If you happen to be waiting for your Magic Mouse to charge, head on over to the blog of Ivan Kuleshov. Instead of staring at your mouse as it lies upside-down while it’s plugged in, you can read about how Kuleshov created an ergonomic Magic Mouse that fits the hand better and can even be used while charging.
The Magic Mouse has a notoriously low and flat profile that prevents it from properly fitting in the hands of many users. Using 3D-printed parts, Kuleshov made an outer shell to raise and slightly tilt a Magic Mouse. He also modified the mouse’s internals, using a riser to lift the upper dome of the Magic Mouse to the top of the shell. Other modifications were made to preserve the mouse button functionality.
Kuleshov also modified the Magic Mouse’s battery with a USB-C charging port located on the rear of the mouse so it can be used while charging. Kuleshov’s hack wasn’t able to show that the battery was charging in macOS (no lighting icon) but the percentage went up, indicating that it was charging.
Kuleshov isn’t selling modified Magic Mouses or the parts; this was a passion project. Kuleshov even took the hack a few steps further and he added a pulsating backlight. The backlight involves a Raspberry Pi and an additional battery, which he was able to fit inside.
The end result is a Magic Mouse that would have Jony Ive choking on his Earl Gray tea. Kuleshov does a decent job of making sure the ergonomic lift maintains some sleekness, but his mouse ends up portraying a clash of form versus function. It actually makes it more obvious how much the Magic Mouse’s design isn’t user-friendly.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor
Roman has covered technology since the early 1990s. His career started at MacUser, and he's worked for MacAddict, Mac|Life, and TechTV.