In an unexpected, yet entirely unsurprising move, Logitech has announced a new mouse with an important feature that everyone surely can’t wait to get their hands on: a button dedicated solely to pulling up a large language model, AKA an AI interface.
It’s no big shock that Logi’s decided to cash in on the AI craze, and in reality, there’s nothing massively wrong with this mouse. Nobody’s forcing you to buy it, and the button its AI shortcut replaces (a DPI selector) was one almost nobody uses, anyway. And, to be honest, some who do find utility and novelty in LLMs might well appreciate the new, smarter pointer.
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So we’re trying to lay off our cynicism toward the Signature AI Edition M750 Wireless, which is basically a copy of the discontinued M750. After all, it’s not Logitech’s fault that AI’s become the latest buzzworthy craze since NFTs.
It’s also not Logitech’s fault that some folks are pretty fed up with the whole field already. So it’s worth giving the AI mouse a shot, as skeptical as we may be, and see how useful it could possibly be.
What Logitech’s AI mouse button does
Located just below the scroll wheel, when you click the M750 Signature’s new button, it opens the Logi AI Prompt Builder overlay on top of whatever you’re doing. In other words, it’s a single button that performs a preset, relatively complex action that would otherwise take a few or several keystrokes to accomplish.
Wait a second.
It’s just a macro button (that you can’t customize)
This isn’t anywhere near the first mouse with a macro button. Some of our favorite wireless mice have one, as do countless other models, whether wired, vertical, gaming-focused, or silent. Logitech’s own MX Master series makes great macros. You can find $20 wired gaming mice on Amazon with surprisingly comprehensive software that allows for multiple configuration layers and, you guessed it, custom macros. And those don’t even sacrifice the DPI selector (not that you’ll ever use it).
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At least Logitech does seem to have curated its own AI interactivity support. It is just ChatGPT, but it does sport a specialized interface that helps you tailor the output to your work’s specific needs, without taking up much screen space. And if you’re just dying to try out Logitech’s most advanced software, the Signature AI M750’s your only choice.
Calm down, Logitech’s AI button isn’t hurting anybody…right?
ChatGPT doesn’t have a mind of its own (yet, anyhow), but Logitech’s overall software experience certainly seems to at times. It makes great mice that satisfy tons of users, but there is one common complaint: Logitech software stinks.
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Sometimes it connects and works the way it says, if you’re lucky. But the internet’s flooded with frustrated accounts of trying to get Logitech’s hilariously inconsistent customization, connectivity, and feature-enabling software up and running. Even when working with two or 3 devices running the same operating system, some tech-savvy users have given up trying to fully utilize the company’s software features.
But, hey, at least it’s just a mouse. It’s not like the software can hog many resources or get in the way, right? Hahaha, wrong! Logitech software, in basically all its iterations and names, tends to put some pretty inextricable hooks in your Windows installation. I’m sure my registry’s still littered with orphan Logitech keys.
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And just wait until you’re actively using the mouse for something and it decides to update the software. You can try disabling automatic updates. It might work. Or you might keep getting software update prompts when you restart your computer.
OK then, I just won’t install Logitech’s software, you think mischievously, and I’ll use the operating system’s built-in macro configuration tools. Fine, but then return your new Logi AI mouse, because you can’t use Prompt Builder without the company’s dedicated software.
(Side note: even if you don’t install Logitech’s software, it will continue to remind you to do so, ad nauseam, sometimes even in defiance of obvious settings selections. Make it make sense.)
The worst part? Somebody will certainly buy it
Suffice to say, its utility is questionable; It may be a fine mouse, but it’s hard to imagine it being a ton more efficient than a few well-practiced keyboard shortcuts or actual custom macros. And, for that matter, its $50 MSRP is somewhat of a head-scratcher for what’s honestly a pretty basic device.
By all indications, this is little more than Logitech’s attempt at taking advantage of the AI explosion’s fever pitch. It’s not particularly exciting, doesn’t offer anything unique, and almost certainly won’t take the world by storm.
