Timeline: History of computer mice

1963

First Computer Mouse

Bill English constructs first mouse prototype based on Douglas Engelbart’s sketches. This mouse uses two perpendicular wheels attached to analog potentiometers to track movement. The first mouse has only one button, but more are to come

1981

Ball Tracking

Xerox produces a commercial mouse for its expensive 8010 Information System (aka the “Star”). It features two buttons and ball tracking. However, the entire Star system sells for over $20,000, dooming it and its mouse to relative obscurity.

1982

Dome shaped mouse

Logitech sells its first mouse, the P4, designed by Jean-Daniel Nicoud. This dome-shaped device, among the first commercial mice available, sells for $299

1991

First Wireless Mouse

Logitech releases the world’s first wireless mouse to use radio frequency (RF) transmission, the Cordless MouseMan. Unlike infrared (IR) cordless solutions, Logitech’s mouse does not require line-of-sight with a base station to work

1995

Scroll Wheel

Mouse Systems releases ProAgio, the first commercial mouse with a scroll wheel. Few people notice.

1996

Better Scroll Wheel

Microsoft popularizes the scroll wheel with the release of the IntelliMouse Explorer. It features a rubberized plastic wheel placed between two standard mouse buttons that can also be pressed as a button. Rotating the wheel allows easy scrolling of windows, among other functions.

1999

Optical Mouse

Agilent develops the first optical mouse sensor that works without need for a special pad, providing a breakthrough for the optical tracking revolution. This LED-based sensor and its successors would later be used in mice from Microsoft, Logitech, Apple, and dozens of other companies.

2004

Laser Optical Mouse

Logitech releases the first mouse to use a laser for optical tracking, the MX 1000. The laser tracking system, developed by Agilent, provides far greater accuracy than the previous LED-based optical tracking method.

2008

Arc Mouse

Featuring a revolutionary new design shaped like a crescent moon, the Arc Mouse folds closed to reduce in size by almost half, giving consumers the comfort of a full-size mouse with the portability of a notebook mouse.