Apple Single Button Mouse

Apple's answer was to remove all the buttons and make a one-button mouse where you click down on the entire mouse body. It sure made the mouse look good, but in practice, it was a step back in. Apple Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2. Redesigned to be fully rechargeable and even more of a joy to use. The mighty mouse is EXACTLY the same size and shape of the standard Apple mouse. It defaults to single-button mode. In fact it is STILL a one-button mouse in actuality since there is only one click motion. The left-click, right-click function is accomplished by touch sensors that know which side of the mouse your finger is on.

Primary Documents

Tom Whitney, Hovey/KelleyWork on Mouse. Memo from Tom White to Jerry Manock and TomHong, 14 May 1980, regarding Hovey-Kelley's continued involvementin the design of the Lisa mouse, and their interest in possiblymanufacturing the mouse.

Bill Dresselhaus, LisaMouse Package Design. Memo from Bill Dresselhaus to Lisa mousedesigners, 30 May 1980, outlining the division of labor and responsibilityfor the package design of the Lisa mouse.

Dean Hovey, Hovey-Kelleyand the Mouse. Memo from Dean Hovey to Tom Whitney, 4 June1980. 'This memo's intent is to establish H/K's perception,to this date, of its involvement with Apple's Mouse developmentprogram.' Explains how Hovey-Kelley became involved in themouse project; why they decided to work on the project; and whatthey hope to get out of it.

Dean Hovey, Hovey-KelleyMouse Billing. Memo from Dean Hovey to Bill Lapson, 4 August1980, outlining the phases of Hovey-Kelley's work on the mouse,and progress toward completion.

Rickson Sun, Testingthe Mouse. Memo from Rickson Sun to Bill Lapson, 16 October1980, describing Hovey-Kelley's tests of the mouse.

Jim Yurchenco, ChoosingMolding Vendor. Letter from Jim Yurchenco to Bill Lapson,5 December 1980, recommending 'Micro Molding for producingthe mouse ribcage and detector block tooling .' The toolswould be used to manufacture the mice, so it was critical to workwith a company that could do precise work.

Dave Evans, Mouse Cable andConnector. Memo dated c. 20 January 1981, explaining the stateof work on the connector cable for the Apple mouse.

Dave Evans, Mouse Report,December 1980. Mouse Project Team Report for December 1980and January 1981, dated 2 February 1981.

Mouse to macbook pro. Dave Evans, Mouse Connector.Memo dated 6 March 1981, describing recent agreements regardingthe mouse connector.

Dave Evans, P3 Mouse Deliveries.Memo dated 17 March 1981, announcing the delivery of P3 mice.Includes a distribution list, and announcement of a meeting betweenApple developers and mouse designers.

Dave Evans, Completion of50 P3 Mice. Memo dated 23 March 1981, announcing the shipmentof 50 P3 mice. Includes acknowledgement of the work of variousmembers of the mouse development team at Apple and Hovey-Kelley.

Bill Lapson, Mouse Parts.Memo dated 10 April 1981, regarding 'materials, colors, andtextures for the case and keybutton, logo, and centering of thekeybutton. '

Bill Lapson, Apple MouseDroppings. Memo by Bill Lapson, dated 4 August 1981, summarizingthe state of work on the mouse. Includes a list of people involvedin the project, and their responsibilities.

Dave Evans, Mouse OEM Vendors(Whetstone). Memo dated 4 March 1982, describing presentationof a mouse designed by Whestone to Apple personnel.

Bill Lapson, Lore of the Mouse.Retrospective essay written 8 July 1982, and distributed to membersof the mouse development group. 'The Mouse project has maturedto the point where many others will be involved in its evolution.This collection of facts should ensure that some of the importantlore about the Mouse is neither lost or distorted as time goeson.'

Interviews

Release 1.0 includes interviews with Apple mouse designersDean Hovey, Jim Sachs, Jim Yurchenco, and Rickson Sun, and JefRaskin. Additional interviews with Larry Tesler have been conducted,but are not yet ready for publications; others are in development.

Dean Hovey, Interviewwith Dean Hovey. Interview with Dean Hovey, 22 June 2000 .Hovey was one of the co-founders of Hovey-Kelley Design, the firmthat did much of the design work on the Lisa and Macintosh mice.In the interview Hovey discusses his contributions to the mouseproject, the earlier work of mouse designers at Xerox PARC, workingwith Apple, and the influence of the Stanford Design Program.

