BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as the Grinch hated Christmas, click here.

Magic Mouse: It's a bit too expensive for stocking stuffer territory, but we've called the nipple-less design the best mouse Apple has ever made. And if you can't appreciate touch-sensitive scrolling, you have no soul (or, at least not one that we can see). $70 [Apple]

Buffy Gelaskins: Loving Apple will only half-fill one's necessary geek quotient. Your loved one will do well filling the other half with Buffy, now that Dark Horse comics has teamed up with Gelaskins re-stickable case skins for the iPhone and MacBooks. $15 iPhone, $30 MacBook. [Dark Horse]

iMac (27-inch i7): You simply won't find a more striking desktop on the market, but maybe more importantly, benchmarks on Apple latest top-tier iMac are currently challenging far more expensive Mac Pros. Plus, the line has just seen a refresh, so it's a good time to buy. $2200+ [Apple]

BookArc Stand: No, it's not the gift for everyone. But if you know a guy who just docks his MacBook anyway, the BookArc Stand is a far more elegant solution than sitting a laptop on a desk (especially since the laptop should run cooler given the increased surface area for airflow). [BookArc]

Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree (T-Shirt): Who says the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? This t-shirt, that's who. $18. [Go Ape Shirts]

Apple Tablet IOU: Apple fanboys love Apple's products. But true Apple fanboys—those who take commitment and fanaticism to the next level—could never be pleased with what Apple currently has on the table. They need the Next Big Thing. We're about 1000% certain that Apple will release a tablet some time in 2010. Promise your loved ones that you'll camp overnight and drop the cash so they get the Apple Tablet first. Of course, they'll still bitch about it, anticipating version 2.0. Price Unknown, Costs Some Dignity

DON'T BUY MacBook Pro: There has simply never been a worse time to buy a new MacBook Pro. With Core i5/i7 tech inevitably waiting to make its way into Apple's premium laptops, your hard-earned cash will almost certainly buy a vastly more powerful, more future-proof machine less than a month after Christmas. The same can probably be said about Mac Pros, too. Oh, and that 27-inch iMac we keep raving about? What a glorious alternative to the aging, 30-inch Apple Cinema Display! [Apple]

Wall of Sound iPod Dock: There are iPod docks, and there are iPod docks. This is most definitely the latter, a handcrafted, 3x4-foot, 225lb, 125W beast. And one day, when Apple inevitably tweaks the iPod port, this behemoth will be useless—feeding into the general regret and dissatisfaction critical to Apple fandom. [Wall of Sound]

Don't forget to recommend your own favorite Apple gear in comments-include pics and pricing if possible.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

They're also painting the Magic Mouse now, too. It'll cost you $100 to buy one through them ($30 premium), or $30 bucks to send your own in. Considering how easy it is to scuff the damn thing, a shiny new coat of paint might be what the doctor ordered for Mac-heads with OCD. [ColorWare]

Microsoft:
• Windows 7: A Weekend Install Guide and More
• You Guys Had Some Wild and Crazy Windows 7 Launch Parties
• Japan's Windows 7 Whopper Is Real, and It's Horrifying
• Behold! The Saddest Example of Promotional Convergence Ever!
• Microsoft's First Retail Store Opens (Like Apple Store With More Colors)
• Windows Mobile 7 Screenshots Leak: Where's the Start Button?
• 38 Surefire Ways (Not) to Make Windows 7 Cooler
• 7 Reasons to Stick with Windows XP
• 27 Takes on Windows 7
• Windows 7 Review: You Can Quit Complaining Now

Apple:
• Apple iMac Review: 27 Inches and Less Chin
• Unibody Apple MacBook Review
• Apple Magic Mouse Review
• Time Capsule and Airport Extreme Grow New Antennas to Get Faster and Stronger
• Mac Mini Updates: Faster Processors, More Memory, and a Dual Hard Disk Server
• 10 Things You Need to Know About Apple's New Stuff

