The only thing the MouseBase doesn’t do is fix that horrendous charging problem.
For probably over a decade now, Apple’s one overarching design philosophy has been sleekness. Jony Ive famously made design decisions that enforced this, much to the end-consumer’s detriment. MacBooks in 2014-15 used glue instead of screws to hold components together because it made devices thinner. The disastrous butterfly keyboard was the result of a pursuit of sleekness too. The point I’m making is that to an extent, making a product sleek is a great thing. There are times, however, when it’s not… The Apple Magic Mouse is one such product.
Designed to be sleek over ergonomic, the Magic Mouse is ridiculously tough to work with. Its smooth design doesn’t have the curves or grooves you’d need to rest your hand comfortably, and gripping the device isn’t an entirely great experience either. However, one small product hopes to rectify that. Dubbed the MouseBase, this little add-on is designed to fit your Magic Mouse (v2) in it comfortably, giving it a more ergonomic design. It lets you plug the Magic Mouse right in without any moving parts, screws, or adhesives, giving you a much more comfortable right-handed grip that lets you intuitively and effectively grab and maneuver your mouse without triggering your carpal tunnel.
Designer: Smash Engineering
Made from plastic and weighing just 4.2 ounces (119 grams), the MouseBase fixes the Magic Mouse’s second most annoying problem. The ergonomic design of the MouseBase blends almost perfectly with the Magic Mouse, making it look rather cohesive, and creating a surface flow that welcomes your eyes as well as your hands. The base, however, cleverly also elevates and tilts the mouse ever so slightly, making it more ergonomically sound. It does so, however, without affecting the mouse’s tracking abilities. This is thanks to the MouseBase’s patented mirror technology that retains the Magic Mouse’s usability and precision.
Although it doesn’t solve the Magic Mouse’s charging problem (which remains unsolvable, apparently), it doesn’t inhibit the charging ability either. The MouseBase’s open-bottom design lets you easily plug a lightning cable into the device when not in use. Sure, that solution will always remain the most inelegant UX design direction in history, but at least the MouseBase solves the other big problem with the Magic Mouse’s visually-appealing-yet-tactile-nightmare form factor. My only real complaint? That there’s no left-handed version of this… yet.
