The mouse retire after 40 years?

Surely other devices will be invented and take over in popularity, but just consider how much the mouse has changed over a brief period of time. Other methods may be used but probably some mouse-like devices will remain. Perhaps, though, they will be called by a different name.

I don't like the idea much. What if you sneeze? what about fingerprints all over your screen?! We have a saying here, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Hi Zenith, you always bring the freshest ideas here. The first electrically powered computer occupies a room now it can be hand held. The first hard disk we have was 4MB and its so bulky now a 32Gb USB drive will fit the key chain. The trend is miniaturization. When I first use the computer the mouse was not even invented yet. I for one will not be surprised the mouse even the keyboard will be all phased out. Advancement in technology should be welcome or we wont get no where.

I think that it would be great not having to use a mouse. I did not realize it was 40 years old. We have to have a birthday and retirement party for the mouse. Remember when the mouse had ball? Now it is ball less.

No the mouse will not be replaced.

Well, thank you, you just made my day!!! I hope the mouse DOES retire soon!! As much as I love it, I hold it (& my poor posture, & improper monitor/mouse/... position) accountable for my worsening back & neck problems & scoliosis!!!! So if it retires, I wanna dance at that party too!! Bye bye mouse!! (hopefully, something better will come along?) I don't thing touchscreen is 'the future' really, but I'm open to other options, or a combination of them... :)

[i]I have been hearing this at least for the last oh... 15 years or so... gyro devices (pointing devices like on the Wii) and things you wear on your head or eye recognition... it's not even out there yet much less ready to penetrate the mainstream market anytime soon. I don't think we will see the mouse FOR A COMPUTER go away anytime soon. I think more appropriately that we will see a moving away from the computer altogether and therefore other devices like pointing devices being used as people surf the net from their cell phones, televisions, and other devices that aren't even out yet.[/i] Thanks Zelo

well in this world of changes nothing seems to be impossible people tend to become very unpredictable and they do things you dont even expecty of them anmd at a point we just need to get out of limelight so why not?

zenith2007 hi well wow I do not really know,it seems to me we will probably keep both mouse and the facial recognition and touch screen. we olsters willhave to learn a whole new set of rules then and will surely miss our mouses. or mice lol.

I have a laptop so I don't have a mouse I use a touchpad, which I do find is much better and easier to use than the conventional mouse. Touch screen technology is good but the screen needs to be kept clean and I've often found ticket machines with touch screens don't work too well after a few sticky or sweaty fingers have touched them! I know technology already exists for disabled people to use keyboards using eyes and face muscles but I don't know a similar system would ever be popular for general computer use. A small child can easily learn to use a mouse, so can an old person. If we all have to keep learning new ways of interacting with our computers it will not be good news.

Hi Zenith! It is difficult to say 'yes' or 'no' considering the nature of development of present day technology. As you rightly said, the mouse has penetrated into our daily lives and we find it difficult if it doesn't work for a minute or two. It has become a part and parcel of the system. But on the other hand, did we foresee years back that a thing called mouse would come into such a useful existence? Similarly, the prediction of the analyst may become true also after forty years, totally replacing the mouse! We have to wait and see only!

[b]The mouse will become obsolete, oh no. My online commuting wont be complete with out it. But i'm aware that technology is improving day by day. Someday that would be possible.[/b]

i find it hard 2 believe but who knows... there are so many gadgets we have now that we would have never dreamed of before so anything is possible

yes, why not... bye bye mouse. even though I have a laptop, I attach a mouse to navigate. Touchpads are tricky especially with the finer work (such as photoshop). I wouldnt mind a touch screen, but considering the functionality of that (dirty finers, have to move hand to screen) while working on say a word document. it would work fine with a laptop where the screen is near the keyboard. but with a regular computer it might be hard to reach the screen. I dont think the mouse will retire without a proper replacement for it. That is how it goes in the world of technics. we can not stand still and hold on to something that works. It needs to be reinvented and then replaced by something new.

It doesn't really matter to me one way or the other. I don't have a traditional mouse with my laptop anyway, I use the touchpad. For work, we use one where you touch the screen to select your options as opposed to the mouse. I'm already used to not having one, but I think a lot of people would be reluctant to give one up.

good day.. i think the mouse wouldn't retire just yet as long as there are people who would still be using it. But as computer technology grows everything will eventually retire and will be replace by something new. From monitors to Lcd's, from monochromes to wxga and from floppy disk to blue ray. That's just how it is.

I think, any technological gadget fades really fast anyway including the mouse. Every gadget becomes so obsolete. So it is not surprising that even the mouse will come its end soon also. Sad, but it's for the betterment of society or user. On the other hand, I think that will also be cool to tinker on different new ways of browsing the computer.