Launch of Microsoft Mouse in 1983

On 02/05/1983, Microsoft introduced the Microsoft Mouse, its first hardware product, marking the company’s entry into peripheral devices. The mouse was released alongside Microsoft Word for MS-DOS and was designed to help users interact with graphical and text based software using point and click input. The device featured a rectangular shape, two buttons, and a steel ball mechanism for tracking movement. It connected to computers through an interface card and was bundled with software that demonstrated mouse driven navigation. The Microsoft Mouse shipped with applications including Microsoft Word, a tutorial program, and utilities that allowed users to experiment with cursor based interaction. At the time, most IBM compatible PCs relied primarily on keyboard input, and Microsoft promoted the mouse as a tool to improve productivity and ease of use. The company also provided developer tools to encourage software creators to add mouse support, anticipating wider adoption of graphical interfaces such as Microsoft Windows, which had been announced in 1983 and released in 1985. The 02/05/1983 release marked the beginning of Microsoft’s hardware efforts, which later expanded to include keyboards, input devices, and other PC accessories. The Microsoft Mouse established an early foundation for mouse driven computing on DOS and Windows systems during the 1980s.