• Dean Hovey, Dean Hovey on the Mouse Project's Beginnings. Dean Hovey discusses the beginnings of the mouse project. He describes the initial meeting with Steve Jobs in which Jobs offered Hovey-Kelley the chance to work on the mouse, and his own work creating a rapid prototype out of household objects. From an interview with Dean Hovey, 22 June 2000 .
• Dean Hovey, Dean Hovey on Mouse Innovations. Dean Hovey discusses the 'a-ha' moments behind Hovey-Kelley's key innovations in mouse design. He also explains what problems Hovey-Kelley saw in the Xerox mouse, and how they corrected them. From an interview with Dean Hovey, 22 June 2000 .
• Dean Hovey, Dean Hovey on Mouse Team Members. Dean Hovey discusses the group that worked on the Apple mouse. From an interview with Dean Hovey, 22 June 2000 .
• Dean Hovey, Dean Hovey on the Stanford Design Program. Dean Hovey discusses the influence of the Stanford Design Program on the mouse project. He describes the program's pedagogical aims, and how the mouse had 'balance of mechanical design, ergonomic design, software design, and electronic design ' made it 'a perfect scaled project for a Stanford product designer .' From an interview with Dean Hovey, 22 June 2000 .
• Dean Hovey, Dean Hovey on Apple as a Client. Dean Hovey discusses working with Apple in its early years. From an interview with Dean Hovey, 22 June 2000 .
• Dean Hovey, Dean Hovey on the Xerox PARC Visit. Dean Hovey discusses the impact of visiting Xerox PARC on his work on the mouse. From an interview with Dean Hovey, 22 June 2000 .
• Dean Hovey, Dean Hovey on Macintosh Prototype, Mouse Buttons, and Corporate Politics. Dean Hovey discusses working on a prototype of the Macintosh for Jerry Manock; the decision to go with a one-button mouse; and the politics of working with both the Lisa and Macintosh groups. From an interview with Dean Hovey, 22 June 2000 .
• Dean Hovey, Complete transcript of interview with Dean Hovey. Complete transcript an interview with Dean Hovey, 22 June 2000, presented on a single page, rather than broken into several different pages. The content of this document is the same as found in the smaller pages.

David Kelley, Interviewwith David Kelley. Interview with David Kelley, 24 July 2000.Kelley was co-founder of Hovey-Kelley Design, and has overseenits growth since 1978. In this interview, he talks about his workas an engineer and product designer; relationship with Stanford;founding Hovey-Kelley; work on the Apple mouse; and the impactof the mouse project on Hovey-Kelley.

• Becoming a Product Designer. David Kelley talks about his early work as an engineer; his student days in the Stanford Product Design Program; and their effect on his career.
• Industrial Design vs. Product Design. David Kelley talks about the field of product design; how it differs from industrial design; and the market for designers in Silicon Valley around 1980.
• Founding Hovey-Kelley. David Kelley talks about founding Hovey-Kelley Design with Dean Hovey.
• The Apple mouse. David Kelley talks about his work on the Apple mouse, and Hovey-Kelley's relationship with Apple. He explains how Hovey-Kelley was introducted to Apple (through Jerry Manock); the ergonomics of mouse design; the debate over how many buttons the mouse should have; and Steve Jobs' involvement in the design process.
• The Stanford Program and the Mouse. David Kelley talks about his training at Stanford influenced the design of the Apple mouse. He talks in particular about how the program encourages students to develop an approach to problems that combines fluency and flexibility, and gives high priority to human needs and values.
• The Mouse and IDEO. David Kelley talks about how working on the mouse project influenced Hovey-Kelley.

Jef Raskin, JefRaskin on the One-Button Mouse. Jef Raskin describes his researchon mouse design, and his advocacy of a one-button mouse, ratherthan a two- or three-button mouse (like the ones used in DouglasEngelbart's Augmentation Research Center, and Xerox PARC). Transcribedfrom an interview with Jef Raskin, 13 April 2000.

Jef Raskin, JefRaskin on the Mac Graphical User Interface. Jef Raskin discussesthe Macintosh's graphical user interface, and the importance ofgraphics in the machine more generally. He also briefly discusseshis views on input devices, and preference for trackballs andtablets. Transcribed from an interview with Jef Raskin, 13 April2000.

