Speculation that Apple will release a new mouse surfaced last week, but now those rumors are about to rev up, as the trademark for the Mighty Mouse name has been awarded to another company.
Computer peripherals company Man & Machine was awarded the Mighty Mouse trademark by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) this week, which means that Apple can't call its mice as such anymore.
Apple’s current Mighty Mouse has two capacitive sensors, a clickable track ball, and side squeeze sensors.Apple introduced the Mighty Mouse several months after Men & Machine launched their own version of the Mighty Mouse in 2004, which claimed to be rugged, hygienic, and waterproof. During this time, Apple licensed the use of the Mighty Mouse name from CBS, whose trademark rights didn't encompass computer peripherals. CBS only owns the trademarks associated with the Mighty Mouse cartoon character.
Many users derided Apple's Mighty Mouse in recent years, though, calling it impractical and a dirt magnet. Many users also complained how the short battery life on the Bluetooth version of the Mighty Mouse. But in the light of this trademark name loss, Apple is expected to launch a new pointing device soon.
The speculation began last week, when the FCC leaked for a very short while pictures of the device. Rumors suggest that Apple's new mouse will lose the mechanical roller ball and feature a multi-touch surface, similar to the one found on the company's laptops. A new Apple keyboard appeared in the leaked FCC submissions as well.
It is likely that Apple will come up with a different name for its new line of mice, given than Man & Machine CEO Clifton Broumand told AppleInsider that Apple has not approached him to use the Mighty Mouse name yet.
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