Archive for the ‘mighty mouse’ Category

Mighty Mouse trademark awarded to Man & Machine, Mister Trouble can stop hanging around now (updated with analysis)

Trademark registration number 3691042, you just made someone very happy. This week, the US Patent and Trademark Offices awarded Man & Machine with the rights to the name “Mighty Mouse” when it comes to computer mice / “cursor control devices.” So of the two peripherals shown above, it seems the beaut on the right is the one with legal claim to the moniker. Good thing, too, since its claims on “Cool Mouse” and “Really Cool [Mouse]” died just before Christmas last year. We gotta say, it looks as good of a time as any to replace the old point-and-click, eh Apple?

Update: Nilay here, with some trademark law nerdery for you. This trademark has a long and convoluted history, as you’d expect. CBS and Man & Machine actually both filed for the Mighty Mouse mark as it relates to computer mice in 2007 — and CBS actually filed for it first, in May. Here’s the kicker, though — Man & Machine not only filed for this particular trademark in December of that year, but it also simultaneously sued Apple and CBS over their use of the name. Saucy! Both trademark applications were then put on hold while that case was sorted out — and after two years of bickering, they finally settled the case and CBS abandoned its registration in June of this year, allowing Man & Machine to resume its registration. Since Apple and CBS were essentially precluded from opposing that renewed registration, it more or less sailed right through, and here we are. Simple, innit?

Oh, and for our occasionally misguided friends in the media: it’s important to note that CBS and Man & Machine were the involved parties here, and they ultimately settled their dispute out of court. Apple was simply along for the ride, since its agreement was with CBS. If you’re going to run with any sensational version of this, we’d suggest something along the lines of Apple screwing this up by not just buying Man & Machine for this mark years ago — we’re certain it would have been cheaper than the millions everyone’s undoubtedly spent litigating this since. Got that? Good.

[Via TechCrunch]

Read – USPTO database entry for Man & Machine’s “Mighty Mouse” registration
Read – Man & Machine’s Mighty Mouse product page

Continue reading Mighty Mouse trademark awarded to Man & Machine, Mister Trouble can stop hanging around now (updated with analysis)

Mighty Mouse trademark awarded to Man & Machine, Mister Trouble can stop hanging around now (updated with analysis) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s Mighty Mouse Never Lived Up To Its Name. And Now It Can’t.

It seems pretty clear at this point that Apple is getting ready to release a new mouse, probably with some kind of multi-touch capabilities, that is probably attached to some new iMacs. No one is happier about that than me, as I hate the current Mighty Mouse. But it looks like Apple may not have a chance to create a device that lives up to that name this time around, as someone else has won the trademark for the name “Mighty Mouse.”

New Apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse arrive at the FCC

Well, well, what’s this? A new Apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse have arrived at the FCC, and they’ve got new model numbers of A1314 and A1296 — the current wireless keyboard is A1255 and the Mighty Mouse is A1197. That’s pretty much all we know for now, but these keyboard dimensions are also smaller than the current model, which rules out a return of the numeric keypad — sorry to dash your hopes, Excel jockeys. Is this the new keyboard rumored to accompany an iMac refresh? We’ll have to wait to find out — but on a similar note, AppleInsider says Steve Jobs himself is leading the development of this new mouse, featuring some kind of multitouch and potentially housed in an aluminum shell. That would certainly explain those multitouch mouse patents we’ve seen in the past, as well as bring the desktop mousing experience in line with the multitouch action found on the MacBooks — AI says the new mice somehow enable iPhone-style kinetic scrolling, which would definitely be interesting. So… you want to maybe schedule an event to launch all this stuff, Steve?

Update: And… Apple’s managed to yank the images out of the FCC filings, which is about as fast as we’ve ever seen that happen.

Update 2: Revised images have been posted, carefully cropped to show only the relevant FCC labeling — although model numbers remain. This is absolutely the fastest we’ve ever seen the FCC database change, it’s rather impressive.

Update 3: AppleInsider’s revised their post to say an aluminum mouse is just speculation, so this thing could be plastic after all.

Read – Apple Bluetooth keyboard at FCC
Read – Apple Bluetooth mouse at FCC
Read – AppleInsider post on new mouse

Continue reading New Apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse arrive at the FCC

Filed under: Peripherals

New Apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse arrive at the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New, Even Smaller Apple Bluetooth Keyboard Whispers New iMacs to Us [Apple]

Why care about a new Apple Bluetooth keyboard showing up at the FCC? Besides the fact it’s even more midget-sized than before, combined with rumors about a multitouch Mightier Mouse and fancy iMacs, it suggests a whole new kit’s coming.

And, you gotta figure it’s soon, since Apple takes the FCC’s leaky, leaky ways into account when it launches products. Word was that the new iMacs could drop anytime in the next month, so it all kind of adds up: new iMacs, with fresh aluminum multitouch mice and keyboards.

Or it could all be a bunch of rumor poo. [FCC via Engadget]

Rumor: Apple to Ship Multitouch Mice With New iMacs Soon

Apple may soon introduce a mouse featuring multitouch technology, like that seen in its iPhones, iPods and MacBook trackpads.

Sporting a touch-sensitive housing, the new mouse will do away with the roller ball on the current Mighty Mouse (pictured above), sources told AppleInsider. The rumored multitouch mouse might apply the inertia feedback seen in iPods and iPhones, whereas scrolling speed accelerates or decelerates in response to how the user touches the surface.

Presumably an Apple multitouch mouse would function similarly to the unibody MacBook trackpads, which detect multitouch gestures. On new MacBooks, tapping the trackpad with two fingers triggers a right-click function, for example; this rumored multitouch mouse might copy this behavior. Also, for a mouse, we would expect a multitouch gesture to replace scrolling in different directions, and perhaps there will be special gestures that trigger Exposé commands as well.

Apple’s new mouse may be released with new iMacs, AppleInsider’s sources said. The popular iMac desktops were last refreshed in March, and Apple typically upgrades them every seven months. That would suggest new iMacs — perhaps packaged with multitouch mice — will hit stores very soon.

See Also:

• MacBooks’ Multitouch, Buttonless Trackpad Coming to Windows …
• Leaked: Apple Filing Illustrates Multitouch Tablet Technology …
• MacBook Pros Get the Multitouch Magic; But Where’s the Redesigned …
• Apple Adds Multi Touch to MacBook Pro

Photo: stopthegears/Flickr

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