Jim Sachs, Interviewwith Jim Sachs. Interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000. Sachswas one of the founding members of Hovey-Kelley, the firm thatdesigned the Apple mouse. In this interview, Sachs discusses hisbackground and education; the influence of the Stanford DesignProgram on the development of the mouse; the various engineeringchallenges the group faced in 'moving the mouse from thelaboratory to the living room;' ergonomics and user testing;and the 'Zen' of product design.

• Jim Sachs, Jim Sachs on his Background and Education. Jim Sachs describes his early exposure to computers in Hanover, New Hampshire, his engineering studies at the University of Michigan, and his time at Stanford University Transcribed from an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000.
• Jim Sachs, Jim Sachs on Apple Computer and the Mouse Project. Jim Sachs describes Hovey-Kelley's relationship with Apple Computer, their first exposure to the computer mouse, and visit to Xerox PARC to see the mouse, Ethernet, and laser printer. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000.
• Jim Sachs, Jim Sachs on Hovey-Kelley c. 1980. Jim Sachs describes some of the other clients and projects Hovey-Kelley had in 1980. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000.
• Jim Sachs, Jim Sachs on Engelbart's Mouse and Jobs' Vision. Jim Sachs discusses the contributions of Douglas Engelbart and Steve Jobs to the mouse, and how his and Hovey-Kelley's contribution compares to Engelbart's. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000.
• Jim Sachs, Jim Sachs on the Mechanical Design of the Apple Mouse. Jim Sachs explains how Hovey-Kelley created the mechanical design for the Apple mouse. He describes the problems they found with the Xerox PARC mouse; the key concepts behind their design; and explains who on the team made what contributions. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000.
• Jim Sachs, Jim Sachs on Mouse Ergonomics. Jim Sachs recalls the debate over the shape of the mouse, how it would be held and used, and how Hovey-Kelley developed various prototypes that were tested on users. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000.
• Jim Sachs, Jim Sachs on Using a Steel v. Rubber Ball. Jim Sachs recalls one of the changes in the mouse design that came after user testing: the replacement of a steel ball with a rubber one. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000.
• Jim Sachs, Jim Sachs on the Stanford Design Program. Jim Sachs describes the influence of the Stanford Design Program on Hovey-Kelley's approach, and their work on the mouse. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000.
• Jim Sachs, Jim Sachs on Moving the Mouse into Production. Jim Sachs explains what problems emerged in the move to production, and what changes to the mouse's design were inspired by feedback from large numbers of users. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000.
• Jim Sachs, Jim Sachs on the Zen of the Product. Jim Sachs describes the intangible features of a product-- the sound a button should make, the feel of a shape-- that are impossible to communicate through technical documentation and specs, and which have to be communicated from person to person. Most difficult to capture is a sense of the 'Zen' of a product. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000.
• Jim Sachs, Complete transcript of interview with Jim Sachs. Complete transcript an interview with Jim Sachs, 29 March 2000, presented on a single page, rather than broken into several different pages. The content of this document is the same as found in the smaller pages.

Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Interviewwith Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun. Interview with Jim Yurchencoand Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000. Yurchenco and Sun worked on theApple mouse project with Jim Sachs, Douglas Dayton, Dean Hovey,and David Kell. Sun contributed to the electrical design, whileYurchenco was responsible for the design of the interior structurethat held the ball, optical sensors, and electronics-- what latercame to be called the 'ribcage.' This interview coverstheir training at Stanford; work on the mouse; relations and otherwork with Apple Computer and Steve Jobs; the challenges of workingwith startups and other clients; and other subjects.

• Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Yurchenco and Sun on Apple as a Client. Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun describe Hovey-Kelley's work with Apple. Topics covered include how Apple compared to other startups; the common culture shared by Hovey-Kelley and Apple's designers; Steve Jobs' role in the mouse project; and the visit to Xerox PARC to see the Star and Xerox mouse. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000.
• Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Yurchenco and Sun on Predecessors to the Apple mouse. Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun explain why earlier mouse designs by Douglas Engelbart and Xerox PARC were important for research purposes, but ultimately not viable for mass production. They also explain who at Hovey-Kelley worked on the mouse project, and its first steps. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000.
• Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Yurchenco and Sun on the Stanford Design Program. Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun talk about their training at Stanford, in the Industrial Design program. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000.
• Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Yurchenco and Sun on Hovey-Kelley ca. 1980. Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun talk about the early days at Hovey-Kelley. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000.
• Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Yurchenco and Sun on Working with Clients. Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun discuss working with Apple in the early 1980s, and designer-client relations more generally. They explain the virtues and shortcomings of describing designs versus working with rapid prototypes, and the complexity of the mouse project compared to others. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000.
• Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Yurchenco and Sun on Injection Molding and Precision. Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun discuss the choice of injection molding for manufacturing the ribcage, and the levels of precision demanded by the mouse's specifications and mechanical design. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000.
• Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Yurchenco and Sun on Steel vs. Covered Balls. Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun discuss the decision to coat the ball of the mouse with rubber. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000.
• Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Yurchenco and Sun on Roller Design. Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun discuss the work involved in designing the rollers for the mouse; the degree of precision built into their original design; and modern designs. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000.
• Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Yurchenco and Sun on the One-Button Mouse. Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun talk about why the Apple mouse only has one button. Transcribed from an interview with Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000.
• Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, Complete transcript of interview with Yurchenco and Sun. Complete transcript an interview with Jim Yurchenco and Rickson Sun, 26 April 2000, presented on a single page, rather than broken into several different pages. The content of this document is the same as found in the smaller pages.

Images

Release 1.0 includes 70 images relating to the developmentof the Apple mouse. For the sake of convenience, these are dividedhere into four categories: drawings, photographsor slides, handwritten notes, and advertisements.

Drawings

Douglas Dayton, Drawingof Lisa mouse. Drawing of Lisa mouse by Douglas Dayton, drawnapproximately August 1980 (dating in e-mail from Dayton to AlexPang, 5 May 2000). The drawing shows the mouse from the top andthe side. This version of the mouse features a ball much largerthan the final version, and a button design based on the Appleshiftkey on the Lisa keyboard.

Douglas Dayton, Feedbackon mouse design. Handwritten notes with feedback on Lisa mouseprototypes, dated 6 August 1980. Several versions of the mousewere shown to beta testers, and their impressions were recordedon several pages of notes. The drawings of different mice indicatethat these tests focused on different shapes, textures, and buttonpositioning; all the drawings are of two-button mice. The upperleft-hand has a date of 6 Aug 80, and two sets of initials: DCD(Douglas Dayton) and KSC (Ken Campbell). (Identified in e-mailfrom Dayton to Alex Pang, 15 May 2000.)

Douglas Dayton, Sketchesof mice. Back page of handwritten notes, dated 6 August 1980,by Douglas Dayton recording feedback on Lisa mouse prototypeswith several rough sketches of mice. These show designs in whichthree fingers would rest on separate parts of the mouse, withbuttons under the middle and ring fingers. (Identified in e-mailfrom Dayton to Alex Pang, 15 May 2000.)

Douglas Dayton, Sketchof mouse and mouse buttons. Sketches of Lisa mouse designby Douglas Dayton, drawn approximately August 1980 (dating ine-mail from Dayton to Alex Pang, 5 May 2000). There are sevendrawings, featuring mice with different shapes, bevels, and edges;there are also two button designs, one solid and flat, the otherwith a raised corner. The latter resembles the Appleshift keyon the Lisa keyboard.

Douglas Dayton, Sketchof mouse and mouse buttons. Sketches of Lisa mouse designby Douglas Dayton, drawn approximately August 1980 (dating ine-mail from Dayton to Alex Pang, 5 May 2000). There are four drawings;three of mice with flat or two-level button designs, and a fourthdrawing of a two-level button (similar to the Appleshift key onthe Lisa keyboard).

Douglas Dayton, Sketchof mouse and mouse buttons. Sketches of Lisa mouse designby Douglas Dayton, drawn approximately August 1980 (dating ine-mail from Dayton to Alex Pang, 5 May 2000). There are ten drawings;in most of them are Dayton is experimenting with different mousebody shapes. In three drawings, Dayton is also experimenting withthe placement of the button (or buttons), and angle at which theusers hand rests.

Douglas Dayton, Explodeddiagram of the Apple mouse. Exploded diagram of the mouse,color drawing by Douglas Dayton. (undated)

Douglas Dayton, Explodeddiagram of the Apple mouse with titles. Exploded diagram ofthe mouse, a black-and-white copy of the color drawing by DouglasDayton with parts titled. (undated)

Douglas Dayton, Handand mouse. Hand with mouse. The underside of the mouse isvisible, and the locking ring and ball have been removed. Thedrawing shows how easy the mouse would be to clean. Color drawingby Douglas Dayton. (undated)

Douglas Dayton, Mouseencoder and ball container. View of the mouse encoders housing,shafts, poron rollers, and detector mount. Color drawing by DouglasDayton. (undated)

Douglas Dayton, Ribcagedrawing. Undated sketch by Douglas Dayton of the mouse 'ribcage.'This is a simplified drawing showing the rollers and optical encodersthat were used to record the motion of the mouse's ball.

