The first computer mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart during the 1960s and was patented on November 17, 1970. Douglas was working at the Stanford Research Institute, a think tank sponsored by Stanford University. He originally named the mouse an “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System.”This mouse was first used with the Xerox1) Alto computer system in 1973. Because the mouse lacked success, the first mouse is credited to the mouse found on the Apple Lisa computer.
Apple Lisa mouse (A9M0050) was the very first commercial mouse sold in the marketplace. It was based on the mouse used in the 1970s on the Alto computer at Xerox PARC2). Unique to this mouse was the use of a steel ball instead of the usual rubber found in subsequent and modern mice. Though developed by Apple, it was actually designed by an outside firm, Hovey-Kelley (renamed IDEO in 1991), who built hundreds of prototypes and conducted exhaustive3) testing with focus groups4) in order to create the perfect device.
In 1983, Microsoft released the first Microsoft mouse. It came with three programs: a musical tutorial, teaching the user how to use a mouse; The Game of Life, a population simulator to familiarize users with using a command line5); and the Multi-Tool NotePad, a text-editing software.
There were two versions available of the Microsoft mouse. The first was for use with the IBM PC and came with a plug-in board6). The other was portable7) across any MS-DOS8) system and utilized low-power CMOS9) technology.
Logitech10)’s first consumer computing mouse, Logitech C7, developed in a farmhouse in Apples, Switzerland, came to market in 1985. The company’s first pointing device11) was actually created a couple of years before that, if you follow the Mouse Time Line on Logitech’s site.
By the late 1980s, Logitech had emerged as the leading alternative peripherals12) provider. After first releasing a 3-button mouse in 1982, Logitech introduced the MouseMan Left, MouseMan Right and MouseMan Large in 1990.
In 1995, Mouse Systems released ProAgio, the first commercial mouse with a scroll wheel, but few people noticed.
In 1996 Microsoft popularized the scroll wheel with the release of the IntelliMouse Explorer. It featured a rubberized plastic wheel placed between two standard mouse buttons that could also be pressed as a button. Rotating the wheel allowed easy scrolling of windows, among other functions.
The Apple “hockey puck” mouse appeared in 1998 was the first Apple mouse to support the USB peripheral standard.
1999 was as well an important year because Agilent13) revolutionized the computing world with the first LED14)-based optical mouse sensor! This mouse sensor worked without the need of a special pad, providing a breakthrough for the optical tracking15) revolutions. This LED-based sensor and its successors would later be used by Microsoft, Logitech, Apple and dozens of other companies.
Following Logitech’s improvements in RF cordless technology16), Microsoft released its first RF wireless mouse, the Cordless Wheel Mouse, marking the beginning of a wireless trend. Other peripheral makers followed suit with a new generation of more accurate and battery-efficient wireless mice.
In 2000, Apple released the Pro Mouse, its first mouse with an optical tracking sensor. It featured a monolithic17) surface button and a stylish, translucent oblong18) shape.
In 2003, Apple released its first wireless mouse, unsurprisingly titled the Apple Wireless Mouse. It used Bluetooth as its wireless protocol, but it still had only one button.
In 2004, Logitech released the first mouse to use a laser for optical tracking, the MX1000. The laser tracking system19), developed by Agilent, provides far greater accuracy than the previous LED-based optical tracking method.
2005 was a major for Apple because they released the Mighty Mouse, its first mouse to feature more than one button (four, in fact). The two main buttons were not physical, but instead used capacitive touch sensors20) with a tiny speaker to provide audible feedback21) for each click. The mouse also included a scroll ball that let users scroll in any direction.
In 2006, Apple released the wireless Mighty Mouse, which used the Bluetooth wireless protocol. In 2008, Logitech shipped its one-billionth mouse since it began selling them in 1982. In 2011, Cyborg22) released the R.A.T.9 Gaming Mouse. It’s really a piece of art!
