This was the mouse that came with my new G4. I couldn't get used to it, even after using the same round mouse on other machines for a year, at different job sites and on my wife's iMac. I felt that the sides should be slimmer, to give better tactile feedback on the mouse's orientation. Third party products all looked too wide, ugly, and cost money.
I was eager to work on my own mouse in search of a solution. It turned out to be quite simple: I took off the sides.
Here's the result:
And from a different angle:
I make no claim that this will solve the round mouse problem for anyone else, but I'm quite happy. I have a mouse with definite tactile feedback, so I always know which way it's pointed.
The sides come off with a simple motion, start at the mouse cord, then at the opposite side, then flip the side cover up and off. Do the other side, and you're done.
- andrew johnson, Berkeley California