Logitech Makes 1 Billionth Mouse 456
Smivs writes "Logitech has hailed as a major landmark the production of their one billionth computer mouse.
The news comes at a time when analysts claim the days of the mouse are numbered.
'It's rare in human history that a billionth of anything has been shipped by one company,' said Logitech's general manager Rory Dooley.
'Look at any other industry and it has never happened. This is a significant milestone.'
The computer mouse will achieve a milestone of its own next week when it turns 40.
It was 9 December 1968 when Douglas C. Engelbart and his group of researchers at Stanford University put the first mouse through its paces."
how can it be rare when there is an abundance? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:1, Funny)
Companies? I can name a few ex-girlfriends...
Bus mouse (Score:4, Funny)
Remember when the "bus mouse" was the cool upgrade over a crappy serial-port mouse, and you had that extra 8-bit ISA card with the funny port on it? IRQs ? I/O ports ? That was back before teenage girls took over the Internet.
Re:You'd need fewer mice if they were built to las (Score:5, Funny)
That's weird. Why on earth would a Mac user not simply use the supplied Apple brand mouse? Oh, right.
Speaking to your criticism directly, I have about half a dozen Logitech mice, spanning a decade, that all work flawlessly. The only reason I have bought more since the first one 11 years ago has been to keep pace with technology (optical, wireless, 2d scroll wheel, laser, etc.)
Then again, it's not like I use mine for grueling tasks like ejecting CDs.
Re:What about Microsoft? (Score:4, Funny)
You are our one billionth customer! (Score:5, Funny)
I wonder if when they ship this one billionth mouse to a customer, they will include in the box a flashing ad telling him that he is the one billionth customer and should click here to claim his prize.
Yes it is true. Very rare (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, a billionth of most things are microscopic in size. So shipping it is quite difficult. Great job logitec.
Re:What about Microsoft? (Score:4, Funny)
I'm curious to know how many mice Microsoft has shipped; theirs seem to be more plentiful than Logitech's in the wild.
That's because they pull their own cords and escape to the woods. They're a lot less house-trained than their Logitech counterparts.
Re:Bus mouse (Score:3, Funny)
God damn it I need another 25 pin to 9 pin adaptor, AND I need a gender bender! I wish those manufacturers would standardize... oh wait
Yeah I remember playing with jumpers and dip switches to avoid IRQ conflicts. Damn I am too old. Funnily enough, cyberspace was a lot quieter back then. The punks couldn't afford it. Looking at the present economy, they won't be able to afford it again soon.
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:4, Funny)
Well, I have only indirect evidence of this, but roughly 1 billion seconds ago my parents were getting busy.
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah, you need a lot of mice to make a big mac.
Mice? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What about Microsoft? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What about Microsoft? (Score:3, Funny)
As others have mentioned, if you turn over most of the OEM branded mice the come with a computer, you'll see a Logitech logo on it.
Thanks, I just turned over my lenovo mouse to check, and blinded myself with the laser
Re:One billionth? Ha, that's nothing (Score:3, Funny)
No, he meant no other industry has shipped a billion mice.
Re:One billionth? Ha, that's nothing (Score:5, Funny)
Re:You'd need fewer mice if they were built to las (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:4, Funny)
cornflakes
Re:You'd need fewer mice if they were built to las (Score:3, Funny)
I'd imagine that the manufacturing in all cases is done by Wun Hung Lo Light Industry and Pre-Used Organs Conglomerate in China. Branding is largely superficial.
As an aside though, the Microsoft Explorer Trackball [google.co.uk] was a Microsoft custom job that Logitech have never produced a direct competitor for. I mention this because, being Microsoft, they killed it off despite its popularity in its niche. Used examples are now selling for $250 and rising on eBay, and there's even a market for cleaning kits and maintenance marketed specifically at this device; I doubt we'll ever see any particular Logitech branded pointing device being missed as much.
What are we going to do tonight, Brain? (Score:4, Funny)
Same thing we do very night, Pinky: try to take over the world! You see, I have commissioned a company by the name of Logitech to deliver ONE BILLION mice, an army large enough to overwhelm any defence system known to man.
[ding dong]
Ah, that will be my delivery. Soon, Pinky, the world will be ours for the taking.
Crikey, Brain, these mice are kind of odd. Why are their tails so long, and what is this hard shell [toc] all around them?
Re:1 billion is not uncommon for some things (Score:3, Funny)
Other things that must ship in the billions: screws, nails, paper clips, thumbtacks, staples, sweets (candy), baked beans, soda, LEDs (actually almost any discrete electronic component), copier paper, post-it notes, coins, pens, pencils, bin liners ...
... posts nitpicking that quote...
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:5, Funny)
Not just the processing, but the design. It's not like someone mixes up a big bowl of ground beef, a few eggs, spices and whatever, then roughly forms round-ish patties before shipping them out.*
Everything produced for McDonald's is the result of a very stricly controlled manufacturing process to ensure that every meat-like patty, every tallow-spiked fry, every creepily long-lasting chocolate shake is the same to within very strict tolerances, whether you eat it in Miami or Whitehorse.
Make no mistake; that Quarter Pounder with Orange Dairy-Like Substance(TM) is as much the product of a technical manufacturing process as your Cordless Trackball with Media Whiz-Bang!(TM).
.
*That only happens at good burger joints.
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:5, Funny)
Same nutritional value, mind you.
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:4, Funny)
find me a single company that has shipped 1 billion units of a non-consumable product. Maybe Hanes with their underwear?
Believe me, I eat a lot of spicy foods. My Hanes last about as long as a consumable.....
Re:You'd need fewer mice if they were built to las (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:4, Funny)
Depends what you consider a lot. Obviously you need one to direct the action, and maybe two or three others to gather all the components and.. oh wait. Oh God, that's not what you meant at all, is it? You sick, sick man.
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:3, Funny)
I wouldn't be surprised if Budweiser ships (far in excess of?) 1 billion units a year
And that's just to Chico State!!
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:4, Funny)
Congratulations! You're the billionth Slashdot post to misspell its.
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:3, Funny)
Try our new 68-button MegaMedia(TM) Mouse with built-in subwoofer!!!
I just finally threw caution to the wind last year and duct-taped an old mouse on the bottom of my keyboard. 108-button mouse, biatches! Doesn't have a subwoofer, but I still have duct tape left over.
Re:You'd need fewer mice if they were built to las (Score:4, Funny)
It's fun to become agitated AND I learned an OSX function I never new about ;-)
That's the Mac experince in a nutshell.
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Any othetr industry?? neve happened? (Score:5, Funny)
You assume that there isn't any mouse in the burger.