Douglas Dayton, Ribcagedrawing. Undated sketch by Douglas Dayton of the mouse 'ribcage.'This drawing shows how the ribcage holds the rollers and opticalencoders.

Unknown, Sketch of mice.Four drawings of mice casings, dated 30 May 1980. The larger twodrawings are of a three-button mouse, with a negative angle (pointingthe users hand downward) and ball moved the the top of the mouse,under the users fingers.

Unknown, Patent figure2. Drawing of 'a perspective of the present inventionillustrating the cursor control device as it appears without thehousing cover.' Used as an illustration in the two patentapplications (4,464,652, dated 7 August 1984; and RE32,633, dated29 March 1988) Apple filed covering work on the mouse.

Unknown, Patent figure3. Drawing of 'a perspective view of the unitary frameof the present invention coupled to the printed circuit boardbase, illustrating the placement of photo-detectors and the couplingconnector.' Used as an illustration in the two patent applications(4,464,652, dated 7 August 1984; and RE32,633, dated 29 March1988) Apple filed covering work on the mouse.

Unknown, Patent figure4. Drawing of 'a further perspective view of the unitaryframe and circuit board of FIG. 3 illustrating the position ofa roller shaft and encoder wheel.' Used as an illustrationin the two patent applications (4,464,652, dated 7 August 1984;and RE32,633, dated 29 March 1988) Apple filed covering work onthe mouse.

Unknown, Patent figure5. Drawing of 'a perspective of the present inventionillustrating the cursor control device as it appears without thehousing cover.' Used as an illustration in the two patentapplications (4,464,652, dated 7 August 1984; and RE32,633, dated29 March 1988) Apple filed covering work on the mouse.

Unknown, Patent figures8-9. Two drawings used as illustration in the two patent applications(4,464,652, dated 7 August 1984; and RE32,633, dated 29 March1988) Apple filed covering work on the mouse. Figure 8 shows 'aperspective view of the coupling of the unitary frame cage andprinted circuit board combination to the housing base of the presentinvention;' Figure 9 is 'a perspective view illustratingthe placement of the control switch within the housing base.'

Unknown, Patent figure10. Drawing of a 'perspective view of the final assemblyof the present invention illustrating the coupling of the coverand base portions of the housing.' Used as an illustrationin the two patent applications (4,464,652, dated 7 August 1984;and RE32,633, dated 29 March 1988) Apple filed covering work onthe mouse.

Unknown, Patent figure12. Drawing of 'a diagrammatical illustration of thealignment of the photo-emitters in relation to each encoder disc.'Used as an illustration in the two patent applications (4,464,652,dated 7 August 1984; and RE32,633, dated 29 March 1988) Applefiled covering work on the mouse.

Photographs or Slides

Douglas Dayton, Fieldof Apple mouse prototypes. Photograph of 27 prototype mousecovers, showing different ergonomic approaches, shapes, and arrangementsof buttons. (undated, c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Mouseprototypes. Photograph of 27 prototype mouse covers, showingdifferent ergonomic approaches, shapes, and arrangements of buttons.The prototypes include a mix of one- and two-button designs, aswell as a few with no buttons at all (included to test the shapeof the mouse body). (undated, c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Mouseprototypes close up. Closeup of mice shown in dayton6.jpg,showing a number of mice carved from wood. (undated, c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Threeone-button mice prototypes. Three one-button mice prototypes,with the buttons in different positions. (undated, c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Race-carview of early Hovey-Kelley prototype. Profile view of thefirst Hovey-Kelley mouse prototype, demonstrating the essentialfeatures of the mechanical and electrical design, but withoutbuttons. (undated, c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Topview of early Hovey-Kelley prototype. Top view of the firstHovey-Kelley mouse prototype, demonstrating the essential featuresof the mechanical and electrical design, but without buttons.(Similar to image hoveys11.jpg) (undated, c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Closeupof early Hovey-Kelley prototype. Closeup of the front of anHovey-Kelley mouse prototype, demonstrating the essential featuresof the mechanical and electrical design, but without buttons.(undated, c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Lisamouse cover, side view. Lisa mouse cover, side view. (undated,c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Lisamouse cover, top view. Lisa mouse cover, top view. (undated,c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Moldfor Lisa mouse cover. Mold for Lisa mouse cover. (undated,c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Moldfor two-button 'golf ball' prototype mouse. Moldfor two-button 'golf ball' prototype mouse. This mousehad a number of dimples on the area where the user's hand rested.(undated, c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Moldfor Lisa mouse cover, top view. Mold for Lisa mouse cover,top view. (undated, c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Moldfor Lisa mouse cover, closeup. Mold for Lisa mouse cover,closeup. (undated, c. 1980)

