Weird taste in mouth when using midnight 13" m3 air

[erkanasu]

OK, this is gonna sound crazy, but after using my 13 inch MacBook Air, M3 in 'midnight' for 10 minutes or longer, I begin to notice a weird taste in my mouth, slightly grainy and metallic. I can't tell if I might be inhaling some fumes from it, or I am absorbing some chemicals from the finish through my hands (midnight w/ anodization). I have other MacBooks in the house (none in this finish or generation), and have never experienced this before.

I have also reproduce this by stopping use and re-starting on and off, and the taste immediately comes back!

thoughts? am I alone? LOL

UPDATE & SOLUTION: after scrubbing the MacBook body hard a few times with a rag and Isopropyl alcohol, the keyboard area and body of my machine, this appear to solve the issue. sharing in case others find this thread in the future.

UPDATE #2 June 2024: just buy a naked skin from 'slick wraps' to fully solve the issue!

 

[joeblow7777]

I thought I'd seen it all on these forums...

 

[erkanasu]

lol thanks for the support guys!

i am being serious though. it's a real issue.

I have a hunch that I'm not the only one and that other affected people are not 'conscious' of it....

 

[Grumpus]

Do you experience the same metallic taste after going to display settings and changing the refresh rate from promotion to 60 Hz?

EDIT: maybe the air doesn't have promotion, if not, sorry.

 

[casperes1996]

I mean. My scientific mind would like to try ruling out variables. Stand over it without touching it for a while. Wear a gas mask. Stop chewing on it. See what works

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

When Apple writes that their new M3 MBA is the best laptop ever for AI, they should specify that AI stands for Artifical Intelligence, not Aluminium Ingestion, to rule out happenings like this.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

If indeed this is a serious question. There's a plethora of medical conditions that cause a metallic taste. To rule out an allergic reaction when using the MBA, use an external keyboard and mouse.

 

[Cabin]

If indeed this is a serious question. There's a plethora of medical conditions that cause a metallic taste. To rule out an allergic reaction when using the MBA, use an external keyboard and mouse.

I like this.

 

[Grumpus]

A metallic taste is a common form of aura, associated with migrane and seizure disorders, hence my previous question. I am not a doctor and this is not a diagnosis, but I do suggest taking this seriously.

 

[ignatius345]

OK, this is gonna sound crazy, but after using my 13 inch MacBook Air, M3 in 'midnight' for 10 minutes or longer, I begin to notice a weird taste in my mouth, slightly grainy and metallic. I can't tell if I might be inhaling some fumes from it, or I am absorbing some chemicals from the finish through my hands (midnight w/ anodization). I have other MacBooks in the house (none in this finish or generation), and have never experienced this before.

Have you ever experienced this with contact with any other metallic object? My (highly uneducated) guess is some kind of skin reaction, versus anything to do with fumes.

 

[LavaLevel]

I wish the Mac Mini had different tasty flavors.

 

[Basic75]

Does this happen both when connected to the charger and running on battery?

 

[erkanasu]

Have you ever experienced this with contact with any other metallic object? My (highly uneducated) guess is some kind of skin reaction, versus anything to do with fumes.

I agree with this, I think I am tasting something from the outer finish that is being absorbed through my hands. Smell wise, it has the normal new MacBook smell, nothing out of the ordinary.

and agree with others on scientific approach. that said, when I use my space gray m2 Air 15" vs this guy, there is no sensation. I think I should maybe test out a silver m3 air for a really good side by side to see if it's the finish.

 

[erkanasu]

Does this happen both when connected to the charger and running on battery?

only have tried battery so far.

 

[Cape Dave]

I find this very interesting and hope that progress is made to determine the cause.

 

[coffeemilktea]

Assuming you haven't suddenly gained some really inconvenient super powers, have you tried using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse/trackpad? See if not physically touching the MacBook Air helps. If it still happens, try using it further and further away, maybe even connecting an external display if you have to. 👨‍⚕️

 

[TheWraith]

The odds of this not being psychosomatic are extremely low.

 

[Cape Dave]

The odds of this not being psychosomatic are extremely low.

I disagree 100%.

 

[Evolving Mind]

I agree with this, I think I am tasting something from the outer finish that is being absorbed through my hands. Smell wise, it has the normal new MacBook smell, nothing out of the ordinary.

and agree with others on scientific approach. that said, when I use my space gray m2 Air 15" vs this guy, there is no sensation. I think I should maybe test out a silver m3 air for a really good side by side to see if it's the finish.

You could try out other m3 models, perhaps its actually the new coating against fingerprints, which m2s don`t have, who knows.

 

[aries81]

The "M" stands for "mouth", you know.

 

[za9ra22]

While I haven't heard of this happening before, and I don't experience that with my 15-inch midnight MBA, I wonder if it is possible the coating in the OP's unit is off-gassing. If it is, like 'new car smell' it will almost certainly dissipate fairly quickly.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Personally I wouldn’t take this lightly and try to get to bottom of this, be it Apple or a doctor. One of them should help you dig in to this phenomenon.

 

[Cape Dave]

Bait used to be believable, man...

If you think this is click bait, you are wrong.

 

[eRondeau]

Isolate your hands/fingers by wearing medical gloves and see if the symptoms continue.

 

[Geekett]

It might be a kind of poisening with the coating. I would stop using it and try to get a scientific/lab/doctor advice ?