How the Apple Magic Mouse charges is the least of its design issues

The Magic Mouse flipped over, ready to be charged.

Another day, another writer is complaining about how you can't use Apple's Magic Mouse while it is charging.

This is the most tired and lazy design criticism on the Internet today. Let's walk through why that is.

The charging port is on the bottom of Magic Mouse, which means the mouse has to be flipped over to be charged. And you can't use an upside-down mouse. 

But is this really a big issue? No.

It's just not a big issue. 

The idea that one of the core design constraints of a wireless mouse should be that a user can use it while tethered to a wire is silly. It's a nice bonus if you can use it while wired, but the entire purpose of wireless mice is that people don't want to use wires.

I find wires get in the way of mousing. I can't stand wired mice. I have never used one of my wireless mice with a wire.

If I wanted to use a wired mouse, I'd use a wired mouse.

But it's also a silly complaint because there is so much that the Magic Mouse does poorly from a design perspective.

Let's look at how the Magic Mouse performs in the five areas of UX (usability, utility, functional integrity, visual design, and persuasiveness). 

The Magic Mouse is the best-looking mouse ever made. It's not close. It's an object of beauty.

From a visual design perspective, Apple nails it. 

I have also found it well made and free of bugs and defects. Its battery lasts a long time (longer than most mice). Occasionally it can be finicky with scrolling and gestures due to its lack of physical buttons and scroll wheels. I'll dock Apple a bit on functional integrity because of this, but overall it's pretty solid in this area.

The Magic Mouse also allows horizontal scrolling and pinch to zoom, both of which can be useful for creatives. The Magic Mouse is much higher than most mice from a utility standpoint.

The Magic Mouse also gets excellent battery life, and it charges quickly. On top of that, Apple warns you if the battery is low. 

The kind of wireless mice I can't stand and that I won't use again are the ones that use replaceable batteries. I wasted so much time in the office looking for replacement batteries when my mouse battery went. These mice also generally can't tell you the charge state of the batteries, so they go out without warning.

Using the Magic Mouse was positively luxurious in comparison. Once a month, I'd charge it overnight, and I'd never have to worry about the battery. If I forgot to do this, I'd charge it for a few minutes while getting coffee and be set for the day. It was easy and simple.

I see many people buying and using them, so it is persuasive enough.

But it all falls apart with usability. And I don't mean the upside-down charging!

The Magic Mouse is an RSI monster. I used to use the Magic Mouse and now can't use it for a few minutes before my wrist starts hurting.

It is incredibly unergonomic. There is a reason that other mice are not nearly this flat. There is a reason that no one is trying to copy the form of the Magic Mouse.

So, while the mouse offers creatives more controls via gestures and horizontal scrolling, it's a hard mouse to use for long periods.

This is a classic example of how a product can be very good at most areas of UX, but if it completely botches one, the whole thing falls apart. I do not recommend the Magic Mouse. Its usability issues sink the entire experience.

I highly recommend vertical mice for people who need to use mice for long periods every day. I use the Logitech MX Vertical. It's my No. 1 mouse pick.

The Logitech MX Vertical next to the Magic Mouse. Notice the huge differences in form.

I also use a Magic Trackpad with my left hand. I find that it gives my right wrist a break, and it also allows me to take advantage of gestures and horizontal scrolling. It's the best of both worlds.

Apple's Magic Trackpad is the opposite of the Magic Mouse. It's a home run in every UX dimension (if you like using trackpads). If you are a creative who uses a lot of MacOS gestures, I'd consider getting a Magic Trackpad, even if you also want to use a mouse.

There are a lot of people who like the Magic Mouse. It's beautiful on your desk, and its gestures and horizontal scrolling are genuinely helpful. But for many people, the form of the mouse is too much to bear.

The Magic Mouse is a profoundly uncomfortable mouse for many people, and even if you don't find it uncomfortable today, it may be putting you on the road to RSI.

Here's the rub: To enable charging while in use, the Magic Mouse needs a redesign, but if you like how the Magic Mouse looks and feels, a redesign to allow charging while in use would change that.

Do I consider the Magic Mouse well designed? No. But no matter what Apple does to its charging, I will not consider it well designed. It needs a new form.