Why is Apple trying to re-invent the mouse?

I was looking up some screen shots of Apple’s Magic mouse. Its features seem to be a mixture of how the usual mouse works and a laptop’s touch pad. It connects with wireless and claims to have an advanced laser engine which makes the mouse effective and usable on almost any surface. The features are all great but it still begs a question to be asked. Why is apple trying to re-invent the mouse?

Apple Magic Mouse

• The Magic Mouse as a seamless top shell. This features seems to be inspired from touch pad of the laptops. With no buttons, the entire mouse itself is the left or right click button.
• An advanced laser engine the Magic Mouse claims that there is not need for a mouse pad. It can apparently work on any surface.
• The best feature of the mouse could be its support for various gestures. It claims you can flip through pages on the browser as if you are flipping pages of a magazine.

Why a Magic Mouse?

Apple has had unparalleled reputation of coming up with products which have gone on to become household items. Take the instance of iPod. This product revolutionized the music industry. It went on to become not just a cool gadget but a gadget that everyone had to have. There were no real serious players in the market for gadgets that played mp3 files. So Apple was tapping into a untapped market.

With the Magic Mouse it is trying get into a market with many players who are well entrenched. Unless Apple plans to only make Magic Mouse usable with Mac Machines, I can not see this product from Apple making any sense.

What do you think about the Magic Mouse? Sure it looks great but do you think it will really go out and serve a need that is genuine? Let me know through your comments.