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From: phgun@violet.berkeley.edu (Himawan GUNADHI)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Mouse cleaners
Message-ID: <12383@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 21 Jul 88 19:50:59 GMT
References: <8@<digest> <17000122@clio>
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 54

In article <17000122@clio> brewer@clio.las.uiuc.edu writes:
>
>	I have a MouseCleaner 360. The ball does not fit in the mouse cavity
>that came with my Mac II. Does anyone know why Apple changed the size of the
>mouse ball? To be obnoxious?

Possibly. I bought the 360 too, and had to return it after
struggling to get the damn ball to fit into the cavity
(almost smashed the damn thing).

>
>	I also have some flames about the new ADB mice. They suck compared to
>an old Mac Plus mouse with special teflon feet (my MacII's mouse teflon looks
>like it was sprayed on and will come off any minute). Also the ball sheds like
>a #$&(#$&!! I have had to clean it twice in about 3 weeks (note that I am
>working in a relatively clean environment, on a slick plastic mouse pad, sans
>cats)! I cleaned my Mac+'s rollers about once every 3 or 4 months...

I had the same exact experiences.
In fact I wrote to Apple twice on this issue-
it's the thing that's got me most upset about my Mac II. First the
mouse came prepackaged with a whole load of grit on it! It often
refused to respond to my actions at all 
(esp when you are trying to drag it
after making a selection). I also use a fast pad.
It took me a few cleaning sessions before it became dirt free, but
in a matter of days it got dirty again.
But the lowpoint was when I compared the new mouse to
those found in the SE (I had a couple at home then).
They have the same basic ADB mouse design as the II,
except that the cavity is larger (as in the +), the ball heavier
and not sticky, the inside rollers are 2 steel and one plastic (as
opposed to little spindly plastic ones in the II), and the teflon
feet is also far superior. In fact my cover doesn't even fit
properly. I noticed too that compared to the SE's mouse, mine has
a seemingly more fragile and unnecessarily complicated construction
around the cavity. The button sucks too- really stiff. 

>
>... I guess
>they don't build things like they used to...

Of course not, when you start making them in Taiwan (they used to
be made here). It's not that I object to cheaper costs, it's the
lower quality for higher profits that I dislike.
It's all very well if the imported mouse had the same performance
as the old one, but it's clearly inferior. I thought at first mine
was defective, but I guess it's the new standard. It has certainly
impaired my ability to improve upon my Crystal Quest scores :-).
And someone says that Apple charges over $100 for a replacement.
What a laugh! I am seriously looking at the A+ optical mouse.
---Himawan Gunadhi
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