Apple has done far more right than wrong over the years, redefining personal computing with each bold new step, from the original Macintosh and its graphical user interface to the powerhouse tower Macs of the early 1990s to the ever-slimming notebook range and into the mobile computing revolution and beyond. Despite its many victories, Apple has occasionally made a blunder, and the Apple Hockey Puck Mouse is one of them. But what exactly happened to the Hockey Puck mouse?
Apple designed a custom mouse dubbed “the hockey puck” that was only available for two years, from 1998 to 2000, before being phased out in favor of a more traditional shape. It is regarded as one of Apple’s most infamous flops.
What was the Worst Apple Product Ever?
How Did Apple Fail with the Hockey Puck Mouse?
Given Apple’s current reputation as one of the world’s most sought-after and admired tech brands, it’s hard for many to believe the company has had more than a handful of design controversies.
While some of these errors were caused by products that were simply too advanced for their time, there were some objectively bad designs, such as the first-generation Apple Pencil’s Lightning charger, that should never have progressed past the design phase, let alone become a prototype and end up in the hands of a consumer, quite literally, in this case.
If you ask any random Apple fanboy from the late ’90s about the worst Apple product they’ve used, you will likely hear the term, Hockey Puck. A lot. As it turns out, Apple’s relationship with poorly designed pointing devices, also known as mice, began long before the Magic Mouse and its infamous bottom-facing charging port. (Source: Slash Gear)
How Did Apple Fail with the Hockey Puck Mouse?
The Hockey Puck mouse failed to do the one thing it was designed to do: point accurately. The product’s shape was unergonomic and unsuitable for comfortable use. Because of the round shape, people needed help correctly orienting the mouse.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Hockey Puck’s build quality was generally considered poor. The consensus was that this product was a lousy mouse in general. According to some customers, Apple prioritized the mouse’s appearance over everything else.
The Hockey Puck mouse did, however, claim a first. It was the first Apple mouse to use the USB connectivity standard, which is now widely used.
Given the negative press at the time, it’s not surprising that Apple abandoned the mouse during its next product cycle in 2002 when it released the iMac G4 and the Apple Pro Mouse. Although not perfect, the new pointing device avoided the same design flaws as the Hockey Puck mouse and was generally well-received.
Surprisingly, the Hockey Puck was not the last time Apple botched a mouse design. Over a decade later, in 2015, Apple released the infamous Magic Mouse 2, which, believe it or not, had a charging port on the bottom. (Source: Slash Gear)
Image from TheHouseofMoth