Barnes & Noble
• Exclusive: First Photos of Barnes & Noble's Double Screen E-Reader
• Barnes & Noble's Dual-Screen Nook: $260, Eats the Kindle's Lunch
• Barnes & Noble Compares Nook to Kindle 2: Biased But Fair
• Live From Barnes & Noble's Nook Event
• 8 Reasons You Can Finally Love Ebook Readers (Thanks to Nook)
• Barnes & Noble Nook Up Close: Yep, It's Real Nice

The Rest:
• FCC: We're Going to Make Net Neutrality the Law
• The Totally Predictable Cable Industry Response to the FCC's Net Neutrality Plan
• John McCain's "Internet Freedom Act" Seeks to Block FCC's Net Neutrality Rules
• Motorola Droid Unexpectedly Appears on Motorola's Site Ahead of Schedule
• Canon 1D Mark IV: The $5000 New King of Cameras
• Canon 1D Mark IV 1080p Night Vision Videos Are Simply Incredible
• Canon 5D Mark II Firmware Update Unlocks 1080p Video at 24FPS
• Nikon D3s Hands On Photos and Video: DSLR Night Vision Is a Beautiful Thing
• 48 Stunning Photos of Fall

Major findings (and we use the word major so loosely we might as well not have bothered): The Magic Mouse uses the Broadcom BCM2042 Bluetooth chip, it's covered in capacitive sensors from the Apple logo on up, and it's hard to break into. Science fails to beat magic once again. [iFixit]

As we said in the hands-on, the mouse has one piece of clear white plastic on the top, curved, like a Dove bar. It has both right and left clicks, like the Mighty Mouse, but differentiates itself from other mice with its touch-sensitive scrolling and two-fingered gestures. That's the big selling feature (other than the fact that it is a beautiful looking mouse).

As a mouse

The Magic Mouse is a very, very pretty mouse—something you wouldn't feel like you had to hide when not in use—and looks different enough from other mice that people will ask who made it, before awkwardly mumbling a nevermind as they spot the grey Apple logo.

Compared to ergonomic mice, the Magic Mouse is really low and aerodynamic, which means it doesn't contour to your hand and doesn't give the sensation that the mouse is a part of your hand, like Logitech mice tend to. But it is Bluetooth, so you don't need an extra dongle, and it's powered by two AA batteries, which get up to four months of use per charge, according to Apple.

Physically moving the mouse and mousing is fine and smooth, since there are two plastic bars on the mouse's underside that minimize contact with whatever surface you're on.
Even though there's no clear delineation between right and left buttons on the mouse itself, the Magic Mouse knows to interpret a click on the left or right half appropriately (though right click needs to be activated from inside System Preferences before you can use it).

As for tracking, it's a pretty standard laser technology that tracks decently on most surfaces, including jeans and chairs. Still, the Magic Mouse doesn't have the crazy tracking ability that Logitech's MX mice just introduced—so it can't track on glass, and it can't track on glossy surfaces like the 13-inch MacBook.

The scrolling

The one thing Apple did completely right in the Magic Mouse was the touch scrolling. It's fluid, natural and works with any amount of fingers on over 75% of the mouse surface (all the way down to the Apple logo). Flicking up and down gets you up and down web pages fast, as long as you have "momentum" turned on in the settings. Turn it off and you get fine-grained 1:1 scrolling—good if you want to slowly navigate through a PDF doc.

You can also click with one finger and scroll with another, letting you highlight blocks of text like you would on a normal scrolling mouse. On the whole, there's no major piece of scrolling functionality (other than a middle click) that you lose transitioning from a standard scroll wheel to this touch-sensitive solution. You just get the ability to scroll in 360 degrees as a bonus.

The only flaw is that you sometimes activate the left (or right) click when you're scrolling too emphatically. I suspect this is just something you'll get used to over time, but it can be annoying when you're trying to scroll and you navigate somewhere else instead.

Using two finger swiping to navigate web pages, on the other hand, is a bit more awkward. You'll need to pinch the mouse on the sides with your thumb and fourth/pinkie finger while you're scrolling, forcing you to make a painful eagle claw all the time.

