[mslt]

Supply chain guy - This is it right here. Hardware accessories like mice aren’t driving substantial sales or revenue; they’re just a cost of doing business if you sell PCs.

But swapping tooling and retraining staff on assembly is extremely disruptive for a manufacturer. That disruption is passed back to the 1st party brand in incremental FOB and per-unit surcharge.

The incremental cost eats at your margin, which eats at your profit, which eats at your street price.

So, if you’re forced to choose between margin erosion and incremental cost for a product that has little effect on sales growth, you save the money and recycle the design.

People will bitch about the port on that mouse while they walk to the Apple Store to buy a new Mac that comes bundled with said mouse.

Apple will save millions annually by not optimizing a product that doesn’t really make them any money on its own.

When it’s reasonably cost effective to make a better peripheral, they will. Until then, they’re going to pay more attention to their books than people’s complaints, because mice don’t drive their business.

[GuB-42]

The mouse sells for $79, it is a rather expensive mouse, and the Macs that come bundled with that mouse are really expensive computers.

Also that's Apple we are talking about, they are huge and can use manufacturing processes no one else can afford to use. And if it can improve their design even a tiny bit, they do. For example, when designing injection molded plastic parts, most designers feature what is called a draft angle, which mean the walls are not straight and parallel but at an angle, this is to help the part come out of the mold easily. Not Apple. Apple want its walls straight because they think it looks better, and they do what it takes to do it, even if it is much harder and expensive.

So, no, I don't believe Apple will compromise its design for technical details like swapping tooling and retraining staff, especially considering that the product has been out in its current form for more than a decade. They have more than enough resources to do exactly the mouse they want.

I also don't believe the "it comes for free with an iMac so no one cares" argument. Again, Apple attention to details is legendary and people pay good money for that, and it is not like they are bundling a cheap plastic mouse like most manufacturers, it is one of the most premium looking mouse on the market, with unique features.

All that to say that it has to be a deliberate choice, not a quirk of the manufacturing process.

[goosedragons]

Really? Apple recycles designs ALL the time. And they will compromise design to do it. Look at the SE iPhones, low-end iPads, etc.

It's the Tim Cook playbook. FFS they regularly sell years old computers.

[wredue]

Oh there’s no shortage of people that defend the MM.

That anyone uses this mouse for an extended period is insane. It’s heavy a fuck, not ergonomic in the slightest, has insane uncomfortable edging, and cannot be used plugged in.

This mouse has no redeeming qualities at all.

[monocularvision]

I love the touch sensitive surface and prefer it over any other mouse with a spinning disc for scrolling. Is there another mouse out there that has a similar surface? I would switch in a heartbeat because I agree with the rest of your criticisms.