Why does Logitech hate Apple?

As the manufacturer of some of the most ergonomic and cutting edge computer accessories around, Logitech sure seems like they’re turning a blind eye to the Mac. Or maybe they’re just stupid, I haven’t decided. As I am writing this article, there are a total of five different Logitech products connected to my computer, and I’m starting to wonder why.

When I heard that Logitech had announced new mice, I was immediately intrigued, as my current Logitech mouse (the MX1000) has served me well for over a year; I was hoping I could convince myself to pick up this latest and greatest model. So this new mouse looked really good on paper, sporting dual scroll wheels and replacing the Forward-Back buttons on the side, which had always been a bit awkward for me to use. I did a quick once-over of the specs to check for compatibility, and lo and behold, they had just updated their Mac driver suite, the Logitech Control Center. It was even optimized for my Intel processor, as a Universal Binary. Score!

Four hours and $107 later, I was sitting in front of my MacPro dumbfounded as to why this brand new (and deliciously ergonomic) piece of hardware wasn’t connecting to my system. So I did what any responsible netizen would do, and trolled Google for any other people experiencing problems. I immediately found people with the same problem on Logitech’s support forums, and was aghast at the reason. Apparently, contrary to the packaging and all available web information, Logitech’s Reconnect utility is NOT compatible with Intel Macs. Next, I gave Logitech’s tech support a call, but they weren’t able to tell me anything useful. I learned that this was a known issue, but that the products had gone out mislabeled anyway, and that there was no projected date for a truly Mac compatible MX Revolution, nor for an updated Reconnect utility. They closed by telling me to return the product. This didn’t really sit well with me, since all I didn’t want my money, I wanted a working mouse.

Although Logitech may seem like a Mac-friendly company, they really only provide the bare minimum in terms of support; while this may have been okay in 2001, it is increasingly irresponsible now that OS X is mature and Macs play a more important role in the computing spectrum. Another product that we can only admire, but not use, is the DiNovo Edge wireless keyboard. It’s totally cool, and totally incompatible.

What we can do…

The following Logitech products are NOT compatible with the Macintosh platform:
-MX Revolution
-DiNovo Keyboard
-Any Logitech WebCam

Feel free to add any problems you’ve had with your Logitech products as well.

Email Logitech
When a product you buy from them doesn’t function properly or how it was advertised, we need to let them know. The only way they’ll get the message is if they hear people’s complaints.

Sign the Petition
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/logitechandmac#sign
Once this has reached a few more signatures, I will forward it to Logitech to show them that we want improved Mac support, and we want it for current AND future products.