What it can't do

As good as the swiping gestures are, they're limited in what you can actually accomplish with them. You can't use more than three fingers at a time, because you won't have enough fingers left to hold the mouse. There's also no option for touch-sensitive clicking, like in trackpads, something that would have been cool to have just as a bonus. You also can't tell which side is up just from touch until you click down and feel nothing happen.

So far the Magic Mouse is only compatible with the iMacs that they ship with, but will get broad support soon.

It also can't manage to stay free from scratches, similar to white MacBooks that also get scratched very easily. But the blemishes don't interfere with the mouse's functionality—it's just painful to watch any new product lose its pristine finish so quickly.

Is this the best mouse Apple has ever made?

Yeah, it is. The Magic Mouse is much better than the Mighty Mouse, which people hated, and might actually be good enough that non-Mac users might want to pick it up as well, supposing that they don't really care about ergonomics. Since it fills the gap between a tiny travel mouse and a full sized desktop mouse, the Magic is in a good position to grab users on both ends.

It looks very nice

Touch scrolling works well

Swiping is less comfortable

Not very ergonomic

1. iMacs Get Next-Gen Processors
The most important upgrade to iMacs is that they'll now support Intel Core i5 and i7 processors for prices starting at $2000. You can buy a Core 2 Duo model for $800 less, but...I mean...really?

2. The iMac Is a Cheap Monitor, By Apple's Standards
A 30-inch Cinema Display will still run you $1,800 while a new 27-inch iMac starts at $1700. Oh, and now the iMac can work simply as a monitor through its mini DisplayPort, too.

3. Apple Sees the Mac Mini as a Server, Not an HTPC
Apple may have given the Mac Mini a slight spec boost and the option to load Leopard Server, but it still missing the critical feature it needs to be a competitive home theater PC—the HDMI port.

4. New Metal Remote Looks Like an iPod Design Reject
For those who couldn't stand the humiliation of using a white, plastic remote with their black-and-silver iMac, there's a remote for that.

5. Replaceable Batteries Are Dead in Apple's Entire Laptop Line
The trusty old white MacBook was holding out, battling designers' attempts to replace its swappable battery with a longer-life non-swappable version you see in every other modern Apple laptop. Today, it lost that battle.

6. Apple Still Hates Buttons, Nubs, Etc
The multitouch Magic Mouse has risen over the Mighty Mouse's corpse, and as Jesus points out, the whole no-button design is déjà vu.

7. Jobs' Polycarbonate MacBook Must Have Slipped Off His Lap
Not only is Apple keeping the white MacBook around, they've added a non-slip rubber bottom in what may be the most aggressive design change since May 16, 2006, when the model original launched.

8. Time Capsules Should Be 60% Less Frustrating
Anyone who's grown tired of the ridiculously slow experience of interfacing with the Time Capsule, know that Time Capsules have seen a tacit spec boost promising to make systems "60 percent faster than before."

9. Jonathan Ive Could Still Sell a Ketchup Popsicle to a Fanboy in White Gloves
Also of note, sales on Hanes midnight blue tees are going through the roof, and big muscles don't make you look dumb so long as you speak with an Essex-region English accent.

10. No, the Nook Is Not an Apple Product
But it's about a bajillion times closer than the Kindle.

The first was the Apple Pro Mouse. I got one free at the July 2000 Macworld Conference & Expo in New York City. After taking tons of crap for the original iMac's hamburger mouse, Steve Jobs conceded and happily presented the insanely great Apple Pro Mouse. So insanely great it was that he gave one free to every person in the audience. I got two, because I'm greedy like that (and my first wife was with me at the time).

It's still my favorite Apple mouse ever. It was sleek, all in black, with two layers of polycarbonate: One transparent outside, the other translucent black inside. It felt like it was made out of mercury, with its circuitry glowing in laser red. Like the Apple Magic Mouse, it also clicked, with a crunchabolous clickity-clack noise more satisfying than biting a five-Pringles stack.

