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MacBook sharp edges
- Thread starter smgoldin
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For the last year, my hands have gotten more and more numb. Just diagnosed with carpal tunnel in both hands. I just realized what I think is the cause. I had a MacBook for a couple of years, followed by a MacBook Pro for the last couple of years, and all along I've hated how the edges were so uncomfortable. People who say they never rest their palms on the computer must never sit with their computers on their laps. I run an on-line store and work on the computer day and night...on the sofa, in bed, in hotels, on planes, etc. My partner just got a new MacBook, and I am astounded that MAC hasn't improved the edge issue. Today I picked up my daughter's HP laptop today and was amazed how much more comfortable the edge design is. I'm sticking with MAC, but I really wish they'd listen to us. And sure, we should all be sitting at computer desks so our arms hang at ergonomically perfect angles...but these are LAPTOP computers. They should be designed as such. (I am now propping up the back of my computer so the front edge is lower and doesn't put as much pressure on the wrist/arm.)
I really tried people. I have the delicate hands of a violinist and flutist so it's not because of my thick skin. I pushed as hard as I could and quickly swiped my finger along the edge of my MBP. NOTHING except a indentation left in my skin that went away in a few seconds. Not cuts, no bruises, nothing. And when I type, it doesn't cut off my circulation either; I have thin wrists too. If you have problems, you are not typing correctly. There's a wrong way and a right way. There even is a diagram in your manuals.
Sharp edges on the MBP's and MBA is a "MAJOR" design flaw, something missed and completely overlooked by Apple's Engineers.
Forget about the typing position, just handle your notebook all day everyday, not just typing but picking it up, moving it around anytime you make contact with the edge 'anyone' would agree it's "sharp" and it certainly does NOT need to be sharp.
So they could of spent penny's changing their drawings and Engineering plans to make the edge more rounded/less sharp - not rocket science at all, the simplest of CNC.
Something so simple to fix should of been addressed whether it bothers everyone or not ....
.... what is the benefit of having sharp edges - NONE
... what is the benefit of having a blunt or rounded edge - MANY
so why again did they leave the edges so sharp? .... an engineering mistake that went to far before anyone could fix or avoid the problem ... the result 10's of thousands of people around the world wishing their notebook didn't have sharp edges....
Forget about the typing position, just handle your notebook all day everyday, not just typing but picking it up, moving it around anytime you make contact with the edge 'anyone' would agree it's "sharp" and it certainly does NOT need to be sharp.
So they could of spent penny's changing their drawings and Engineering plans to make the edge more rounded/less sharp - not rocket science at all, the simplest of CNC.
Something so simple to fix should of been addressed whether it bothers everyone or not ....
.... what is the benefit of having sharp edges - NONE
... what is the benefit of having a blunt or rounded edge - MANY
so why again did they leave the edges so sharp? .... an engineering mistake that went to far before anyone could fix or avoid the problem ... the result 10's of thousands of people around the world wishing their notebook didn't have sharp edges....
if i use it at my desk then there's no problem, but when i'm in bed checking email and stuff it really bother me. i have to put a blanket to cover the edges.
I bought my mbp about 3 weeks ago. My first thoughts, thanks to this forum, was oh boy now I get to see how sharp these edges are. Well I saw, smooth as a babies bottom, I have no idea how you guys are typing, but since Ive been with a computer since the age of about 3 I have very good typing positions. I have no problems what so ever.
No. Never has Apple marketed a -laptop- computer. Every single time they refer to what MacBook is, they call it a notebook, because that's exactly what this is. A notebook, not a laptop. You're NOT supposed to use these things on your lap, they're meant for flat, stable surfaces only. That hasn't been a problem with me through 4 MacBook generations (White MB, unibody MacBook, MacBook air, and now MacBook Pro 13). To be honest everyone I know uses their MacBooks on their desks only.
enough said ... a picture is worth a thousands words ...
that's from a brand new 13" MBP ...
the area of my wrist where it's cut is about where my wrist would sit on the edge of the notebook if I where to rest my hands while typing ...
