Surface Arc Touch Mouse not compatible on Windows 7?

Hi there,

I reply this thread as this is the only post I found useful in the web before I decided to purchase this arc touch mouse SE one month ago.  I was an arc touch mouse user (bought two) but both were laid down due to the damage to the receiver. The Bluetooth edition is really an amazing improvement for me.

I have to use Windows 7 x64 on my primary company laptop (recently replaced T440p with Intel WiFi+Bluetooth 4.0 LE 6235-N).

With the Bluetooth drivers provided by Lenovo System Update or on their website the mouse is workable but have to reconnect with the "Try again" trick every time it gets asleep. It's not a big problem and I am get use to it totally.

However after installing the latest Intel Bluetooth drivers from Intel website (17.0.1405.02, win7 x64), it is working great just as in Windows 8/8.1 as it should be!

So whether the mouse is workable is completely dependent on the support of the driver, not as claimed as Microsoft only Win8/8.1. Of course with Win8/8.1 it is more simple to set up.

I don't know why MS don't want to "officially" support this, as there are still large number of users have to be sticky to Windows 7 in the enterprise.

There is one more thing I'd like to ask MS to improve. As this mouse can only pair to "one" device. If you change the device, you have to repair it. Doesn't like BT headphone, can be paired and connected  to different devices automatically.

Hope my experience could help the rest of you who is still hesitant to it.

You seem to be defending the product and its specs, so I'll continue with this. 

First, please explain what "special edition" means and how this would function differently with a Surface than it would any other Windows 8 laptop or tablet.

Next, you are re-posting what was mentioned into the second post of this thread.  I quickly learned yesterday morning that it is not compatible with Windows 7, which is what led to my shock and anger.  I clearly did not read this information at the bottom of the web page before deciding this would be a great mouse for me.  Granted, I am not completely familiar with "Bluetooth Smart Ready" but I assume it is a new BT technology.  EVERY Bluetooth device I have ever seen or used will work with ANY Bluetooth device designed to pair with it.  Maybe I am wrong on this, but please show me another Bluetooth mouse that will only work with certain Bluetooth laptops.

Third, follow your link to the compatibility list, click on the product (as instructed by clicking on the three dots), and select Windows 7 from the dropdown menu.  It actually says it is compatible with Windows 7!!!  So it looks like it is not even obvious to someone at Microsoft.

Last, if what you say is true that there will never be a W7 driver, then I am returning it.  Sadly, Microsoft designed a great product, but failed to make it complete and as usable as one would expect.  Kind of sums up everything Microsoft does.  Really great ideas and innovative products, but just can't quite put it all together.  Hopefully the new CEO realizes and can make the colossal change to being a more customer-focused organization.

Thank you! The Intel driver update resolved the issue.

I'm running Lenovo X240 with Win7 x64.

Very simple here, don't assume and read the fine print.

Hello,

It would appear that compatibility is not directly related to the OS but to the ability of the system to connect to LE (Low Energy) bluetooth devices.

This may be related to your laptop's hardware (i.e. the bluetooth chipset does not support the functionality) or your drivers (the chipset might not have the latest drivers enabling LE connections loaded). From what I understand, in Windows 7, the functionality is not natively supported.

You could buy a Bluetooth dongle that supports the functionality, but you need to make sure that they provide you with the correct drivers for Windows 7.

I hope the above helps.