Apple Wireless Mouse review: Apple Wireless Mouse

Apple aims to dress up your desktop while eliminating pesky cord clutter with its sleek-looking Wireless Mouse--a natural complement to the Apple Wireless Keyboard. But, as is the way with most Apple products, high style and cable liberation don't come cheap: this mouse costs about $70. And it works with only Bluetooth-enabled Macs that are running OS X 10.2.6 or later, so Mac users with older versions of the operating system, all PC users, and those whose systems lack Bluetooth, will have to look elsewhere.

Based on Bluetooth technology, the mouse is a snap to set up. The included instructions are comprehensive and easy to understand, and it took us less than five minutes to install the software and successfully pair the mouse with our Bluetooth-enabled, 15-inch PowerBook G4.

In classic Apple style, the shiny, white Wireless Mouse sports a streamlined, ambidextrous, no-button design that feels comfortable in either hand; few other mice boast this unfailingly comprehensive design. The device moved as smoothly on a bare wood surface as it did on a mousepad, and the optical tracking engine provided accurate clicks from up to 30 feet away from the notebook. We did, however, notice a short lag time from click to action regardless of distance, a peculiarity that no other mouse we tested demonstrated.

The mouse employs Adoptive Frequency Hopping technology to eliminate interference between other Bluetooth peripherals and wireless networks and devices. And a power-management system on the mouse automatically switches to low-power mode when it's not in use and can be turned off to reserve battery power. Apple claims that you'll get up to three months of life (the standard for most wireless mice) out of the two regular AA batteries that power the Wireless Mouse.