... but, I *don't* rest my arm on the edge of the notebook while typing ... this cut on my wrist came from me sitting on the couch with the 13" MBP on my lap, legs on the coffee table in front of me ... my iPhone was on the coffee table, it rang and I quickly reached over to get the phone, in doing so my inner right forearm brushed against the edge ... in the very beginning it didn't look 'cut' more of a fine line scrape but within 24 hours that's what it looked like, plus aluminum is a nasty thing to cut yourself on.
there's more photo's of cut wrists on the net, just google it.... one another mac forum somewhere there's a group of people collecting names or whatever to sue Apple or get them to fix the problem ... again google...
It's an interesting read, and a valid point ... there is no reason to have a 'sharp' edge capable of cutting skin on "any" consumer product, laptop, camera, toaster or TV ...
I'm in the Consumer product design/manufacturing business, it is a flaw, no doubt Steve Jobs and/or some exec's at Apple are concerned about this, and pissed because they overlooked such a simple avoidable problem.
If you're not typing and just using the trackpad I'd bet a large percentage of people's palm of their hand will come into contact with the edge, especially on a 13" because the trackpad is closer to the edge than the 15" due to the size...
I returned that 13" MBP by the way with a photo of the cut enclosed in the box as the person on the phone told me to do, I never heard anything back and it's been a few months ....
I tried a 15" instead, hoping since it's a different size my palm or foreman wouldn't come into contact with the edge as much... but it does, the 15" edges are as sharp as the 13's.
I've bought a bunch of mac's for my company, there's not a person here who won't agree the edges are sharp ...
... and no, I don't have thin skin prone to cuts or anything like that, it's one strong man'ly forearm and Apple's product sliced it good
that's from a brand new 13" MBP ...
the area of my wrist where it's cut is about where my wrist would sit on the edge of the notebook if I where to rest my hands while typing ...
... but, I *don't* rest my arm on the edge of the notebook while typing ... this cut on my wrist came from me sitting on the couch with the 13" MBP on my lap, legs on the coffee table in front of me ... my iPhone was on the coffee table, it rang and I quickly reached over to get the phone, in doing so my inner right forearm brushed against the edge ... in the very beginning it didn't look 'cut' more of a fine line scrape but within 24 hours that's what it looked like, plus aluminum is a nasty thing to cut yourself on.
there's more photo's of cut wrists on the net, just google it.... one another mac forum somewhere there's a group of people collecting names or whatever to sue Apple or get them to fix the problem ... again google...
It's an interesting read, and a valid point ... there is no reason to have a 'sharp' edge capable of cutting skin on "any" consumer product, laptop, camera, toaster or TV ...
I'm in the Consumer product design/manufacturing business, it is a flaw, no doubt Steve Jobs and/or some exec's at Apple are concerned about this, and pissed because they overlooked such a simple avoidable problem.
If you're not typing and just using the trackpad I'd bet a large percentage of people's palm of their hand will come into contact with the edge, especially on a 13" because the trackpad is closer to the edge than the 15" due to the size...
I returned that 13" MBP by the way with a photo of the cut enclosed in the box as the person on the phone told me to do, I never heard anything back and it's been a few months ....
I tried a 15" instead, hoping since it's a different size my palm or foreman wouldn't come into contact with the edge as much... but it does, the 15" edges are as sharp as the 13's.
I've bought a bunch of mac's for my company, there's not a person here who won't agree the edges are sharp ...
... and no, I don't have thin skin prone to cuts or anything like that, it's one strong man'ly forearm and Apple's product sliced it good
Attachments
You've GOT to be kidding !!!
Laptop's / Notebooks whatever you want to call them, people use them EVERYWHERE that's why they bought a portable device !!!
Rediculous.
MBP 17" cut my wrist badly too...
Bought my new MBP 17"
Bluewater, early Feb 2010... within an hour my wrists slid over the sharp edges when I was surfing... cool thought I, till the loved one pointed out I was bleeding from both wrists, and it was this making the edges easier to move across.
Returned the MBP the next day, and was extremely dissapointed at the responce I have got from Apple.
No one wants to know about the cuts, no one wants to say sorry even... And this is from the company I had thought had The Best customer service ever!
And... they refused to refund the Credit Card the MBP was bought from... madness... citing Money Laundering issues which is ridiculous, instead refunding my partners a/c. Crazy!
