They don't want people using it while plugged in. They care more about how that would look antiquated than they do about convenience.

Or possibly, this was the smallest tool change possible. Saving costs by not having to redesign parts like the glass, etc.

Is it just looks or is it better for battery to charge and discharge?

Theory: Apple uses small design regressions like this as sonar pings, or maybe like tapping the side of a melon to see if it's ripe.

If network effects are "taut" there should not be noticeable consequences to their brand to these small intentional inconveniences. If network effects are slackening, there will be a small, manageable decrease in market share, which can be extracted via some sort of funky fft or something from the overall product-market vibes, providing advance warning of brand damage.

Is there any sort of industrial designer, hardware engineer, or whatever job title is responsible for making physical product designs like this that could explain why they’ve done this repeatedly.

In the surface this seems super dumb, but I expect that one of the most successful companies on the planet hires people who have at least an inkling of what they are doing.

What is the trade off here that I am missing that makes this a choice they’ve made multiple times?

They do not want you to use the mouse while it is plugged in. They didn’t want the mouse to be seen as a wired device at all. The mouse hasn’t been redesigned since it came out 15 years ago, when wireless mice were somewhat uncommon

Just wait til they see how I use the Magic Trackpad.

I always thought they didn’t want people keeping it wired because Apple always made an effort to minimize cables around their hardware…

…But then I read a good additional reason, which is that the mouse movement during use would quickly deteriorate the socket and maybe the cable, because they’re not designed for that kind of workload.

I guess they could have created a new type of connector… but then a non standard plug would have other negative consequences (higher cost, having to stock and sell replacements, etc.)

I think it was probably drawn on a piece of paper by someone way to high up to argue with. Then the people responsible for implementing the idea just had to go with it.

Users of this mouse, how much of an actual inconvenience is the charge port being on the bottom? From the docs it says a month or more of usage from a single charge.

Personally, I find it really irritating. I will admit that I rarely use my mouse as it's in my (non home) office. Every single time I go to the office (whether it's been days, weeks, or months since last using it) I have to plug it in and wait. Does it take long? Not really, for now. I still hate it, though. It's just irritating. When the stupid thing's battery totally degrades it will be totally unusable because of the design. I hate that, personally. I have a 2011 MacBook Air whose battery died I don't know how many years ago but I can still use it because the charging port works and provides enough power to run the thing anyway. Sure, it's a mouse and not a whole computer so a significantly smaller investment or whatever but I do wish they'd just put the stupid bloody port on the front so I could use it like I (and everyone else seems to) expect to.

Yes, I should simply not have gotten the mouse in the first place if I hate it that much. I still hate it and the whole vendor ecosystem walled garden shenanigans apple do that led me to just get the apple mouse, but here I am complaining about it anyway lol

I was annoyed when I first started using them, but at this point I usually put it on the charger once a month and I haven't had it die on me in years. Typically I'll plug it in when I am putting my headphones on to charge for the next day and I get a feeling that it's been a while since I've charged it. It's really no big deal to me.

I've come to prefer the ergonomics of the mouse to a traditional Logitech type mouse. I also love my Mac full keyboard with numbers. Will never go back to a traditional keycap keyboard.

It lasts over a month easily for me. But charging is annoying enough that I have 2 of them and switch the other one to charger so I don’t need to stop work or use a different pointing device

I’m getting over a month of charge time. Worse case is - take my laptop off the dock and use the keyboard and mouse on it. The pain of everyday life on The Verge is legendary.

Incredibly mind numbingly annoying if you are even in a scenario where you want to use and charge at the same time. Sure it’s rare, but it’s so stupid

It means I have to remember to put it on charge before I leave the office, and I never do remember.

It stresses me out even trying to remember.

My current strategy is to set a calendar alarm at 6pm once a month to remind me to plug it in as I leave work that day. I'm hoping that works!

That I'm having to do that shows how bad a design it is.