Mouse
Overview
A mouse is a representative pointing device that inputs commands by moving the cursor on a computer screen and performing operations such as clicking and scrolling. It was first conceived by Douglas Engelbart in 1964, and with the spread of the graphical user interface (GUI), it became an essential peripheral for personal computers. Its shape, held in the palm and moved, resembled a mouse, giving it the name 'mouse'; today, it is highly segmented by purpose into wired/wireless, optical/laser, gaming/ergonomic, and many other types.
Key Content
History
In 1964, Douglas Engelbart at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) built the first mouse prototype, a wooden box with two metal wheels. It was unveiled to the public in 1968 at the 'Mother of All Demos,' and in 1973 it was adopted for Xerox PARC's Alto (Xerox Alto), moving beyond the laboratory. Its inclusion as standard with the Apple Lisa in 1983 and the Macintosh in 1984 provided the turning point for popularization, and in the 1990s the scroll wheel and optical sensor were introduced. Since the 2000s, laser sensors and wireless technology became widespread, overcoming the limitations of wired mice.
Operating Principle
Early mechanical (ball) mice used a rubber ball on the bottom to rotate X- and Y-axis rollers, and the amount of rotation was read by infrared sensors and converted into coordinate movement. The optical mouse that appeared later shines LED light onto the surface and captures and compares thousands of reflected images per second to calculate movement direction and distance. Laser types use an infrared laser to increase surface recognition and precision. Recently, wireless connections via Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz wireless dongles have become mainstream, and high-performance sensors that work even on irregular reflective surfaces such as glass and mirrors have appeared.
Types
- Wired/Wireless: Classification by presence of a cable; for wireless, battery and charging method are key specs.
- Optical/Laser: Classification by sensor method.
- Ergonomic (vertical) mouse: Held with the wrist upright, it alleviates wrist pain (carpal tunnel syndrome) caused by repetitive use.
- Gaming mouse: A high-performance lineup with high DPI/CPI, polling rate, low latency, and macro buttons.
- Trackball, pen mouse, presentation remote: Special-purpose pointing devices.
Key Performance Indicators
- DPI/CPI: The number of pixels the cursor moves per inch of movement; the higher, the more sensitive.
- Polling Rate: The number of coordinate signals sent to the computer per second (Hz).
- Number of buttons, weight, grip style (palm, claw, fingertip): Choice varies by the user's hand size and habits.
Latest Trends
The key keywords of the mouse market in 2024–2025 are ultra-lightweight, ultra-high polling rates, and wireless perfection. As gaming mice supporting an 8K (8,000 Hz) polling rate have become widespread, input latency has been reduced to under 1 ms, and ultra-lightweight wireless products under 40 g have become the esports standard. Switches have also seen the spread of optical switches with no physical contact points and magnetic (Hall effect) switches, greatly reducing double-click failure issues. USB-C charging, wireless charging pads, multi-month battery life based on low-power sensors, and on-device macro/profile storage are becoming common. In addition, AI-based gesture recognition, foldable/portable form factors, and eco-friendly designs using recycled materials are emerging as new trends. Meanwhile, despite the spread of touchscreens, trackpads, and pen input, the mouse remains an irreplaceable input tool in gaming, design, and development fields that require precise operation.
Related Topics
- [[Keyboard]]
- [[Pointing device]]
- [[Graphical user interface]]
- [[Computer peripherals]]
- [[Ergonomics]]