I would love to see a Unibody polished to a mirror finish. Would be a perfect match for Queen Amidala’s shuttle.
dryadin 4 minutes ago [-]
[delayed]
jasoneckert 8 hours ago [-]
Thanks for this interesting post - I've been showing it to co-workers to get their reactions, which was incredibly entertaining for me!
Co-worker 1: Interesting. I wonder if that voids the warranty. It's Apple you know.
Co-worker 2: May Jobs have mercy on their soul...
Co-worker 3: Not a bad idea. But not sure if that would cause problems with structural integrity of the laptop, like if you drop it or something.
Co-worker 4: The only downside I see is that you can no longer say "Hey, that's a sharp-looking laptop!"
overtone1000 8 hours ago [-]
Co-worker 4 is the one I want to have a beer with.
block_dagger 7 hours ago [-]
I have just the opposite reaction.
nemosaltat 7 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
skavi 6 hours ago [-]
i’ll take 3. we can be boring together
harha 6 hours ago [-]
Steer clear from co-worker 1..
internet2000 27 minutes ago [-]
I'd be looking for another job altogether.
compounding_it 7 hours ago [-]
I’d suggest if you are going to do this to your MacBooks to get the silver one. The silver one is actually aluminum and no one would notice.
Lio 3 hours ago [-]
I’d actually be interested to see it on a black one. It might look like “brassing” on an old, well used camera.
Whilst I like that it increases the “tooliness” of the Mac it’s not of me I think.
I like mine pristine. ”There are many like it but this one is mine”, yada, yada.
varjag 16 minutes ago [-]
Worn anodizing on aluminium doesn't look anywhere as good as brass under lacquer.
jagged-chisel 6 hours ago [-]
They’re all actually aluminum, anodized to the color you choose. The silver one is the only one not anodized.
Filing off the anodized layer is indeed bound to look awful.
twalla 6 hours ago [-]
Not to well actually your well actually but they’re all anodized to prevent corrosion and scratches (the oxide layer is harder than the underlying aluminum) - the silver one is just undyed.
wongarsu 1 hours ago [-]
And in the pictures you can see a clear color difference between the anodized silver body and the exposed aluminum. It's subtle from a distance, but if you zoom in a bit its pretty obvious
ant6n 6 minutes ago [-]
Well actually, your not well actually to the well actually was actually a well actually of the well actually. Just sayin’.
Tempest1981 6 hours ago [-]
What tools are needed to redo the anodized color? Is it doable at home?
numpad0 5 hours ago [-]
You have to grind off the existing Al2O3 protective layer using sandpapers/sandblasters and/or power tools, then ultrasound + acetone wash the parts, then dump it into an acid bath while running electrical current through the pieces. Special dyes can be added for color. Then the pieces are boiled in regular water to further improve durability. The combination of the acid and electricity then boiling cause Al to form beehive shaped surface micropores, and dyes - actually inorganic, so pigments - gets electrically jammed into the pores. The whole outer surface become thick insulating layer of highly chemically resistant and mechanically rigid white/transparent Al2O3 once the process is complete. Voltage, current, waveform, temperature, solution acidity, etc etc affect colors and oxide thickness and shapes and sizes therefore aesthetics as well as durability. "Anodization" refers to this process of electro-acidic-heat formation of the oxide layer, not the coloring. The coloring powder is an extra.
Technically it can be done in a garage, but spot and/or intact application might be difficult. Strict color matching against Apple made things would be impossible.
Tzk 4 hours ago [-]
Yes it’s doable at home, even with fairly primitive tools. You need several chemicals and (if you wish) colored dye.
Anodizing works as follows:
1. Take the MacBook apart
2. Clean it
3. Chemical bath to remove old anodized layer
4. Clean it again
5. Chemical bath with power supply attached. applied voltage+current and duration will determine hardness and thickness of the anodized layer.
6. Clean it
7. Dye it.
8. Seal the dye in a hot water bath.
It’s fairly straight forward to do.
mjlee 2 hours ago [-]
13 year old me who anodised remote control car chassis completely agrees the process is quite simple.
In the context of a MacBook, it’s not. Removing just the aluminium components and leaving everything that doesn’t like baths undamaged is practically impossible for amateurs. I’m not sure it’s something many professionals would take on.
darkwater 3 hours ago [-]
This made me smile because in my book this is at every effect impossible, especially if the goal is getting a functioning laptop at the end of the process.
