With the iPhone 15 ditching the dated Lighting port for USB-C charging, reports now claim Apple will update its catalog of accessories and peripherals with USB-C ports by next year. This includes the Magic Keyboard and Trackpad, the standard AirPods, MagSafe chargers and more, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. If true, we’ll eventually be able to charge most if not all Apple devices and peripherals with a USB-C cable.
The Apple Magic Mouse is also ditching Lighting for USB-C. This device is popular among those who use the best MacBooks — as I’ve personally witnessed around the office. This makes sense given the Magic Mouse’s svelte lightweight design and epic battery life. Adding USB-C charging would serve to make an already excellent mouse even better.
While USB-C charging for the Magic Mouse would be a welcome update, there’s another feature that needs updating. If you use Apple’s mouse, you probably already know what I’m going to say considering it’s the Magic Mouse’s biggest design flaw. For the Apple Magic Mouse to truly be one of the best mice, it needs to ditch the charging port on its underside.
A charging port on the underside?
PC users running Windows 11 on the best computers or best Windows laptops might be shocked to learn that the Apple Magic Mouse has a charging port on its bottom. Full disclosure, I didn’t know either until I joined Tom’s Guide two years ago. Even now when I see office colleagues charging their Magic Mouse, I think someone is playing a prank. For a company that places such importance on smart design, a charging port on the bottom of a mouse seems completely incongruous with that ethos.
Why can’t you charge the Magic Mouse from its front like most other mice? There are several theories, including one suggesting Apple purposely made the mouse unusable while charging because keeping the mouse plugged in would make it less “magical.” But as YouTube channel Apple Explained says, that theory is flimsy since you can keep the Magic Keyboard plugged in while using it.
The original Magic Mouse released in 2009 drew power from two AA batteries located on the bottom. When Apple updated to wireless charging in 2015, it didn’t change the battery location — which seems to be the reason the charging port is located under the mouse. Apple Explained believes Apple didn’t bother updating the battery’s location since it felt it didn’t need to. After all, two minutes of charging can power the mouse for about nine hours, according to Apple. In theory, you could charge the mouse while taking a bathroom break.
Even if the theory above is true, it’s a poor excuse for retaining such an awkward design flaw. If the iPhone 15 is finally getting with the times and adding USB-C charging, I see no reason why Apple can’t redesign the Magic Mouse so you can charge it from its front like every other wireless mouse on the market.
Will Apple fix the Magic Mouse’s biggest issue?
Apple hasn’t officially said it will redesign the Magic Mouse or any other peripheral in its cataloge with USB-C charging. However, now that the iPhone has dropped the Lighting port, it’s reasonable to assume the same will happen to the company’s other devices — lest they draw further ire from the EU who forced it to adopt USB-C charging for iPhones.
That being the case, it won’t be shocking when the Magic Mouse gets USB-C charging. That’ll be a welcome change, especially for those who no longer want to keep Lighting cables around. But if Apple ditches Lighting for USB-C on a future Magic Mouse, the company should also go one step further and finally relocate the charging port in the process.
