Path: utzoo!attcan!telly!lethe!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!apple!uokmax!d.cs.okstate.edu!minich From: minich@d.cs.okstate.edu (Robert Minich) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware Subject: Re: dead mouse Message-ID: <1990Dec7.054001.10869@d.cs.okstate.edu> Date: 7 Dec 90 05:40:01 GMT References: Distribution: comp Organization: Oklahoma State University Lines: 62 mmcintos@sirius.UVic.CA (Mark McIntosh): |>I have a dead Apple Mouse. [...] |>[ Apple won't fix the little 25 cent part... have to get $80 mouse ] | | We set up a Macintosh lab here about 1.5 years ago and now a number | of the mice are failing in this way. Symptom here is that the bootup | floppy ejects all the time, since the mouse button is stuck down. I am | pissed. We obtained the Macs about the time Apple went away from the | "Made in USA" mice to the "Made in Taiwan" mice. The latter are the | mice that are failing here. I recall a hue and cry in the Mac | newsgroup about the crappy mice Apple was shipping - I concur. The only reason I use Apple's mouse (mine is made in Taiwan) is because it came with the machine. :-) It's worked very well for me so far but I much prefer the accuracy and no-moving-parts quality of the A+ optical mouse. Should the time come, I'll drop Apple's rat so fast... | Now Apple is using "Made in USA" mice, again. I've had both kinds | apart and there is a big visible difference. The balls are much | heavier in the USA mice (hmmm...no comment :-). The rollers also seem | to be better made (plastic in Taiwan, metal in USA). Don't know about | the microswitch. I think Apple should cough up for replacements since | they have admitted their error by going to other mice. How do all you | netters feel? Actually, I prefer the plastic rollers. They don't seem to gunk up with ball-crust like the metal ones do. It's been 6 miles (according to Mouse Odometer) since I've last looked inside my mouse. (I like to know what sort of innards I'm getting) At this time, I can't find ANY buildup on the rollers. This may be partly due to my using a mouse pad, which I chose as my "free" gift from Apple after buying my machine. I've noticed many mouse pads use a rubber surface while Apple's has a plastic top with a woven feel. I suspect rubber rat mats are worse than plain desk tops. |>I took the damned thing apart at once, and the piece (admittedly |>attached to a PC board) looked like it would cost about $3-7 at a |>RadioShack. I haven't been able to find one, though. Any ideas? And |>WE ALL KNOW that they'll take this "dead" mouse, replace it, at a |>cost of $10 at most, and resell it as a replacement for $80. Hmm, I |>think that I smell a scam here . . . The real scam is including the mouse with new Macs. Sure, Amiga and NeXT people flame away ("and it doesn't even include a _KEYBOARD_") but _I_ definitely prefer having a choice. If the KB was bundled, I'd probably have the Standard (truly an ugly beast) AND my Extended. (I didn't like any of the third party offerings. I _do_ like the feel of the KB with the Classic... my favorite KB to date sits on an IBM RT. It's almost silent. [In fact, it has an incredibly annoying keyclick speaker that sounds like pong :-] I truly despise KBs that have the loud click that sounds like you just set off a mouse trap. This appears to be IBM's normal offering.) Go and try an optical mouse. The only drawback I've found is having to keep the pad aligned to the mouse (or vice-versa). For myself, this is no big deal. I like the finer resolution very much. A slight flick of the fingers and I've crossed a ton of screen real estate. At the same time, I can easily control single pixel positioning, which is nearly impossible with my Apple rat. -- |_ /| | Robert Minich | |\'o.O' | Oklahoma State University| "Get bent." |=(___)= | minich@d.cs.okstate.edu | -- Bart Simpson | U | - Ackphtth |