Apple... please get rid of the sharp edges, they are ridiculous, unneccesary and frankly dangerous. I have reduced sensation from disability in my limbs, if it hadnt been noticed by someone I would have got a vein there instead of the skin cuts. And then I would have been really cross! (and ill)!
Oh, final point here.. 'Please do not say that it was my typing position that made this a problem... if you do, it is merely showing your ignorance here, not your understanding... thank you'.
Bought my new MBP 17"
Bluewater, early Feb 2010... within an hour my wrists slid over the sharp edges when I was surfing... cool thought I, till the loved one pointed out I was bleeding from both wrists, and it was this making the edges easier to move across. Returned the MBP the next day, and was extremely dissapointed at the responce I have got from Apple.
No one wants to know about the cuts, no one wants to say sorry even... And this is from the company I had thought had The Best customer service ever!
And... they refused to refund the Credit Card the MBP was bought from... madness... citing Money Laundering issues which is ridiculous, instead refunding my partners a/c. Crazy!
Apple... please get rid of the sharp edges, they are ridiculous, unneccesary and frankly dangerous. I have reduced sensation from disability in my limbs, if it hadnt been noticed by someone I would have got a vein there instead of the skin cuts. And then I would have been really cross!
(and ill)!Oh, final point here.. 'Please do not say that it was my typing position that made this a problem... if you do, it is merely showing your ignorance here, not your understanding... thank you'.
Bought my new MBP 17"
Returned the MBP the next day, and was extremely dissapointed at the responce I have got from Apple.
No one wants to know about the cuts, no one wants to say sorry even... And this is from the company I had thought had The Best customer service ever!
And... they refused to refund the Credit Card the MBP was bought from... madness... citing Money Laundering issues which is ridiculous, instead refunding my partners a/c. Crazy!
Apple... please get rid of the sharp edges, they are ridiculous, unneccesary and frankly dangerous. I have reduced sensation from disability in my limbs, if it hadnt been noticed by someone I would have got a vein there instead of the skin cuts. And then I would have been really cross!
Oh, final point here.. 'Please do not say that it was my typing position that made this a problem... if you do, it is merely showing your ignorance here, not your understanding... thank you'.
Don't hold your breath not getting a response here ... I posted above months ago WITH a photo of the cut on my right wrist ... soon as I did that it was like the thread got blackballed, LOL
I buy a lot of Apple products for my Company, we have an Apple Corporate Account Rep in California ... I made a point of mentioning the sharp edges to her ... her reply was "really, I've never heard of that before" ... I told her it cut my wrist and she didn't acknowledge a thing I said, just changed the subject ... it's as if it's been covered in a staff meeting and their instructions are to play dumb ...
I'm really busy, so I let it go ... just have to be more careful I guess. But realize this, my wrist got cut not from typing but from sitting here typing then quickly I reached for something on the coffee table ... when I did that my wrist rubbed along the edge and the photo above shows the result after it healed a few days.
Hey, I love Apple's products .... yes, the sharp edge is definitely a turn off, a design or missed thought over true function and comfort/ease of use but I like everything else about my notebook so much I never took the time made a big deal of it.... should I have maybe, it's something that DOES NEED TO BE FIXED.
Fact is, NO consumer product should have an edge that sharp, period.
To round those edges when the aluminum housing is being CNC'd takes NOTHING, it's one of the easiest things to do, for a cost of penny's if anything at all.
PLUS, don't expect to see these sharp edges smoothed out in any future revisions. Why? To do so would admit fault in their previous models being too (dangerously) sharp.
They can invent a MacBook Air, an iPhone and now the iPad ... BUT ... they can't see clear enough to make a line of notebooks without really sharp edges. Life is strange
* You and I aren't the only one's who've been cut, google it there's many more.
Seriously, stop whining. Fact, these edges are indeed sharp, but I have never cut my wrists yet and I use this laptop a lot. Fact, people who have cut themselves just have a wrong placement of their hands while typing. Even when just using the trackpad, I don't see how you could cut yourself. While using the trackpad for a longtime, I just put/push my thumb against the side of the laptop a bit to the left off the center where the gap is and use the other 1-4 fingers for the trackpad, that is just perfect. I could imagine cutting your wrists on 17" while using the trackpad for a long time since the trackpad is a bit further away from the sharp edges.
