Logitech makes mice that worked plugged in and not, and they are durable too because they use a custom plastic piece around the USB connector to ensure a snug fit:

https://www.logitechg.com/en-ca/products/gaming-mice/pro-x-s...

I converted a Logitech mx2 mouse from micro-usb to usb-c. When doing so I confirmed and am 100% certain that the data lines of usb are not connected on this mouse (only ground and 5V are connected for charging). The traces to the micro-usb connector do not exist. The mouse only works by bluetooth or a Logitech 2.4Ghz dongle.

Yet, when I read forums as I was troubleshooting something, I found multiple posts where someone claims the mouse doesn't work in "wired mode", and multiple people replied saying they only ever use the mouse with a usb cable and never wirelessly so surely something is wrong, leading to lots of confusion and returned mouses. In reality, the mouse can only work when plugged in if it is also paired as a wireless device.

If you think about it, the design choice to support charging only and not data makes some sense. Having a wired and wireless mode may confuse users if they don't have a Logitech driver installed that ensures settings are persistent across both modes. Apple's design is good from this point of view, it only works wirelessly and there is no design language that suggests it has a wired mode.

Logitech gaming mouses do have wired and wireless modes, but I think they generally do not have bluetooth, so presumably the mouse and/or its driver can more easily take care of persistent settings between modes by not supporting bluetooth which is constrained to support certain features.

All that being said, I believe the main reason for the port being on the bottom of Magic Mouse was simply to avoid cost of retooling for manufacturing when they switched from AA batteries to a non-removable chargeable battery.

Whoa, neat. That makes sense from a product engineering/support angle - less work. The cable is just for charging and nothing else. I think that Windows doesn't really support the auto-pairing via USB cable that Apple does anyhow with its mice and keyboards.

Logitech mice don't use the top surface of the mouse as a multi-touch trackpad, so it doesn't matter to Logitech if the top surface of the mouse is uninterrupted by a charging port or not.

The charging port on Logitech mice is not on top surface. It's on the (slanted) front bottom surface. The top surface is fully devoted to controls.

I think both could be accommodated in a single design.

You mean, like with a notch… It is cool on iOS but not on a mouse… Funny.

Now imagine the comment sections around the Internet if Apple released a mouse that needed custom ANYTHING to charge it.

I don't believe this.

I believe (unfounded) originally it was made for asthetic reasons, as to not interrupt the sushi shape, and that not being able to use it while charging was not considered to be that much of a downside. And then since then Apple just hasn't bothered spending engineering effort on 'fixing' that design decision ever since.

I'd sooner believe it's because they want you to buy 2 of them, so you can charge one while using the other.

Zero people on the planet do this.

The mouse port thing is like a canary in the coal mine, betraying the people who just like taking shots at Apple, but generally are very ill informed. I think Apple should keep the port on the bottom purely so we can get the shortcut to discarding people's opinions when they hoist it up to concern troll.

For actual Apple Mouse users, charging is just the least concerning thing imaginable. The battery lasts an absolute eternity. I'm using one right now that I've had for at least five or so years and I charge it once in forever, it charges super quickly, and it's just not a factor in my life at all.

I'm one that does. I've got two MMs because I have a desktop iMac (27" 2019) and a laptop for travel and I have a MM for the laptop so that I can scroll using it in my hand while in a hotel room or when doing presentations.

So when I get the "low battery warning" on the desktop MM, I put it on charge and use the other one for an hour while it recharges.

One people on the planet do this.

I'd bought the laptop first, got the MM because it's small and good for travel and using the top as a trackpad/scroller.

Then I bought an iMac and the 2nd MM came with it.

I'm pretty sure that I'm not that unusual.

> I'd sooner believe it's because they want you to buy 2 of them, so you can charge one while using the other.

We're discussing in this context. I still stand by the claim that there are probably around zero people on the planet that bought a second MM specifically to use it while the other one is charging.

I'm not doubting that there exists a group of people that happen to have acquired two MMs, however that came to be.

