Celebrating 1 Billion Mice: Logitech’s 10 Best Over the Years

Last week, Logitech announced a big milestone– the peripheral giant had sold its 1,000,000,000th mouse (that’s one billion!).  How did Logitech get there, from its first mouse in 1982?  Here’s our look at the 10 Logitech mice that changed the way we use our computers…

Logimouse C7 (1985)

It was clunky, in a worn out looking beige with nothing in the way of ergonomic design. It was also the first retail mouse to bear Logitech’s name, so it deserves a little credit. The C7 featured three buttons — an idea that remained in many of the company’s designs over the years — and gained popularity by costing $80 less than Microsoft’s mouse.

Trackman (1989)

Okay, so the original version looked a bit like a transport container from the old X-Wing PC game, but the trackball on top was a great alternative for those who just couldn’t roll with a conventional mouse. The Trackman name has endured, transforming into sleeker models that look more like mice and less like space transports.

Pilot Mouse (1989)

Scrolling through this blog, are you perhaps making use of a slider wheel? If so, give it up for Logitech’s Pilot Mouse, which, according to the company, became the world’s best-selling three button mouse. The designers probably had no idea how much scrolling we’d be doing in the Internet age, but we’re thankful this feature eventually became the norm.

Mouseman (1991)

Without ergonomics, we’d all be suffering from carpal tunnel, arthritis and flat out pain from constant PC use. Logitech had already introduced mice with more natural contours two years earlier, and Microsoft beat them to the punch in 1987, but this one could be found in left-handed and big-handed models. Muscle pain affects everyone, you know.

Logitech Kidz (1991)

This one looks like a rodent. Get it? We appreciate that the Logitech Kidz design was meant for younger computer users, but we don’t understand why it resembled the creatures you’d least like to see around the house. Jump to 2003 and you can see why Logitech made their kiddie mice to resemble ladybugs and footballs instead.

MX700 Cordless Optical Mouse (2003)

Let’s face it: Cordless mice were cool at the turn of the millennium, but they were battery fiends. The MX700 was the first wireless mouse to recharge at a docking station, which doubled as the RF transmitter. It was also fast, reportedly matching the speed of a regular mouse connected by USB.

MX510 Performance Optical Gaming Mouse (2003)

Logitech had extended its Wingman series of gaming devices into mice in 1999, priding itself on fast response times. The MX510 was also fast enough for uber ownage, but added programmable buttons. In addition, it came in a sleek red or blue design for those times when your skills couldn’t impress on their own.

MediaPlay Cordless Mouse (2004)

Ideally, a good mouse saves time by making it easier to navigate your computer. The MediaPlay extended that idea by adding controls for the computer’s music and video players, such as volume, play, fast forward and rewind. Coincidentally, the retail store Media Play began to collapse around the same time period.

MX Revolution (2006)

Did we already mention how we love scroll wheels? Dubbed by Logitech as “The World’s Most Advanced Mouse,” the MX Revolution has an alloyed wheel that lets you speed through Web pages and Word documents. Individual speeds can be assigned to each application, so you don’t have to worry about driving over the limit.

MX Air (2007)

For years, mouse designers had been devising ways to beat the mouse pad. The optical mouse came first, then the laser mouse, which was conducive to a wider variety of surfaces. The air mouse, however, eliminates the surface altogether by using motion control, gesture command and wireless. Logitech’s MX Air gets bonus points for appearing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, at an exhibit that explored how science meets design.

Thanks for reading, StyleCravers, Diggers, Stumblers and otherwise!  Have you ever owned a Logitech mouse, having contributed to the number of one billion?  Do you own a Logitech mouse now?  Do you prefer another brand, or no mouse at all?  Share with us your thoughts in the comments.  In the mean time, be sure to share this with your friends and vote it up on your favorite social media site!