Logitech MX Master: A Good Choice for Mac Users?

By Wasi Alam

To start off, the Logitech MX Master is by no means a gaming mouse, leave that to Razer and RAT. That means I won't be talking from a gaming perspective at all.

The Logitech MX Master could be considered the leader of ergonomic mice. And that may be true for some, but does it really live up to it’s expectations for Mac users? Lets find out! 

The answer lies not in the uncountable features the mouse has such as multi-device connection and reprogrammable buttons, which are helpful, but the real answer for Mac users lies in the gestures the mouse supports. If you're a Mac user, you’d know that a whole lot of productivity takes place through gestures, you can activate mission control, launchpad, you can go back web pages in Safari, swipe between full screen applications, and much more. But even with the MX Master’s ‘gesture’ button, it still doesn’t deliver as many gesture capabilities as Apple’s trackpad or even their magic mouse, which is a problem. It just doesn't feel natural to hold down a button, and move your whole mouse left or right to swipe between apps, and even that is a hit or miss.

That's really the only deal breaker for many mac users. But what if you use a trackpad alongside your MX Master? There's a couple of reasons some people don't do that:

1. Keyboard shortcuts are 'enough' to increase productivity (and yes, I find that this is true).
2. Switching between the two devices decreases productivity.
3. Add up the prices for both devices and you have a grand total of $175! (they're only mice!)
4. For video editors, the MX Master has a side scroll wheel so there's no need for a trackpad.

Just these reasons are enough to turn someone away from buying both a trackpad and an MX Master together.

You see, there's a certain market the MX Master is made for. Its the powerhouse users who work on Mac Pros and either use a trackpad as a secondary mouse or completely dislike the idea of a trackpad and prefer the mouse. They need a good mouse solution that will increase productivity yet won't hold the shape of a magic mouse, which has them take a visit to the doctor's office every time they try using it. 

Despite this, hobbyists still get this mouse, and I don't blame them, the MX Master one good looking, well designed, and feature-packed mouse that you shouldn't buy. 

The previous MX mouse, the Performance MX, is a much better deal for the price you pay. You get a lot of the same features for only $50! And if you're lucky enough, you can get one off of eBay or Craigslist for $35 or less. 

Clearly, for the price you pay, for the average Mac user, the MX Master isn't worth it unless you're a power user who uses both a trackpad and a mouse. And even then, I would still recommend you use the trackpad that comes with your current Mac, you'll find that you're much more productive than if you used an MX Master, or any other mouse for that matter. Other than that, if you still decide you want an MX Master, take a look at the difference in price between the MX Master, Performance MX, Apple's Magic Trackpad, and Apple's Magic Mouse (which I haven't talked about too much). Then go ahead and make your decision.

In the end, whichever way you go, I'm staying with the trackpad!