For the last seven years I've used an original Apple Wireless Mouse. That's the model without the laser tracking engine, easily soiled scroll nub or even the ability to simulate a right click. To provide some context, I bought it alongside my 12 inch PowerBook G4 way back in 2003. But a few weeks ago that mouse stopped working. So, as I still prefer a mouse whenever I'm sitting at my desk, I ordered the latest and greatest in Apple mousing technology: the Magic Mouse.

All in all, it's a nice product. The Magic Mouse feels sturdy, thanks to its mostly aluminum construction, and tracks much more accurately than my old mouse. It must also have a much better Bluetooth radio or better internals than its older sibling, as it connects and disconnects much more quickly than the original Wireless Mouse.

Of course, the "magic" moniker likely refers not to the aluminum body or laser tracking engine, but rather to the fact that the Magic Mouse has a multitouch shell, capable of separately tracking five fingers and detecting complex multitouch gestures. It's quite nice to be able to right-click with my real mouse for the first time in seven years. The scrolling with momentum works quite nicely, and feels quite natural, especially as I've become so used to the behavior on the iPhone. Scrolling from the top to bottom of a long page takes just seconds, but that capability doesn't come at the price of being unable to scroll precisely.

I don't know that the Magic Mouse is really "magical," however. It certainly has more advanced technology than many pointing devices with less whimsical names. But even my laptop's giant buttonless trackpad can detect more complicated gestures than the Magic Mouse. And, beyond that, it's not as if the Magic Mouse can conjure a bottle of Champagne out of thin air.

Apple also likes to associate the word "magic" with the iPad, billing it as, "A magical and revolutionary product." Just how magical that device is will have to wait until mine arrives in early April.