第一只電腦鼠標(biāo)由道格拉斯·恩格爾巴特于20世紀(jì)60年代發(fā)明,并于1970年11月17日獲得專(zhuān)利。道格拉斯當(dāng)時(shí)就職于斯坦福研究所,一個(gè)由斯坦福大學(xué)出資創(chuàng)辦的智庫(kù)。他最初將鼠標(biāo)命名為“顯示系統(tǒng)X-Y位置指示器”。這款鼠標(biāo)最初于1973年被用于施樂(lè)公司的阿爾托電腦系統(tǒng)。由于這款鼠標(biāo)沒(méi)能獲得成功,人們普遍將蘋(píng)果公司莉薩電腦的隨機(jī)鼠標(biāo)當(dāng)做第一只鼠標(biāo)。
蘋(píng)果莉薩鼠標(biāo)(A9M0050)是市場(chǎng)上銷(xiāo)售的第一款商業(yè)鼠標(biāo)。這款鼠標(biāo)是基于20世紀(jì)70年代施樂(lè)帕克研究中心的阿爾托電腦使用的鼠標(biāo)開(kāi)發(fā)的,其獨(dú)特之處在于它使用了一個(gè)鋼球,而非后續(xù)開(kāi)發(fā)的現(xiàn)代鼠標(biāo)中常見(jiàn)的橡膠球。盡管這款鼠標(biāo)由蘋(píng)果公司開(kāi)發(fā),但它其實(shí)是由一個(gè)名為霍維-凱利(1991年更名為艾迪歐)的外部公司設(shè)計(jì)的。為了創(chuàng)造出完美的設(shè)備,該公司制造了成百上千個(gè)原型,并利用焦點(diǎn)組進(jìn)行了窮盡測(cè)試。
1983年,微軟公司推出了第一款微軟鼠標(biāo),同時(shí)還發(fā)布了三款程序:一款配樂(lè)指南,教用戶(hù)如何使用鼠標(biāo);《游戲人生》,一款能讓用戶(hù)熟悉命令行操作的人口模擬游戲; “多工具記事本”,一款文本編輯軟件。
當(dāng)時(shí)的微軟鼠標(biāo)有兩個(gè)版本:第一版用于IBM個(gè)人電腦,并附帶一個(gè)插件板;另一版采用低功率CMOS技術(shù),可支持任何微軟磁盤(pán)操作系統(tǒng)。
羅技有限公司的第一款大眾消費(fèi)電腦鼠標(biāo)羅技C7誕生在瑞士阿普勒的一家農(nóng)舍中,于1985年進(jìn)入市場(chǎng)。如果你去瀏覽羅技公司網(wǎng)站上的鼠標(biāo)大事記就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn),該公司的第一個(gè)定位裝置其實(shí)在羅技C7誕生的數(shù)年前就被創(chuàng)造出來(lái)了。
到20世紀(jì)80年代末,羅技公司已經(jīng)成為領(lǐng)先的備選周邊設(shè)備供應(yīng)商。繼1982年首次推出一款三鍵鼠標(biāo)后,羅技公司于1990年推出了“飛貂左手款”“飛貂右手款”和“飛貂大款”這三款鼠標(biāo)。
1995年,鼠標(biāo)系統(tǒng)公司發(fā)布了ProAgio鼠標(biāo)。這是第一款帶滾輪的商業(yè)鼠標(biāo),但是很少有人注意到它。
1996年,微軟公司發(fā)布的光學(xué)銀光鯊鼠標(biāo)普及了滾輪的使用。這款鼠標(biāo)的特色在于在兩個(gè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的鼠標(biāo)按鍵中間添置了一個(gè)塑料橡膠滾輪,該滾輪也可以當(dāng)做一個(gè)按鍵來(lái)按。滾動(dòng)滾輪就能輕松實(shí)現(xiàn)屏幕滾動(dòng)及其他功能。
蘋(píng)果公司的“冰球”鼠標(biāo)于1998年問(wèn)世,這是蘋(píng)果第一款支持USB外設(shè)接口標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的鼠標(biāo)。
1999年同樣是一個(gè)重要的年份,因?yàn)榘步輦惪萍加邢薰驹谀且荒臧l(fā)布了第一款基于發(fā)光二極管的光學(xué)鼠標(biāo)傳感器,徹底改變了電腦世界!這款鼠標(biāo)傳感器不需要特殊的鼠標(biāo)墊就可以工作,是光學(xué)跟蹤革命中的一大突破。后來(lái),這種基于發(fā)光二極管的傳感器及其后續(xù)產(chǎn)品被微軟、羅技、蘋(píng)果及其他幾十家公司采用。
繼羅技公司改進(jìn)了無(wú)線(xiàn)射頻技術(shù)之后,微軟公司發(fā)布了其第一款無(wú)線(xiàn)射頻鼠標(biāo)——無(wú)線(xiàn)滾輪鼠標(biāo),這標(biāo)志著無(wú)線(xiàn)趨勢(shì)的開(kāi)端。繼羅技公司之后,其他周邊設(shè)備制造商紛紛仿效,推出了新一代更精確、更省電的無(wú)線(xiàn)鼠標(biāo)。