I switched to using the trackpad full time, because the mouse randomly bricked itself unless I let it distract me about its state of charge and whether my only cable was at home or my office desk.

>"Zero people on the planet do this."

You cannot reasonably make this assertion and expect that it's true. I mean, you outed yourself right there as someone not capable of a reasonable discussion. Sort of a "canary in a coal mine" of your own.

I have never once had my Logitech mice run out of batter, not once, not ever. It charges as I use it. I'll take that all day long over the "magic mouse" with a charging port underneath so you can't even use the thing if it runs out of battery an an inopportune moment. But sure, go through the mental gymnastics of excusing a really bad design by Apple because you're an obvious fanboy.

Yes, I can make that assertion. No one is buying a second magic mouse because of how it charges, and the claim is ludicrous nonsense.

>I have never once had my Logitech mice run out of batter, not once, not ever.

Okay?

I have never, ever had my magic mouse run out of battery, or even come close. Again, you have zero idea what you're talking about. You cannot comprehend how long the battery lasts, or how ridiculously quickly it charges. The time to make a cup of coffee is days of usage.

It is never actual Magic Mouse users complaining about this. Ever. It's always the peanut gallery leaving dumb comments.

Like, why in the world did you click into a story about new Apple products to yap about how you would never buy Apple products. Bizarre. I'm not a "fan boy" for the reality that the magic mouse is actually perfectly fine, and it doesn't make me a fan boy to point out the peanut gallery that appears in every single Apple store with uninformed, often absurd takes.

Cheers! Hope you have a great day.

>Yes, I can make that assertion.

Lol, no, someone just replied to you saying that they do this.

Okay?

>I have never, ever had my magic mouse run out of battery, or even come close.

The person that replied to you that they do this, has in fact had their magic mouse run out of battery, and they used the second one while the first one charges.

You're just wrong.

This conversation is boring and you're making assertions that aren't valid.

Have the day you deserve.

>Lol, no, someone just replied to you saying that they do this.

Ignoring that I was clearly being rhetorical, they specifically note that they bought two mice because they have two Macs. The "I let one die when at home and use the other" is a consequence of that choice, not the other way around. This is super clear.

You literally, directly claimed that Apple is making a monetary choice to try to force people to buy second mice for when one dies. This is...hilarious conjecture, to put it politely.

>This conversation is boring and you're making assertions that aren't valid.

It is. The tiring noise of the Apple haters who define their personality by being Apple haters and run into every Apple conversation to make it known remains extremely boring.

You'd buy a second to avoid taking a 2 minute break?

I wouldn't buy any Apple hardware to begin with. We had to sue them in a class action because of their awful faulty hardware. We're never going back.

Then why do you care? Why waste your time making shit up about Apple when you're not going to buy any of their hardware?

What "shit" did I "make up" about Apple? I haven't made up anything. Apple would be happy if you bought 2 of their mice to work around their design problems. More profit = Apple is happy.

I don't know, still better than all the other hardware vendors with their devices that are bad by specification.

Oh, like the 8GB Macbooks they are pushing? Like that kind of "bad by specification"?

I'd buy that rather than 32 GB anything else.

Typical fanboy reply. You're beyond reason.

I'd buy any other brand if they produced something comparable in all metrics to a Macbook. That means the chassis, the display, sound quality and loudness, excellent trackpad and a very adequate keyboard, no fans or any moving parts at all, low temperature, very long battery life, size, thickness and weight.. I don't care about RAM, I was able to live with 8GB just fine. All the other metrics are much more important to me, more RAM just makes it a little nicer but otherwise doesn't make the experience.

Consider that the "fanboys" simply care about something other than you do. There was a time in my life when I had probably very similar preferences as you, but life changes.

Trust me, you don't have to explain to me all the ways you're a fanboy. You've proven it already. Don't bother replying further.

Fan boys usually care about the brand. ;-)

Makes sense, especially because it's more impressive/magic (especially when it was introduced) when your friend/family/coworker sees you using it. If the cable was plugged in, it might just look to them like a mundane, not Magic, mouse.