Douglas Dayton, Lisaand 'golf ball' molds. Lisa and 'golf ball'molds. (undated, c. 1980)

Dean Hovey, Xerox PARCmouse (top view). Top view of Xerox PARC mouse. Slide takenby Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Interior ofXerox PARC mouse. View of Xerox PARC mouse with top coverremoved. Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development,c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Undersideof Xerox PARC mouse. Underside of Xerox PARC mouse. Slidetaken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Interior ofXerox PARC mouse. View of Xerox PARC mouse with top coverand ball removed. Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Apple mousedevelopment, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Underside,buttons, and cover of Xerox PARC mouse. Disassembled XeroxPARC mouse, showing its underside, buttons, and cover. Note thatthe mouse has two ball bearings at the top; the ball from whichposition readings were taken also functioned as a ball bearing.Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Xerox PARCmouse (top view). Top view of Xerox PARC mouse. Slide takenby Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Dean Hovey'sbutter dish prototype. The first quick mouse prototype madeby Dean Hovey, the weekend after talking with Steve Jobs aboutHovey-Kelley designing the Apple mouse. The prototype is madefrom a plastic butter dish and roll-on ball from a bottle of deodorant.Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Three one-buttonmouse mechanical prototype. Three one-button mechanical prototype,demonstrating the major mechanical concepts in the Apple mouse.The small plaque on the mouse reads 'H-K 09.' Slidetaken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Three-buttonmouse prototype with clear cover. Three-button prototype withclear cover. Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development,c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Worktablewith parts for three-button mouse prototype with clear cover.Worktable with parts for three-button mouse prototype with clearcover. Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development,c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Top viewof parts for three-button mouse prototype with clear cover.Top view of parts for three-button mouse prototype with clearcover. Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development,c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Optical encodersand circuit board for mouse prototype. Optical encoders andprinted circuit board for mouse prototype. The letters on theupper left spell out 'HK rev 0.2.' Slide taken by DeanHovey during Apple mouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Top viewof clear mouse prototype without buttons or cord. Top viewof clear mouse prototype, showing the ribcage, ball and opticalencoders. Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development,c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Side viewof clear mouse prototype without buttons, with top cover removed.Side view of clear mouse prototype without buttons, with top coverremoved to reveal the ribcage, ball, and optical encoders. Slidetaken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Top viewof clear mouse prototype without buttons, with cord attached.Top view of clear mouse prototype without buttons, with cord attached.Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Shelf ofmice prototypes. Shelf of mice prototypes. Slide taken byDean Hovey during Apple mouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Bottom ofclear mouse prototype. Bottom of clear mouse prototype, showingspace for retainer ring. Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Applemouse development, c. 1980.

Dean Hovey, Top viewof early Hovey-Kelley prototype without buttons. Top viewof early Hovey-Kelley prototype without buttons. (Similar to imagedayton10.jpg) Slide taken by Dean Hovey during Apple mouse development,c. 1980.'

Handwritten notes

Bill Dresselhaus (?), Noteof meeting re: mouse design, 15 August 1980. 1-page handwrittennote of meeting re: mouse design, 15 August 1980. The note includesmention of ideas about mouse aesthetics, with a focus on the shapeof the casing, its form, and the button. At this point, the ideaof having the button emulate either the logo nameplate mount ordisk slot detail in the Lisa is being discussed. The name BillDresselhaus is on the upper right.

Bill Dresselhaus (?), Notesre: Mouse Appearance. Notes from a meeting re: Mouse appearance.The name Bill Dresselhaus appears on the upper right, as wellas a date. The notes discuss several element s of the mouse, includingthe pop cover, button, button/hole gap, and bottom.This page wasstapled to an undated agenda for a meeting about the design ofthe mouse.

