By Katie Marsal

Published: 09:00 AM EST (06:00 AM PST)

Apple on Tuesday officially took the wrappings off its wireless Mighty Mouse, a new version of its popular multi-button mouse made wireless.

The device offers a reliable, secure connection to Macs and features a new laser tracking engine that is 20 times more sensitive than standard optical mice for better tracking on even more surfaces, the company said.

The $69 wireless Mighty Mouse includes up to four independently programmable buttons and a Scroll Ball that lets users scroll in any direction.

"We cut the cord on our popular Mighty Mouse to give consumers even more flexibility when using a Mac," said David Moody, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Mac Product Marketing. "A Bluetooth-enabled Mac desktop with an Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mighty Mouse is the ideal cable-free setup at home or in the office, and the wireless Mighty Mouse is the perfect travel companion for the MacBook user on the go."

The wireless Mighty Mouse is a Bluetooth 2.0 based multi-button mouse that retains the simplicity of a single-button mouse, and can be used as a single- or multi-button mouse depending on the user’s preference. It features a single seamless enclosure with programmable touch sensors that act as primary or secondary buttons.

"With a simple click on the upper right or left side of the mouse, users can instantly access features such as contextual menus found in Mac OS X and other applications," Apple said. "The wireless Mighty Mouse's two other buttons are activated by pressing its Scroll Ball and squeezing its sides, and can be easily programmed to give users one-click access to Mac OS X Tiger features such as Spotlight, Dashboard and Exposé, or to launch any application such as Safari or iChat."

The wireless Mighty Mouse also features an advanced power management system that automatically switches to low power modes during inactivity, and an off switch to maintain battery life while not in use. Ready to use out of the box, the wireless Mighty Mouse works with either one or two AA batteries.

Pricing & Availability

The wireless Mighty Mouse is available immediately through the Apple Store, at Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $69. It connects to the latest Macs with built-in Bluetooth wireless technology, and requires Mac OS X “Tiger” version 10.4.6 or later to customize buttons for one-click access to Spotlight, Dashboard and Exposé or to launch applications.