The edges are indeed SHARP. And I'm not buying any BS about using "proper" technique... a laptop is used in a wide variety of settings and positions and a rounded top edge would greatly improve the comfort at various user angles.
But no need to get all whacked out about it either. I've had two white MacBooks and sanded edges on both of them... you'd never know it unless you noticed how soft and gentle the edges are as compared to a non-sanded model.
Just last week I bought a new 13" MBP and the aluminum edges on this thing are REALLY sharp. Especially the ends of that indented section in front of the trackpad... YIKES! That's frightful. But again, no worries, a little careful sanding work and they'll be soft and creamy to the touch.
I would never let the sharp edges keep me from using a MacBook/MPB as they are incredible machines. I wouldn't have anything but a MacBook/MacBook Profor a laptop computer.
If the sharp edges bother you, just give them a carefully done sand job and all is wonderful with the world!
But no need to get all whacked out about it either. I've had two white MacBooks and sanded edges on both of them... you'd never know it unless you noticed how soft and gentle the edges are as compared to a non-sanded model.
Just last week I bought a new 13" MBP and the aluminum edges on this thing are REALLY sharp. Especially the ends of that indented section in front of the trackpad... YIKES! That's frightful. But again, no worries, a little careful sanding work and they'll be soft and creamy to the touch.
I would never let the sharp edges keep me from using a MacBook/MPB as they are incredible machines. I wouldn't have anything but a MacBook/MacBook Profor a laptop computer.
If the sharp edges bother you, just give them a carefully done sand job and all is wonderful with the world!
Hi there,
I just bought my first MBP (switched from Dell) and love the machine but my hands are really hurting me! I have these line marks all over my wrists now. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! This is the next generation MBP and it STILL has this major design flaw. UGH. I am under my 14 day return but I really don't want to give up a Mac and go back to the PC! I am lost as to what to do.
Anyway, has anyone found a sleeve or something I can place on the computer to protect my hands? I mostly use my laptop on the couch at night to surf the web and do some basic photo editing. It's really bothering me.
Thanks for any and all advice.
Katherine
I just bought my first MBP (switched from Dell) and love the machine but my hands are really hurting me! I have these line marks all over my wrists now. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! This is the next generation MBP and it STILL has this major design flaw. UGH. I am under my 14 day return but I really don't want to give up a Mac and go back to the PC! I am lost as to what to do.
Anyway, has anyone found a sleeve or something I can place on the computer to protect my hands? I mostly use my laptop on the couch at night to surf the web and do some basic photo editing. It's really bothering me.
Thanks for any and all advice.
Katherine
This brings to mind the phallic piercings of ancient Olympians. A little prod, and you snap right back in line. My typing form has excelled since upgrading to the aluminum MacBook, XD
I call B.S. on requiring some "proper technique" approach to using the laptop.
Laptops are used in a wide variety of positions and settings, on a desktop, on a lap, while sitting, laying in bed, lying on the couch, sometimes from a higher position, sometimes low, etc. To say that the solution to the issue is to adopt some sort of "proper technique" is ludicrous. Make the machine adapt to how you want to work; don't let the machine require you to work in some rigid "proper" technique.
Yes, the edges are stupid sharp AND there is a simple solution... requiring TOUGH LOVE!
Here's how I dealt with it.
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=9957344#post9957344
Laptops are used in a wide variety of positions and settings, on a desktop, on a lap, while sitting, laying in bed, lying on the couch, sometimes from a higher position, sometimes low, etc. To say that the solution to the issue is to adopt some sort of "proper technique" is ludicrous. Make the machine adapt to how you want to work; don't let the machine require you to work in some rigid "proper" technique.
Yes, the edges are stupid sharp AND there is a simple solution... requiring TOUGH LOVE!
Here's how I dealt with it.
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=9957344#post9957344
was extremely dissapointed at the responce I have got from Apple.
No one wants to know about the cuts, no one wants to say sorry even... And this is from the company I had thought had The Best customer service ever!
That is correct ... mention it to an Apple employee, store staff or senior service tech the response is "oh really, we've never heard about that before"
Don't expect a lot of sympathy here either ... why I don't understand ... to some Apple can do no wrong I guess
Oh, how sweet it is to have rounded edges on a new MacBook Pro!
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=9957344#post9957344
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=9957344#post9957344