Chris Espinosa, ChrisEspinosa Macintosh brainstorms, p. 1. First of two pages ofhandwritten notes by Chris Espinosa's handwritten notes on 'People'sComputer: Software.' The page's heading reads 'Mostimportant functions: Entry, Retrieval, Manipulation of Data.'He recalls (in e-mail to Alex Pang, 21 June 2000) that 'Ibelieve I wrote that, probably in the summer or fall of 1981,early in the development of the Macintosh. Not for anything official,but as part of the overall blue-sky thinking that we were beingencouraged to do about what the Mac could be.' (undated)

Chris Espinosa, ChrisEspinosa Macintosh brainstorms, p. 2. Second of two pagesof handwritten notes by Chris Espinosa's handwritten notes on'People's Computer: Software.' The page's categoriesinclude 'Application: Personal Computing, Information Retrieval,Education, Real World.' He recalls (in e-mail to Alex Pang,21 June 2000) that 'I believe I wrote that, probably in thesummer or fall of 1981, early in the development of the Macintosh.Not for anything official, but as part of the overall blue-skythinking that we were being encouraged to do about what the Maccould be.' (undated)

Dean Hovey, Hovey-Kelleymouse brainstorming session, p. 1. Paper (original is 14 x17 inches) from early Hovey-Kelley mouse brainstorming session.The undated page records ideas tossed out during an early mousedesign session. It indicates that the group also thought aboutother input devices, like light pens.This page was folded withbrain1-2.jpg, suggesting they were from the same session. (undated)

Dean Hovey, Hovey-Kelleymouse brainstorming session, p. 2. Paper (original is 14 x17 inches) from the early Hovey-Kelley mouse brainstorming session.The undated page records ideas tossed out during an early mousedesign session. This page includes ideas about how to read themotion off the mouse ball. This page was folded with brain1-1.jpg,suggesting they were from the same session. (undated)

Dean Hovey, Hovey-Kelleymouse brainstorming session, p. 3. Paper (original is 14 x17 inches) from early Hovey-Kelley mouse brainstorming session.The undated page records ideas tossed out during an early mousedesign session, and includes notes on 'problems with themouse.' This page was folded with brain2-2.jpg and brain2-3.jpg,suggesting they were from the same session. (undated)

Dean Hovey, Hovey-Kelleymouse brainstorming session, p. 4. Paper (original is 14 x17 inches) from early Hovey-Kelley mouse brainstorming session.The undated page records ideas tossed out during an early mousedesign session. It indicates that the group also thought aboutother input devices, like trackballs. This page was folded withbrain2-1.jpg and brain2-3.jpg, suggesting they were from the samesession. (undated)

Dean Hovey, Hovey-Kelleymouse brainstorming session, p. 5. Paper (original is 14 x17 inches) from early Hovey-Kelley mouse brainstorming session.The undated page records ideas tossed out during an early mousedesign session. This page includes a drawing of a ball with opticalencoders, and a cross-section of a ball being held at its equator--two critical ideas that guided Hovey-Kelley's subsequent work.This page was folded with brain2-1.jpg and brain2-2.jpg, suggestingthey were from the same session. (undated)

Unknown, Sketch and notesre: mouse and mouse buttons. Undated drawing and note re:mouse and mouse buttons. The text reads:1. Try wedge shape onside a la keyboard.2. Try mimic of keyboard Appleshift key.3.Try match keyboard angle -13 degrees.4. Try 3 degree rake on backto match keyboard.5. Try 1.0 and 1.5 plateau height.

Unknown, Feedback on mousedesign. Handwritten notes with feedback on Lisa mouse prototypes,dated 6 August 1980. It appears that several versions of the mousewere shown to beta testers, and their impressions recorded onnotes like these. In this case, a user found the square designstoo boxy, small ones feel like not enough, likes the texture bars--enhances control, buttons far apart helps-- feels would promotefewer errors, likes softer material. They are also testing one-buttonversus two-button designs, and a one-button design with a buttonon the side rather than top of the mouse (which users would clickwith their thumb).

Unknown, Agenda of MouseMeeting, n.d. Handwritten agenda for a Mouse meeting, undated.Topics of discussion include:1. Review of drawing status 2. Additionaldrawings or specs 3. Eliminating pots 4. Assembly and test sequence5. Repair 6. Detector and LED interchangeability. At the bottomof the page is a list of participants: Dean Hovey, Jim Sachs,Jim Yurchenco, Bill Lapson, Bill Bull, Ken Lim, Dave Jones.

