The Computer Mouse

The computer mouse. This device is what allowed computers to be usable by the average person. Without the mouse there would be no graphical user interface (GUI), and without a GUI there would be no personal computers as we know them today.

Certainly with the advent of touch and other interaction technologies the mouse is quickly being usurped as the main interaction tool for the personal computer. But it still defined the way that computers could be be made reachable. You move something in the real world and that moves something in the digital world. The mouse bridged the gap between computers and humans. It was the translator between two different languages. Before, a person had to speak computer in order to communicate with it. The mouse brought about natural sign language as a means to talk to computers.

And, of course, aesthetically  the mouse is not repulsive. A person looks at a mouse and they are not intimidated by it. It very naturally portrays its purpose, both before and while using it. Not to mention the fact that the curves of modern mice make them comfortable to hold and almost cute to look at.

The mouse is the central hardware feature that made graphical interfaces possible. Without it the computer industry would not have gained the acceptance that it did.