged mouse at all times. In summary, the Magic Mouse with wired functionality provides a solution to the potential connectivity issues experienced with the wireless version. With its sleek design, multi-touch capabilities, and stable wired connection, it offers a seamless and reliable user experience for Mac and PC users alike..

Reviews for "Why Wired Functionality is the Next Big Thing for Magic Mouse Users"

- John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with the Magic Mouse with wired functionality. First of all, the wired functionality is very limited. I expected to be able to use it while charging, but that's not possible. Secondly, the mouse is uncomfortable to use for extended periods of time. The design is sleek, but it doesn't offer enough support for my hand. Overall, I regret buying this mouse and would not recommend it.

- Sarah - 1 star - The Magic Mouse with wired functionality is a complete waste of money in my opinion. The wired feature is useless because you can't even use the mouse while it's charging. That defeats the purpose of having a wired mouse. Additionally, I found the scrolling mechanism to be very sensitive and imprecise. It constantly made scrolling mistakes, causing frustration. I will definitely be returning this mouse and looking for a better alternative.

- Emma - 2 stars - I had high hopes for the Magic Mouse with wired functionality, but it fell short of my expectations. The wired feature is convenient for those times when the battery dies, but it's disappointing that you can't use the mouse while it's charging. Another issue I had was with the touch-sensitive surface. It often registered unintended gestures, making it difficult to navigate accurately. Overall, I found this mouse to be more frustrating than functional.

- Michael - 2 stars - The Magic Mouse with wired functionality didn't live up to the hype for me. While the wired feature is nice for those times when you forget to charge the battery, it has some limitations. You can't use the mouse while it's charging, which makes it less versatile than I had hoped. Additionally, I found the mouse to be too small for my hand and uncomfortable to use for extended periods of time. I had high expectations for this mouse, but unfortunately, it just didn't meet them.

The Benefits of Using a Magic Mouse with a Wired Connection