Microsoft mice
1983
Microsoft Green-eyed Mouse
Microsoft’s first mouse was released in 1983 and was also the first product from its hardware division, which the company opened a year earlier. Because of the two green buttons, this model is known as the “green-eyed mouse”.
1985
Microsoft Gray-eyed Mouse
This mouse, which went on sale in 1985, became a second generation of Microsoft mice. The company simply called its early models “Microsoft mouse”, sometimes also specifying the method of connection to the computer. Therefore, the official name of this one, “Microsoft Serial Mouse”, was rather confusing, and the mouse became known among users as the “Microsoft Gray-Eyed Mouse” (to differentiate it from the first generation mice with a pair of green buttons known under the “Green-Eyed Mouse” nickname). Also sometimes this mouse is referred to as “Microsoft Mouse 5.0”, apparently due to the variants of the first generation mice with different interfaces. The real manufacturer of the mouse, as in the case of the first generation, was the Japanese company Alps.
1987
Microsoft Dove Bar Mouse
The mouse, nicknamed the “Dove Bar Mouse” by users because of the similarly shaped soap bar, went on sale in 1987, becoming the third generation of Microsoft mice. The design was developed by Microsoft in collaboration with Matrix Design (which later merged with Hovey-Kelley, the designers of the Apple Lisa mouse, to become the design company IDEO). The mouse’s production, as with previous generations of Microsoft mice, was outsourced to the Japanese company Alps. This is probably the first mouse for which the designers set the ergonomics as their main goal. First of all, this resulted in the shape of the body inspired by a sanding block, which automatically ensured a comfortable hand position, worked out on many generations of people.