Sure, it only had one button. I didn't care. I would rather have one button that works every single time, than two fake buttons that work so-so, two side-buttons that I had to deactivate because they were driving me crazy, and a nipple that gets dirty quicker than a Bangkok brothel, except that this whiskered hooker never works. That's the Apple Mighty Mouse. One lousy mouse that will not be missed.

The strange thing about the Magic Mouse is not how it works. It is that you have different gestures than on a standard Macbook Pro trackpad.

One obvious example: Since you move the cursor by moving the whole mouse with your hand, there's no point in also using one finger to move the cursor, like on the trackpad. Moving your finger on the surface of the Magic Mouse allows you to scroll in all directions, 360 degrees around.

You can also scroll with two or three fingers, if you move them up and down. But if you swipe them from side to side while using a web browser, your browsing history moves forward or back.

Physically, the mouse is beautiful, and feels nice. The top is made of white polycarbonate that matches the keys on Apple's keyboards. It is one seamless touch surface, and, logically, there is no Mighty Mouse scroll nipple.

The surface can also simulate the left and right buttons. Unlike in previous Apple's mice, the two buttons work perfectly. This time they also added physical feedback, so when you click the buttons, you actually get the entire surface to click—like the original clear Apple mouse.

The mouse runs on AA batteries, and Apple claims 4 months of use per set. You can get it with the new iMac or pay $69 separately.

There was a small thing I noticed, though: the mouse would sometimes move when I tried to scroll — I can maybe get used to this, but it was a thing that happened to me and my presenter who definitely had more time with the mouse. The other reason why Apple went with fewer fingers for swipe and scroll gestures, besides the issue of pointing already being taken care of by the mouse's table action, was because you need your ring finger to hold the mouse properly or the thing slides on your desk.

Also, the mouse will be software configurable for lefties.

Apple Introduces Magic Mouse — The World's First Multi-Touch Mouse

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today introduced the new wireless Magic Mouse, the first mouse to use Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch™ technology. Pioneered on iPhone®, iPod touch® and Mac® notebook trackpads, Multi-Touch allows customers to navigate using intuitive finger gestures. Instead of mechanical buttons, scroll wheels or scroll balls, the entire top of the Magic Mouse is a seamless Multi-Touch surface. Magic Mouse comes standard with the new iMac® and will be available as a Mac accessory at just $69.

"Apple is the Multi-Touch leader, pioneering the use of this innovative technology in iPhone, iPod touch and Mac notebook trackpads," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Apple's Multi-Touch technology allows us to offer an easy to use mouse in a simple and elegant design."

Magic Mouse features a seamless touch-sensitive enclosure that allows it to be a single or multi-button mouse with advanced gesture support. Using intuitive gestures, users can easily scroll through long documents, pan across large images or swipe to move forward or backward through a collection of web pages or photos. Magic Mouse works for left or right handed users and multi-button or gesture commands can be easily configured from within System Preferences.

The Magic Mouse laser tracking engine provides a smooth, consistent experience across more surfaces than a traditional optical tracking system. Magic Mouse uses Bluetooth wireless capabilities to create a clean, cable-free desk top and its secure wireless connection works from up to 10 meters away. To extend battery performance, Magic Mouse includes an advanced power management system that works with Mac OS® X to automatically switch to low power modes during periods of inactivity. The wireless Magic Mouse is powered by two AA batteries which are included.

Pricing & Availability
Magic Mouse comes standard with the new iMac and is available at the end of October through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), at Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $69 (US). Magic Mouse requires Mac OS X Leopard® version 10.5.8 or later.

What team of scientists invented this thing?

You'd think some major corporation would be doing R&D on something like this (and that could very well be the case), but this MagicMouse was actually designed by a group of Worcester Polytechnic Institute students, and it was good enough to be honored by a Popular Science 2007 Invention Award.

Who knew you could move your cursor around on your PC by doing a little tai chi? The device consists of just $155 worth of parts and uses standard mouse protocol. We'd like to see what would happen if you turned this thing loose on a few Nintendo Wii-like games. – Charlie White

Inside the MagicMouse: The Story of a 2007 PopSci Invention of the Year [WPI, via PopSci]