Microsoft Readies Mouse, Keyboard For The MacMicrosoft Readies Mouse, Keyboard For The Mac

Microsoft Corp. on Friday said it plans to release in the summer a wireless mouse and keyboard for Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac, the first time the software giant has shipped a product specifically for an Apple computer.

The keyboard and mouse is expected to ship as a package, with a suggested retail price of $99.95, a company spokeswoman said. Microsoft, however, could not get permission to use the Apple logo normally found on a key at the bottom left of an Apple keyboard, so the key will have a clover instead. The key will perform all of the same functions.

Microsoft decided to ship the Mac-only product after hearing from customers that its Mac-compatible keyboards, which also worked on PCs, were lacking some features for Apple computers.

"There are certain features Mac users want that are missing in one keyboard targeting both (platforms)," the spokeswoman said, citing, as an example, a hotkey for ejecting a DVD or CD.

The keyboard will feature Microsoft's curvy, ergonomic design that provides a more natural fit for the hand. The mouse will feature Microsoft's "high-definition laser technology" that the company claims is more accurate than competing products.