2000年,蘋(píng)果公司發(fā)布了Pro鼠標(biāo)。這是蘋(píng)果公司第一款采用了光學(xué)追蹤傳感器的鼠標(biāo)。這款鼠標(biāo)的特色在于其一體化的表面按鍵和時(shí)尚的半透明橢圓外殼。
2003年,蘋(píng)果公司發(fā)布了其第一款無(wú)線(xiàn)鼠標(biāo),毫不出人意料地命名為“蘋(píng)果無(wú)線(xiàn)鼠標(biāo)”。該款鼠標(biāo)使用藍(lán)牙作為無(wú)線(xiàn)協(xié)議,但仍然只有一個(gè)按鍵。
2004年,羅技公司發(fā)布了第一款利用激光進(jìn)行光學(xué)跟蹤的鼠標(biāo)MX1000。與先前基于發(fā)光二極管的光學(xué)跟蹤方法相比,由安捷倫公司研發(fā)的激光跟蹤系統(tǒng)能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)更高的精確性。
對(duì)蘋(píng)果公司而言,2005年十分重要,因?yàn)樗谀悄臧l(fā)布了Mighty鼠標(biāo),這是其首款多鍵鼠標(biāo)(事實(shí)上是四個(gè)按鍵)。兩個(gè)主按鍵并不是物理按鍵,而是利用電容式觸摸傳感器,并配有一個(gè)微型揚(yáng)聲器,以便在每次點(diǎn)擊時(shí)發(fā)出回應(yīng)的聲音。這款鼠標(biāo)還帶有一個(gè)滾球,用戶(hù)可以用它向任意方向滾動(dòng)。
2006年,蘋(píng)果公司發(fā)布了采用藍(lán)牙無(wú)線(xiàn)協(xié)議的無(wú)線(xiàn)Mighty鼠標(biāo)。2008年,羅技公司賣(mài)出了其自1982年開(kāi)始銷(xiāo)售鼠標(biāo)以來(lái)的第十億只鼠標(biāo)。2011年,賽暴客發(fā)布了R.A.T.9游戲鼠標(biāo),這真是一件藝術(shù)品!
1.Xerox:施樂(lè)公司,美國(guó)一家辦公設(shè)備制造公司
2.Xerox PARC:施樂(lè)帕克研究中心(全稱(chēng)為Xerox Palo Alto Research Center),成立于1970年,是施樂(lè)公司最重要的現(xiàn)代電腦技術(shù)研究機(jī)構(gòu)。
3.exhaustive [?ɡ?z??st?v] adj. 詳盡無(wú)遺的,窮盡性的
4.focus group:焦點(diǎn)組(用于產(chǎn)品調(diào)研的一組調(diào)查對(duì)象)
5.command line:[計(jì)]命令行
6.plug-in board:[計(jì)]插件板
7.portable [?p??(r)t?b(?)l] adj. [計(jì)]可移植的
8.MS-DOS:[計(jì)]微軟磁盤(pán)操作系統(tǒng)(全稱(chēng)為Microsoft disk operating system,俗稱(chēng)DOS操作系統(tǒng))
9.CMOS:此處指由互補(bǔ)金屬氧化物半導(dǎo)體(complementary metal-oxide semiconductor)構(gòu)成的集成電路,其特點(diǎn)為低功耗。
10.Logitech:羅技有限公司,全球最著名的電腦周邊設(shè)備供應(yīng)商
11.pointing device:[計(jì)]定位裝置
12.peripheral [p??r?f(?)r?l] n. (計(jì)算機(jī)的)外圍設(shè)備;外部設(shè)備
13.Agilent:安捷倫科技有限公司,一家多元化的高科技跨國(guó)公司
14.LED:light-emitting diode的縮寫(xiě),發(fā)光二極管
15.optical tracking:[工程]光學(xué)跟蹤
16.RF cordless technology:無(wú)線(xiàn)射頻技術(shù)
17.monolithic [?m?n??l?θ?k] adj. 整塊無(wú)縫的
18.oblong [??bl??] adj. 長(zhǎng)橢圓形的
19.laser tracking system:激光跟蹤系統(tǒng)
20.capacitive touch sensor:電容式觸摸傳感器
21.audible feedback:聲音響應(yīng)
22.Cyborg:賽暴客,美國(guó)著名游戲機(jī)外設(shè)制造商