While checking out at the Apple store recently, I had an interesting conversation:

Me

Do you have any mouse pads?

Apple Guy

Uh, what?

Me

Mouse pads. Do you carry them?

Apple Guy

Mouse pads? *chuckles arrogantly* No, we've never carried anything like that.

Oh. But I'm from the camp that thinks they're a necessity -- even when using an optical mouse. Having it slide across the desk without any sort of traction just doesn't cut it. Not to mention the woodgrain on the desk occassionally throws off the tracking.

So I head over to Office Depot -- an office supply superstore. They have mouse pads. But all of them have patterns and designs on them. American flags, Grand Canyon panoramas, Faux water droplets, etc. I can forsee these patterns being a problem for optical tracking. So I leave the store empty handed.

I realize I could order a zillion of them online somewhere with no patterns, perfect for optical mice. But I'm merely documenting an observation, that the value of the mouse pad is just overlooked by so many. And I'm shocked that Apple doesn't try to capitalize on selling the coolest mouse pad ever created. Someone needs to tap this untapped market that's been poorly tapped thus far.

I remember buying my first Mac (a Classic II) and it came with a free Apple mouse pad. It was a great one, with a slipperly plastic surface. I wish I still had it, but it's gone. Where to, I can't say. perhaps it's now part of something larger.