OSNews

"The circular mouse was designed in the way a mouse is supposed to be used anyway. We Americans like to "heavy hand" our mouse and really lean into it, hence all the different "gel filled" wrist support mouse pads on the market. The problem is, the Puck Mouse is designed to force you to do what you are supposed to do, and is why everyone seems to hate it so much."

I think you are right, or at least that is my personal experience. People tend to "grab" their mouse, tighten their hand muscles. The Puck Mouse by Apple was meant to be "held" loosely. Just lay out your hand on top of the mouse with your hand spread out on the table, or use your finger tips. But people tend to cramp their fingers and make their hand small to adapt to the small shape of the Puck Mouse and the button. I've used the Puck mouse for a time using a friend's Mac, and it wasn't a bad experience.

I also threw away my mouse pad and now use the larger table surface.
I like small(er) mice. I don't rest my hand on the mouse, enclosing it. I move my mouse with my finger tips and my hand and wrist stay relatively flat on the table and my fingers in a natural horizontal stretched out position. This is why I use the Apple one-button mouse. There's not much pressure put on the flesh. This new Apple mouse looks like a welcome addition.