I have been using a Mac since 2012, and since then I have not used an external mouse (I did buy an external trackpad, and also own an iMac with trackpad incl...
I can’t speak for Macs that far back, but PC laptop trackpads in the late 90s and early 2000s did suck pretty hard. Many of the gestures people are used to on trackpads today originated with Macs, IIRC. I remember PCs having the capability to scroll by using the edge of the trackpad. That’s when I remember trackpads actually starting the get OK.
I can’t speak for Macs that far back, but PC laptop trackpads in the late 90s and early 2000s did suck pretty hard. Many of the gestures people are used to on trackpads today originated with Macs, IIRC. I remember PCs having the capability to scroll by using the edge of the trackpad. That’s when I remember trackpads actually starting the get OK.