Apple unveils 'magic mouse'

APPLE revolutionised the way people listened to music with the iPod. Now they hope their groundbreaking 'Magic Mouse will have the same impact. The sleek and shiny beast has no buttons or scroll wheel. Instead the whole top shell of the mouse is a sensitive multi-touch surface that lets users navigate using finger gestures. It goes on sale today for 55 but will come for free with the latest Mac computers. A spokesman said: 'Weve reached another milestone by bringing gestures to the desktop with a mouse thats unlike anything ever before. The point and click mouse works in a similar way to the touch screen on the iPhone and iPod touch. The entire surface of the mouse acts like a giant button. Clicking anywhere on the mouse will have the desired effect and right clicking is achieved by tapping the upper right corner. Sweeping a finger vertically over the mouse scrolls up and down documents and webpages, while a horizontal swipe will scroll left and right. The mouse is also able to capture the pace of the scroll and will continue the momentum of the action when the user lets go. A two-fingered swipe lets users browse their music in iTunes or pictures in iPhoto. They can also zoom in on a screen by holding down the control button and scrolling upwards. A laser tracking engine means it can be used on most surfaces without a mousepad. A spokesman added: 'It works wirelessly using Bluetooth, so you dont have to worry about cables or adapters cluttering your workspace. The Magic Mouse can be customised with built-in software, altering the tracking and scrolling speed and changing the right click for left handed use. Users can also switch these features off if they want a simple point and click accessory. The mouse was released today alongside an updated iMac desktop computer line, which have 21.5" and 27" screens. They also have speedier processors and better graphics. Prices start from 949. - Daily Mail

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