Microsoft on Thursday announced a new wireless mouse aimed at the burgeoning Netbook market.
The Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000, which goes on sale in August, comes in a bunch of colors and has a small USB transmitter that sticks out less than a centimeter from the computer. Microsoft argues that means the mouse transmitter can remain plugged in all the time, of course that assumes that the Netbook has enough USB ports that one can be dedicated to a mouse.
Microsoft's Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 is aimed at the growing Netbook market. It will be available in August for $40.
(Credit: Microsoft)The thing that really struck me is that, at $40, the mouse costs more than the revenue Microsoft gets from selling Windows XP on the same Netbook. (Of course, once you throw in the retailer's cut, the manufacturing cost and other things, Microsoft makes way more profit from that copy of Windows XP.)
Still, it's a good way for Microsoft to try to make up for the fact that it generally makes less from Netbooks and that this is the only part of the PC market that is growing. Microsoft's press release touts market research predicting 35 million of the diminutive portables will be sold this year.
I would also note that in its excitement over the Netbook business, the hardware unit appears not to have gotten the message that the Windows folks would prefer these things be referred to as small notebook PCs.
The new Microsoft Notebook Mouse for Mac is really a repackaged version of the company's existing Bluetooth mouse.
(Credit: Microsoft)
Microsoft's current packaging apparently wasn't drawing too many Mac users, even with its inviting "Certified for Windows Vista" logo.
(Credit: Microsoft)Microsoft is looking to make its Bluetooth notebook mouse more Mac friendly.
The emphasis in that sentence is on the word "looking."
The software maker hasn't made any software or hardware changes to the Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000. It has, however, created new retail packaging for the product, dubbing it Microsoft Notebook Mouse for Mac.
Gone is the red packaging and the "Certified for Windows Vista" logo. In its place is a Mac logo and white packaging. Of course, the same mouse is inside, meaning the Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000 works perfectly well on a Mac, while the Microsoft Notebook Mouse for Mac has no problem working with Vista, or XP for that matter.
The mouse in its new packaging will be available this month with an estimated retail price of $49.95.
It will be interesting to see if Mac users take to the new packaging. The company has a mixed track record in the Mac space. Its Office for Mac is a huge seller and many people cite its availability as a key factor in their being willing to switch to a Mac.
But it has pulled back on other efforts, including killing its ill-fated MSN for Mac service, Internet Explorer, and Virtual PC for Mac.
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