It’s a been a while since we’ve had a good old fashioned look at an Apple patent. Drawn from the USPTO archives this week is a patent for what could be Apple’s next iteration of its Mighty Mouse pointing device. Instead of using a small roller ball, this version would extend the touch-sensitive capabilities of the housing to include scrolling. Rather than just using one finger, as you might with a wheel, you would instead shift your grip on the mouse, for example, you might place all four fingers on top. This would switch the mouse into a panning/scrolling “mode.” The “modal” activation points would be user-configurable to a certain extent as well, it appears.
It’s an interesting design, though I’m not sure about the practicality of it. The reason I never grabbed a Mighty Mouse was that I had trouble switching to the muscle memory of having to lift my forefinger when I wanted to right-click; I’m not sure I’d be able to change my entire grip; then again, maybe it would be better for my hands. I’ve gotten pretty used to my two-finger scrolling trackpad, though, to be honest. But it sounds like Mighty Mouse users who are frustrated with frequently having to clean the roller ball would greet this as a welcome change. But don’t expect this to shut up the constant barrage of “Apple should ship a two-button mouse!”
[via Apple Insider]
