The future of the computer mouse

Believe it or not, the computer mouse has been around for almost half a century. Still, we find it as one of the most important input devices for our computing needs. More than ten years ago, when I started to use computers, the mouse was a luxury item. No one needed it in the age of DOS commands where the keyboard was king.

A few years after, the Windows’ GUI has made it an integral part of computing. Today, it’s probably impossible to use a computer without it. It has also gone a long way, evolving from the mechanical mouse to the optical mouse to touchpads and pen tablets.

The BBC News website featured an interesting article today, entitled, “Say goodbye to the computer mouse.” It explores the future of the mouse as an input device given today’s developments in gestural input devices.

Take the Nintendo Wii controller or the multi-touch screen, for example. Both offer creative and fun ways to send information to your computer. They do somehow eliminate the need for pinpoint accuracy in moving the mouse pointer. Gestural input devices just feel a bit more natural – as if you’re actually manipulating what’s on-screen.

Just take a look at this video of the Microsoft Surface:

So is it really time to say good bye to the computer mouse? Maybe not now. But soon is a possibility.