To be clear, it's impossible for me because I lack the knowledge, expertise and tooling to even think about doing it.
madaxe_again 3 hours ago [-]
Nonsense, it just makes it more effort for you - nothing is impossible.
Also, the way you acquire the knowledge, expertise and tooling is by screwing around with stuff where you have no idea what you’re doing.
larusso 2 hours ago [-]
Depending on the field you want to gain knowledge it can mean: “famous last words” or “missing body parts”.
Nothing against the spirit of learning and challenge one’s skills. But especially people on YouTube show of quite dangerous things and sell them as everybody can do it. My list here:
Metal / Wood work on a lathe with off center or unbalanced pieces in a 3 jaw chuck.
Playing around with lithium batteries to build bigger battery packs (DYI Perks did this and even though he mentions the dangers of doing that (fire or electric shock) it’s still inspires people to do the same in their living rooms.
Then is playing with chemicals.
Again I’m not saying don’t do it. But one should ease into things not just grab a random set of chemicals and disassemble a laptop and hook up a power supply etc by just following a list from the internet.
justinclift 2 hours ago [-]
> 1. Take the MacBook apart
Otherwise known as "remove everything from the chassis, leaving only the chassis."
But do so in a way that lets you fully re-assemble it later on, after you've finished the re-anodising.
> 7. Dye it.
Why the dye? I thought anodising's colour comes only from the voltage used, with no dye needed.
ie you can pick the colour you want, but you need to get the voltage correct for that colour
numpad0 2 hours ago [-]
> Why the dye? I thought anodising's colour comes only from the voltage used, with no dye needed.
That's true for anodization processes for some other metals like titanium and stainless steel, but aluminum is dyed. Also the process is material specific. Anodization for Al is only possible because Al does that unique self organizing micropore thing.
How comfortable are you working with chromic acid and boric-sulfuric acid in your home?
mmsc 4 hours ago [-]
As long as it's not hydrofluoric acid...
wereHamster 3 hours ago [-]
I bought a light HF acid (rust remover) so I can properly clean titanium parts before anodizing. Worked like a charm...
cultofmetatron 9 minutes ago [-]
just don't let any of it get on your skin. only takes a splash to land you in intensive care.
jaggederest 6 hours ago [-]
To echo the sibling comment: approximately not, it's a strong acid bath which precludes operating electronics in it, and it's electrochemistry.
People do home anodizing all the time, but colored home anodizing on electronics is very rare.
The way to do it would be wrapping it in, say, a wet paper towel with your strong acid solution (but not sulfuric, because that would turn the paper into pure carbon foam) and running outside current from the laptop through the paper to a cathode, or vice versa.
VorpalWay 3 hours ago [-]
Wouldn't you want to completely disassemble the laptop first anyway, at which point the electronics would be disconnected from the metal parts anyway?
jaggederest 3 hours ago [-]
You really can't fully disassemble current macbooks and put them back together without major tooling - the chassis is not just a wrapper, it's structural to the way they're interconnected, lots of glue and things like that.
falcor84 3 hours ago [-]
Sounds almost like a turtle's exoskeleton
FloatArtifact 6 hours ago [-]
It's nice your co-workers are being blunt with you.
dotancohen 6 hours ago [-]
It seems he has a well-rounded selection of coworkers.
grishka 6 hours ago [-]
> The only downside I see is that you can no longer say "Hey, that's a sharp-looking laptop!"
When this line of MacBooks first came out in 2021 and I bought one (I desperately needed an upgrade), I was joking that it's top-notch hardware.
larodi 4 hours ago [-]
Here’s one: scratches are officially not an argument anymore for a price discount on a second hand Mac.
Drop them like it’s hot!
baddash 4 hours ago [-]
Now I gotta hear these four coworkers' opinions on other things
zerr 1 hours ago [-]
All of the reactions are valid, including the 2nd one if that's a sarcasm.
raverbashing 4 hours ago [-]
I think the main problem is that you lose the surface anodization and might end up with a more frail surface there (surface, the structural integrity is going to suffer but not much I guess)
xandrius 6 hours ago [-]
C1: Homo-economicus
C2: Homo-religious
C3: Homo-enginerus
C4: Homo-bros
gravlax 3 hours ago [-]
C4 homo fraternicus?
thenthenthen 5 hours ago [-]
There is some material loas but wouldn't rounded corners be way stronger on impact than sharp corners?
khana 3 hours ago [-]
[dead]
yreg 10 hours ago [-]
The takeaway from this article should be to consider modifying your tools to your needs even in unconventional and controversial ways. I love it.
