[Rumours] Touch-sensitive Mighty Mouse, cheaper Mac Minis, and sleeker iMacs and MacBooks

By Mihir Patkar | Updated on 05-Oct-2009

05 Oct 2009 13:50

No better way to start off a new week than be inundated with plenty of Apple rumours, right?

First off, the most interesting one: Apple plans to revamp the Mighty Mouse, giving it a touch-sensitive panel instead of the current scroll wheel. Electronista is reporting that Steve Jobs wants to take the multi-touch craze to the humble computer mouse, after repeated criticism that the Mighty Mouse’s scroll wheel quickly attracts grime and has several tracking issues.

Given Apple’s patented “inertia feedback” used on the iPod and iPhone, where item lists bounce when reaching the top or bottom and scrolling speeds accelerate in response to how the user touches the surface, the next Apple mouse is similarly expected to wed new hardware with sophisticated software to deliver an intuitive new feel in scroll navigation, reports AppleInsider.

The idea of ‘tapping’ instead of ‘clicking’ isn’t one we would prefer with our mouse, but hey, to each his own…

The new mice are also expected to be redesigned to look more in line with the popular aluminium iMacs. An aluminium Mac keyboard and infra-red remote control also seem to be in the offing.

Meanwhile, someone at Apple prematurely leaked a few online ads that suggest the imminent arrival of the new iMacs, Macbooks and Mac Minis, which we previously reported.

A couple of searches on Google Ads threw up the new commercials, one of which suggested that the latest iMac would bear a price tag of 499 euros (Rs. 35,000 approx).

Are cheaper Macs finally here?

Sources: Electronista, AppleInsider (1), AppleInsider (2)