Optical mice
1981
Xerox Alto Optical Mouse
In March 1973, Xerox Corporation announced the Xerox Alto computer, considered the first workstation (or personal computer), as well as the first computer with a graphical user interface. The workstation also came with the first mass-produced mouse in the history of computers, the Xerox Alto Mouse. The original mouse based on two wheels was in several years upgraded and started to use a ball. But still, those mice weren’t too reliable according to the quotes given on oldmouse.com: they picked up dirt, quickly became gummed, and no longer controlled the cursor. Alto user had to unplug the mouse when that happened, put it into the “Dead Mice” box, and grab a cleaned mouse from the “Clean Mice” box. And the price of such a mouse was more than $400.
1983
VisiOn Mouse
The VisiOn mouse is an OEM mouse from Mouse Systems. VisiCcorp has earned a place in mouse history for its mouse-based menu-creation software. In October 1993, VisiCorp released its “integrated environment”, a graphical user interface (GUI) for the PC, for which Mouse Systems produced a proprietary mouse. In fact, the VisiOn mouse is a Mouse Systems model M-1 mouse with a characteristic pair of oblong holes on the bottom of the case for LEDs.
1984
Systems A+ Mouse
Mouse Systems company developed the A+ mouse for the Apple IIc, which stood for the compact version of the Apple IIe computer. The Apple IIC was the first portable computer. Systems A+ mouse is an optical alternative to Apple’s own Mouse IIc, a ball mouse. In keeping with Apple’s preferred mouse style, A+ mouse has only one button. With the exception of the one button, it is similar to other Mouse Systems optical mice.
1984
SummaMouse
Summagraphics is an American company founded in the 1970s, that specializes in the development and production of graphic tablets and data entry systems. The company played an important role in the development of input and processing technologies for graphic information, its products became the industry standard. In addition to tablets, the company also produced other equipment. In particular, it is known for its SummaGraphics SummaMouse, released in 1984.
1984
Mouse Systems M2 mouse
This mouse is a second-generation Mouse Systems manipulator. Mouse Systems was founded by Stephen Kirsch in 1982 to produce the original optical mouse he invented. Mouse Systems produced a number of popular computer mice using this technology, known under the model numbers M1 … M4. The mouse has the standard Mouse Systems flat rectangular body.
1986
NEC Crystal mouse
In September 1986, NEC Corporation announced the EWS 4800 UNIX workstation. This computer was designed as a workstation for engineers to improve the efficiency of solving problems such as software development, computer-aided design, scientific and engineering calculations, and the collection and analysis of experimental data. The computer was equipped with a graphical multi-window interface and a large 20-inch 1280×1024 256 colors display. This powerful workstation came with the NEC Crystal Mouse.
1988
Mouse Systems M4 PC mouse
The Mouse Systems M4 mouse is a typical manipulator from the Mouse Systems company created by Stephen Kirsch in 1982 to produce the original optical mouse he invented. This model is a representative of the fourth generation (the last and record in terms of the number of copies) of Mouse Systems mice designed by Kirsch. This one is designed to work with the IBM PC serial interface, RS-232.
1989
Artek A20
The Artek A20 mouse was created by ULTIMA ELECTRONICS CORP. This mouse uses optical technology, that means there are no ball, mechanical rollers or any other moving parts, excluding the possibility of mess getting inside the mouse, that has stuck to the rotating ball. The mouse has 3 command (functional) buttons on top and 2 mode switching buttons on the side.
1995
Logitech TrackMan Marble trackball
The Trackman Marble trackball, released to the market by Logitech in 1995, was the first trackball to use an all-optical motion detection principle, without the use of an optomechanical encoder.
1996
Q500 mouse
The Q500 mouse was produced in South Korea and was (along with the Hi-Bon Optical laser mouse LMOX-2) one of two unusual optical mice with light guides, developed in 1996 by iO TEK. The Q500 mouse probably has the cheapest optical mouse design ever invented.
1996
Hi-Bon Optical laser mouse LMOX-2
The Hi-Bon Optical laser mouse LMOX-2 was produced in South Korea and was, along with the Q500 mouse, one of two unusual optical mice developed in 1996 by iO TEK that use light fibers. The resolution of this mouse is 450 dpi. The box mentions as a revolutionary feature the absence of a ball and, accordingly, the absence of the need for cleaning.
1998
Logitech TrackMan Marble FX
Of course, the main distinguishing feature of the Trackman Marble FX trackball released by Logitech in 1998, is its unusual shape, which provides support for the wrist and gives access to the ball from both sides of the body at once. As planned by the manufacturer, this allows you to move the ball with either one finger or two fingers at the same time (thumb and forefinger) for maximum accuracy of small movements of the cursor.
1998
Marble Mouse
Logitech released the Marble Mouse in 1998. Despite its name, the Marble Mouse is not a mouse, but a trackball. The device is based on Logitech’s Marble sensor technology.
2001
Microsoft Trackball Explorer
The Microsoft Trackball Explorer was the second (and last) trackball released by Microsoft. It was released in 2001 and gained significant popularity among users looking for an alternative to traditional mice.
2001
Macally QBALL trackball
The QBALL trackball was released by the Taiwanese company Jiaxin Technology – the owner of the Macally trademark, under which the well-known line of peripherals for Mac computers was produced.
2011
Mus-3
Artemy Lebedev Studio is one of the leading Russian companies in the field of industrial design, graphic design and web development. One of the studio’s developments is the Mus-3 device, designed to control a computer. The appearance copies the familiar mouse cursor on the screen. Despite the unusual design and two color options, Mus-3 has a number of technical and ergonomic problems.