I was in my local Apple Store the other day looking for an additional battery for my MacBook when I decided I needed two Bluetooth mice for my computers. That’s always the case when you go into a store looking for one thing and walk out with something completely different. They didn’t even have the battery so I had to buy something or it was a wasted trip. I was looking for a mouse for my MacBook as well as a mouse to replace the Logitech LX501 connected to my Mac Mini.

I had ordered my Kensington Studio Mouse online and was search of a keyboard when I purchased my Mac Mini. I had picked up the Mac Mini from a local Apple retail store and the price had just dropped on the Apple Keyboard to $29 so I decided to pick one up. I was using a G5 with the same keyboard and I got used to using it on a daily basis. In fact I am writing this article on the G5 with the Apple Keyboard. For the most part it takes a little getting used to but I actually like how it feels.

I bought the original Mac Mini as I have mentioned in previous articles the first week it was released. At the time I was using it as a desktop machine and was looking for a keyboard and mouse to match up with the unit. I decided since it would be my budget machine I wanted reasonable peripherals that would work for me. I opted not to purchase a wireless keyboard and mouse set because I didn’t feel like I really needed them to be wireless and those units tend to cost more than traditional wired sets. I had been using the Apple Keyboard with a G5 for some time and to be honest I actually got used to it and like it quite well. As for the mouse I did not really care for the Apple single button mouse. At the time the Apple Mighty Mouse had not been released so I looked toward third party mice. There was a great deal at Best Buy for the Kensington Studio Mouse and I was able to pick one of them up for under $10 shipped. I figured that it was cheap and it had a scroll device and a couple of buttons with the low cost and features I thought I would give it a shot.

I was looking for a wireless keyboard and mouse combo for the Mac Mini I have in my living room connected to the Samsung HL-R4667W. I searched the Internet for suggestions from other users and for the most part most companies did not support Bluetooth solutions for Mac OS X. I could have gone with the Logitech Bluetooth DiNovo keyboard or the Microsoft Bluetooth Desktop set, but all the functions of either of those units are not fully supported in Mac OS X. Looking at the Apple solution of their Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, I felt that they did not have enough of the features I was looking for. I don’t know why this seemed to bother me because I use the standard Apple Keyboard and Mouse on a Apple Power Macintosh G5 as well as a Powerbook G4. I guess when I buy things it all depends on what I’m feeling at the time of purchase.