I recently purchased the Logitech MX Revolution based on
word-of-mouth. Judging from the rave reviews that have been
posted across the Internet, one would think that this was the
greatest mouse ever invented. Having purchased most of the
expensive Logitech mice of the past, I tend to agree that their
mice consistently rank as the best money can buy.
That being said, I am rather disappointed in the MX Revolution.
Over the past year I switched from being a long-time PC user
to a new Mac owner. Switching to a Mac was the best thing I
ever did. What I noticed, however, is that Logitech seems to to
do a half-arse job of making their products compatible with OS X.
In fact, they specifically go out of their way to make as few of their
products "Mac friendly" as possible. You see absolutely no driver
support for any of their high-end keyboards or webcams.
The perfect example of how Logitech once again has alienated Mac
owners is clearly evident with this mouse. Look at the drivers disc
that is enclosed with the packaging and you'll notice it's windows only.
In order to get Mac drivers for this mouse, you need to go to the
Logitech website and wade through several pages of support material.
To make matters worse, the drivers do nothing to enhance the
mouse experience. I have not found any way to control tracking
speed (though fortunately the default speed is fast). Additionally,
if you want to set up specific commands for this mouse such as
"one button search" with Google, you'll find it doesn't work. The
option that lets you scroll horizontally doesn't even work. Quite
simply, the drivers for Mac don't work here.
So, what remains for me is rating this product as an ordinary
mouse. Sure, it's a very light and comfortable mouse that fits
snugly around the hand, but not much more elaborate than most
other cordless mice I have used as of late. There's a "turbo wheel"
of sorts that allows super fast scrolling through webpages, but I
have yet to figure out how to make it work. You are supposed to
configure it through the Logitech Control Center, but the instructions
are rather complicated as there are several modes of scrolling and
clicking that need to be set up, and the instructions are rather vague
as to how to do it correctly.
Many people have complained about the wireless range of this
mouse. Supposedly, based on many reviews I have read, this is
a huge problem. I am happy to report that the USB receiver is hidden
behind my Mac Pro about 2.5 feet away from the mouse and I have
no issues with signal loss. The mouse is extremely responsive.
The Logitech MX Revolution comes with its own charger that is
greatly streamlined from those that came with older high-end mice.
When you place the mouse in the charging cradle, there are small
lights that indicate how much charge is left in the mouse. This is
one feature I greatly appreciated.
Beneath the scrollwheel there is a small button that I think most
people have mistaken for being a scroll speed enhancement.
Unfortunately, it's just a simple button that you can push to perform
a search function. In Mac, the button brings up SPOTLIGHT search.
However, as I have stated previously, attempting to set the button
up for GOOGLE search or the like will not work on Mac.
The bottom line here is that the Logitech MX Revolution, as with
most Logitech products, is probably best suited for Windows users.
Mac users have grown to learn that Logitech just isn't fond of OS X
and goes out of their way to deny driver support for that OS.
Mac users beware! Yes, you are getting a wonderful mouse that
is light, comfortable and very chic! However, you are also getting
a product that is barely usable above being an ordinary cordless mouse.
*** Note: It has been brought to my attention that PERHAPS these
defect issues are only relevant to the Mac Pro.
