It is of utmost importance to keep in mind that the mouse (regardless of its physical appearance) is used for input.
You can use the mouse to tell any device that supports a mouse what you want it to do.
Depending on your device, you can use a mouse to…
- move the screen arrow or “cursor” (admittedly not very exciting on its own 😴)
- navigate a device (or simply explore or “noodle around” it)
- cause menus to appear (and then in turn carry out a great number of tasks from those menus)
- open files and folders
- open applications (or “apps”), close applications, switch between open applications
- perform basic operations such as restarting a device, shutting it down and putting it into sleep mode 🍿
- and more!