Skip to main content

Apple has a chance to fix its worst product next year

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.

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 This might have been acceptable in 2015 when the Magic Mouse first came out, but in 2023, it’s embarrassingly outdated.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.

Editors' Recommendations

Luke Larsen
Luke Larsen is the Senior editor of computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.
Why Apple’s M3 Ultra could be an absolute monster
Apple Mac Studio top down angled view showing side and rear.

There's one M3 chip left to complete the rollout of Apple's latest line of Mac chips -- the M3 Ultra. It'll likely get announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), but some new rumors are pointing to a very different chip than the M2 Ultra or M1 Ultra.

A new post on X from Apple commentator and YouTuber Vadim Yuryev indicates that the M3 Ultra will be designed as a completely standalone chip, rather than two M3 Max chips stitched together.

Read more
Apple just announced the dates for WWDC 2024
WWDC 2024 banner.

Apple has just announced the dates for its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. WWDC will take place from June 10 through June 14, 2024. A special event will be held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on June 10, and we expect to see the reveal of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2.

WWDC will be free for all developers online. Developers will be able to access a variety of online sessions and labs that will showcase the latest advancements in software across all of Apple’s hardware.

Read more
Apple’s next Pencil may work with the Vision Pro headset
All three versions of the Apple Pencil lined up next to each other.

A couple of news reports posted on Monday suggest that Apple has been testing a new Apple Pencil that can be used with the company's recently released Vision Pro headset. One of them even suggests that the new Vision Pro-compatible Apple Pencil could launch alongside new iPads in the next few weeks, but this is by no means confirmed.

Both MacRumors and GSM Arena cited people with knowledge of the matter, with the former saying that support for the Apple Pencil would “essentially turn your surroundings into the Pencil's canvas.”

Read more