621: I'll Meet You Any Time You Want

Mouse Design

The discussion on Apple's mouse design highlights the ongoing debate about its functionality and potential improvements. John Siracusa emphasizes the importance of weight in a mouse, as it is constantly moved, unlike a trackpad, which remains stationary. Marco Arment questions the necessity of certain features, noting that Apple's love for taptic engines might not solve any real problems with the mouse 1. Rumors about a new Magic Mouse with touch, voice controls, and hand gestures were met with skepticism, as John doubts the practicality of voice control in a mouse 2.

Apple loves taptic engines, so we'll see.

--- John Siracusa

Casey Liss adds that wireless charging could make the mouse ambidextrous, but Marco dismisses this idea as impractical 1.

   

AirPods Signals

The team explores the perplexing communication signals from Apple's AirPods, particularly the confusing noises and light indicators. Casey Liss expresses frustration over the unclear audio cues from his AirPods Pro, noting the lack of a comprehensive guide to interpret these signals 3. John Siracusa humorously suggests that understanding these sounds is akin to deciphering a foreign language, yet he manages to intuitively respond to them based on their emotional tone 3.

I give the sound designers credit for being able to convey some sort of emotional state through the beep boops.

--- John Siracusa

Marco Arment and Casey discuss the absence of common issues like battery problems in the newer AirPods Pro models, but the mystery of the noises remains unsolved 4.