The flame war on whether the original chassis design sucks or rocks is not that interesting.
jonhohle 8 hours ago [-]
25 years ago one of early engineering courses included a case study about Ingersol Rand (IIRC). They went out to work floors and saw how all the workers had modified their air wrenches in the same way, adding padding with tape in various areas. They realized they could probably make a better wrench if it had some of those ergonomics built in.
Maybe the next phase of Apple could return to flowing shapes and save our wrists.
noisy_boy 7 hours ago [-]
Interchangeable wrist area as an accessory for only 79.99$
xp84 5 hours ago [-]
Interchangeable? No, $250 upgrade, fused with the case at the factory and somehow electronically serialized
bigiain 7 hours ago [-]
Per side.
Note: Left hand wrist areas are currently out of stock.
noisy_boy 6 hours ago [-]
The right hand wrist area is the best we have ever made though.
snowwrestler 8 hours ago [-]
I really like the design and the sharp edges don’t hurt my wrists.
I also really like this article and am 100% supportive of people messing around and modifying their stuff.
hammock 5 hours ago [-]
The funny thing is Apple products are considered “finished products” No one would feel the same way if it was a home built computer.
The modding community is a shadow of its old self these days
justinclift 2 hours ago [-]
> The takeaway from this article should be to consider modifying your tools to your needs even in unconventional and controversial ways. I love it.
I get the feeling that might not be the greatest idea in some fields.
For example, anything that could kill you (or others) if it goes wrong. ;)
Steltek 10 hours ago [-]
This is why I like cheaper tools. Yes, that means cheaper quality but it's far easier to approach taking a dremel to it. And the DIY look usually matches the stock materials better anyway.
tcdent 8 hours ago [-]
Nah, taking the risk is even more fun when the thing you're modifying holds more value.
Chopping the fenders on a Porsche 911 to install a widebody kit does not have the same weight as rolling the seams on an Jeep Cherokee.
seizethecheese 8 hours ago [-]
All things being equal, sure, but I personally am way more likely to mod the Cherokee than the Porsche
dotancohen 6 hours ago [-]
I'd say it's an even split. Half the Jeeps on the road and on the trails are modified. On the road maybe 1/10 of Porches are modified, but on the track 90% are.
Big difference between bolt-ons vs deeper mods too.
wraptile 5 hours ago [-]
I used a macbook for almost 2 years and genuinely don't understand how people can tolerate these machines. My wrists would be cut up all the time to the point where I looked like I was self harming myself and the glary screen is entirely unsuable anywhere but a darkest basement. Not to mention the terrible keyboard. To this day I'm perplexed how macbooks have such high desirability by full time developers when they're almost unusable.
Slow_Hand 4 hours ago [-]
I hear people complain about laptop ergonomics all of the time and I don't understand it. I have zero issues with either of my Macbooks. I can go for hours and not be fatigued.
If I have it in my lap, the outer ball of each wrist is resting on the body to the left and right of the trackpad and that means my forearms are angled upwards, away from the edges. They never rest on the edge of the laptop until I use the trackpad, and then the puffy outer pad of my palm is resting on the laptop edge. Still very comfortable.
If I'm using it at a desk it's the same story. My seat is high enough (relative to the desk) that my forearms lift up and away from the laptop. Never resting on the edge.
Are people seated so low so that the desk height is at breast level and they're making T-Rex arms to reach the keyboard? It seems so intuitively obvious to avoid such positions.
wraptile 4 hours ago [-]
Ergonomics is one of those things where you don't understand it until it effects you. Everyone can tolerate discomfort at some level and at different levels but obviously there best practices that manufacturers can partake in to make hardware more ergonomic.
For example, the monitor should be at eye level vertically but with laptop that's very hard to accomplish unless you position yourself in a reclined fashion to bring down your eye level closer to your lap - on a macbook you get wrist cuts like this.
One of the most important thing that makes a good ergonomic laptop is the ways it accomodates as many positions and setup as posible so your can rotate your working position to avoid excessive strain on one particular area. So when your back is tired you slouch down, when your wrists are tired you straighten up, when your eyes are tired you adjust the display brightness/theme etc.
When taken seriously it's totally possible to work safely even in poor conditions like outside or on a train but devices that completely ignore ergonomics just don't even give you the chance.
Barbing 3 hours ago [-]
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
In trying to picture this, I suppose there are certainly some stock photo models who'd feel the sharp edges:
google.com/images?q=person+using+laptop
I totally know what you mean about shifting positions. All the positions I've been in where I've felt the edges have been quite unergonomic, but perhaps not for everyone.
