Why has the Computer Mouse not Evolved?

It is fair to say that there is a generally accepted basis that technological capability doubles every 24 months. So -- what is it with the computer mouse that we have been using it the same way since 1963 when it was first invented by Douglas Engelbart?

Computers have advanced considerably since that time. In 1963, the largest computer (the SAGE System) weighed in at 250 tons and used 3 Megawatts of power. Today, you can put a computer that has more memory than a SAGE computer -- into your pocket.

Yes -- there have been some significant improvements to the operation of the computer mouse since that original design (that used two wheels to control the cursor position). A brief summary would include;
• 1972 -- the trackball inclusion
• 1984 -- the Apple one-button mouse
• 1991 -- the first wireless mouse
• 1999 -- the first optical mouse (that did not require a special, grid-lined mouse pad).

But on the whole, the computer mouse has remained pretty much the same for over 40 years - why?

To answer this we need to look at what burning need drives evolution. For those that can remember the 'green screen', the short cut keys and use of the Tab key were the most efficient way to move the cursor around the screen to the desired location. The mouse use in this scenario was a hassle and not that productive.

And with this, we are beginning to see why the computer mouse has not yet evolved - because such evolution has been dictated by the software applications we have been using. Given that businesses and corporations were pretty much the only market for computers and software up to the 80's and early 90's, the applications developed were all focused on efficient data entry, data manipulation and reporting.

But things have now moved on. The decrease in the price of technology has seen computers in almost every home in first world countries. Equally, the internet has changed what the majority of the world now uses computers for. Instead of primarily data input, calculation, and output, the computer is becoming more and more a tool for research, information, and entertainment.

Browser based computing is now a reality with the main interface to the computer being 'point and click' i.e. using a mouse.

The significant factor here is the dramatic change in the amount of time spent on the keyboard v the mouse as the primary interface device. Where in times gone by, the split between keyboard and mouse may have been (generally) 80% keyboard / 20% mouse, today it is more likely to be 40% keyboard and 60% mouse, or more.

And it is this move away from the keyboard as the primary interface to the mouse that presents the opportunity for the mouse to finally evolve. And evolve it must.

The requirement right now, and into the future is to satisfy the need to have a better interface device for the browsing manner in which computers are more commonly being used. Look at the online gamer playing a poker tournament. This could be a 3 hour stretch (if they were winning!) where the mouse could be the only device used to Pass, Bet, Raise or Fold.

Likewise, the student completing an assignment is more likely to spend the majority of time researching the internet, and then typing up the results.

And take the business person who sits down with their morning cup of coffee to devour the latest events via their various RSS links and favourite news sites -- without ever touching the keyboard.

The way we are using computers is different now. The time for computer mouse evolution is at hand! And that evolution has begun...

Check out this innovative  computer mouse for today's browser based computing.