Bought a new iMac two weeks ago. Went for the Wireless Keyboard and the Wireless Magic Mouse.

Batteries in the keyboard are still showing 100%. The mouse batteries are showing 70%. That mouse is going to eat up a lot of double AA batteries. Seems not smart that Apple (having of course tested the mouse and noting the problem) did not set the mouse up for rechargeable batteries.

I never shut off the keyboard, nor the mouse. But the keyboard is doing fine so far. But not the mouse. Besides, I doubt that shutting off the mouse will save on its batteries. One would surely be entitled to assume that with good design and no mouse action there is no drain on mouse batteries.

I've got to say that the mouse is functionally attractive. Among other things, scratching its back makes it scroll like mad.

Shutting them off does indeed save batteries. While they are turned on they are still running, waiting for you to press a key or move the mouse, and wake the computer.

Thanks for that.

But if shutting off is required, Apple's recent wireless keyboard and wireless magic mouse are currently looking like significantly underdeveloped inventions.

If, to get Apple's predicted four months use for those two peripherals, one has to shut them down every time one walks away from the computer to shop or go play tennis (I always shut down the computer at night), then some of the pluses of those two peripherals are lost. (I know: Apple makes it easy to shut them down via a menu bar icon. But still -- this frequent need for shut down is not, clearly, the way of a happy customer world.)

Moreover, how come my keyboard batteries are looking good but not my magic mouse batteries? I shut down neither, and I'd say I use the keyboard much more than the mouse. If shut down of the two is needed, how come the keyboard is doing okay but not the magic mouse?

Apple has a nice thing going with the wireless keyboard and the magic mouse, but there is still some techie applicational research yet to be done to make Apple's four months prediction for use a veridical prediction. And for many (not me), the wireless keyboard is as much of a disaster as the magic mouse -- regarding the unwanted need for short term battery renewal. Have you googled these problems?

But if shutting off is required, Apple's recent wireless keyboard and wireless magic mouse are currently looking like significantly underdeveloped inventions.

Not at all. They do enter a lower power mode after awhile, ('go to sleep') but they have to stay on, consuming power, to be able to tell if you move the mouse or press a key on the keyboard. That's basic electronics.

I have been using Duracell rechargeable NiMH batteries in my Apple Mighty Mouse. The batteries weigh more than regular ones, so they probably make the pad on the bottom of the mouse wear out faster if the mouse pad is abrasive. The batteries appear to provide about three weeks of service before they need to be recharged. Mac OS X provides a low battery warning with plenty of time to spare.

Apple Battery Charger.