The Pakistani Spectator

The only mechanical parts on a modern mouse are the buttons, which are typically sealed parts (the external “buttons” really just actuate the real button mechanism inside the mouse. Yes, you can break the plastic shell of a mouse, or you can break the actual buttons or crack the internal circuit board if you click millions of times or press particularly hard. You can do that with any product, though.

I haven’t seen optical mice getting their optics clogged. If you must, you can lift a mouse up, inspect the bottom, and wipe off any accumulated grime/hairs/whatever.

Trackpads can be broken too. A built-in trackpad on a laptop, or a separate desktop model like this Apple Trackpad, can be easily crushed or damaged by too much force placed on the surface. (And hey, the trackpad on the MacBook Pro? Remember how the entire surface is a button? That button is a mechanical part, too. It can break just as well, even just from repeated actuation.)

So please, tone down the “mechanical device from the 1970s” FUD. These newer input devices aren’t as vastly superior as you make them out to be, and the “old” technology you eschew has progressed technologically more than you’re giving it credit.

I suppose I should also point out that this idea isn’t new — I bought a desktop computer trackpad instead of a mouse over a decade ago and used it happily for a couple years before ditching it and going back to a mouse. There were just too many use cases where a mouse was the superior choice.