Unknown, Notes re: noiseissue. Handwritten notes re: noise issue. The version of themouse being tested at this point apparently was rather noisy,and these notes discuss the pros and cons of covering it in felt,using a felt or polypropylene felt pad, and Jim Sachs view thatthe ball was responsible for most of the noise. This last pointsuggests that this mouse model used an uncoated, stainless steelball.

Unknown, Lisa mouseproject schedule. Handwritten copy of Lisa mouse project schedule,attached to the 'Mouse Project Team Report December 1980and January 1981.'

Unknown, Mouse productionand development schedule. Handwritten copy of mouse productionand development schedule, attached to the 'Mouse ProjectTeam Report December 1980 and January 1981.' It shows varioustasks, dependencies, and deadlines.

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Unknown, 'At lastthe mouse is here en masse!' (advertisement). Advertisementfor the Hawley X063X mouse, manufactured by Jack S. Hawley's MouseHouse. (undated)

Unknown, 'The HawleyX063Mouse is here!' (advertisement). Advertisement forthe Hawley X063X mouse, manufactured by Jack S. Hawley's MouseHouse, 'purveyor of fine digital mice to an exclusive clientelesince 1975.' (undated)

Unknown, Mouse Houselogo. Logo for Jack S. Hawley's Mouse House.

Matt Cone March 6, 2007 TutorialsMacHardware

For as long as anybody can remember, the Mac mouse has had one button and the PC mouse has had two. Why? Apple presumably felt that a one-button mouse was simpler and more efficient, and nearly every other hardware manufacturer thought that more functionality could be crammed into additional mouse buttons.

Battle of the buttons? A standard two-button mouse and the Apple ADB Mouse II.

That is, until Apple released the Magic Mouse - a mouse with four programmable buttons. This was a major milestone for Apple and Mac users everywhere, but truth be told, the Mac OS supported right-clicking for years before that - even back in the days of Mac OS 9! If you have a Mac, you need to know how to right-click whether you have a two-button mouse or not. We'll show you how.

Apple Mouse Wireless

What Can Right-Clicking Do For Me?

If you have a Mac, and you haven't been right-clicking, you've been missing out on a lot of cool functionality. There are loads of options in the 'contextual menus' - menus that appear when you right-click - that you just can't find anywhere else. Here are some examples:

• When you're typing an email message in Apple's Mail application and you misspell a word, Mail underlines it in red to indicate that it thinks it's misspelled. But how do you correct it? When you right-click on the misspelled word, Mail provides correct spelling suggestions. Simply select one of the correct spellings to substitute.

• If you've found a file on the Internet that you want to save to your Mac, you can right-click on the link to save it.

• There are lots of shortcuts hidden in the Desktop contextual menu. For example, if you'd like to change your desktop, all you have to do is right-click on the Desktop and select Change Desktop Background.

How to Do It

The easiest way to right-click is to hold down the ctrl key before you click your mouse button. This works on any Mac!

But holding down the ctrl key gets old, especially when you're an old-hand at right-clicking. If you're serious about right-clicking, you'll need to get a mouse with more than one mouse button. All of Apple's new desktop computers (except the Mac mini) ship with the Mighty Mouse. To configure the right mouse button on the Mighty Mouse, select System Preferences from the Apple menu, and then select Keyboard & Mouse. Select the Mouse tab.

Make sure the right mouse button is set as the Secondary Button, as seen in the screenshot above. If you don't have Apple's Mighty Mouse, you can always pick up an inexpensive, two-button USB mouse at your local electronics store. Kensington's Mouse-in-a-Box comes with a 5 year warranty and costs a mere $8.

For Apple Laptop Owners

If you own a Macbook or Macbook Pro, you can configure your trackpad for right-clicking. (Some older iBooks and Powerbooks also provide this feature.) Simply open the Trackpad options in System Preferences and make sure the Place two fingers on trackpad and click button for secondary click button is checked.

After checking this box, you'll be able to right-click by placing two fingers on the trackpad and clicking. If you have an older Apple portable which doesn't support this feature, you may want to look into iScroll2, a free application that may add this functionality to your trackpad.

No matter how you decide to right-click, you should definitely start doing it on a regular basis. It'll save you a lot of time!

Apple Single Button Mouse Images

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