PufPufPuf 5 hours ago [-]
Laptops are unergonomic by default, no matter how you position them, either the screen is too low or the keyboard is too high. I think most developers just use them docked with an external monitor and keyboard most of the time (I certainly do).
wraptile 4 hours ago [-]
it's not a binary equation. My thinkpad is plenty ergonomic for a full work day on the road. Sure the monitor position is suboptimal but keyboard is brilliant, no sharp edges, no screen glare and there's a trackpoint. It's no home setup obviously but at least I don't actively suffer when I do need to use a portable computer for it's primary purpose.
ta8903 5 hours ago [-]
On the other hand, placing your laptop on your belly when lying down on a couch is peak computing ergonomics.
dwb 2 hours ago [-]
I don't like the sharp corners either and I fully support the modifications in the article, but to be completely fair to the design, if your wrists are digging into the corners you're at the wrong angle. If you're habitually typing with bent wrists you're going to have problems. The "butterfly" keyboard was also (famously) terrible, but the newer ones, especially with the proper inverted-T cursor keys, are fine (for a laptop) imho. My ideal laptop keyboard would be split and orthogonal, but that's far too weird to make it anywhere close to mass production.
Lio 3 hours ago [-]
This is just me but I like short travel keyboards. Long travel “mechanical” switches set off the RSI in one of my wrists.
I don’t care about the sharp edges because 1) they’re not actually that sharp. 2) I don’t rest my wrists on them.
I mostly work from a desk with an external monitor and the laptop cantered below it. I avoid mice and try to use keyboard shortcuts.
I’ve used Dells, HPs and Thinkpads and the current MacBook Pros are still my favourite design.
Horses for courses, I guess.
jasomill 2 hours ago [-]
This is why I prefer tactile (not clicky) mechanical keyboards to linear mechanical or "mushy" non-mechanical desktop keyboards: they're easy to reliably trigger without full travel.
I also like the short-travel Apple keyboards, though, and if Apple made a tenkeyless Magic Keyboard with the standard layout for cursor movement keys, I'd probably be using it.
wolvoleo 5 hours ago [-]
Oh yeah I hate those sharp edges on MacBooks. The old pre-unibody macbooks were great but I can't stand anything that came after it. Always had red lines on my wrists. These days I'm completely off Mac luckily.
And yes the keyboards are terrible too. Up to 2015 it was OK but I can't work with the butterfly ones and the "new and improved" scissor ones that came after that. They still have a lot less travel than the ones from up to 2015.
I never sanded my metal macbooks though I did do so with a plastic one I had. I just didn't really use them much as laptop anymore.
Tepix 5 hours ago [-]
I had one of those pre-unibody white plastic Macbooks. I hated the sharp edge on the front.
With the later models it was less of an issue somehow.
roryirvine 2 hours ago [-]
It's been a problem for a decade (or more?) but, for me, it's not just the sharp edge, it's also the angle of the keyboard.
My Dell XPS is almost as sharp (there's a microscopic chamfer, which won't be enough to explain the difference), but because the body is wedge-shaped, the keyboard sits at a slight angle which makes it feel so much better to me. Propping the back of the Macbook on something helps - only needs to be 2-3mm to make a difference.
It's like the static electricity issues that plagued them in the 2010s. They produced shocks that were actually painful, the sort that I've only experienced before from CRT screens in metal housings. The chargers contained a grounding pin internally, but it wasn't actually connected to anything. Utter madness, and would have been such an easy thing to fix - but it persisted until they replaced the charging port with usb-c.
Tade0 1 hours ago [-]
> The chargers contained a grounding pin internally, but it wasn't actually connected to anything. Utter madness
That is standard procedure in consumer electronics actually.
My work MBP is charged via external display and sure enough, I get zapped every now and then. The bundled charger also has just two pins.
suzzer99 5 hours ago [-]
I have a plastic case which helps with the bottom, and when I'm at an angle where my wrist rests against the edge, I have a wrist brace thing that takes the edge off (literally).
koonsolo 4 hours ago [-]
I switched as a long time Linux user to a MacBook because of the hardware:
- Battery: no other laptop comes even close
- Trackpad: I don't use a mouse anymore, no other laptop comes close
- Audio: No other laptop comes close
"Sharp edges" really don't bother me to be honest, I wouldn't have noticed it if nobody told me.
I have a nano-texture screen, and it works great in daylight.
Just goes to show how opinions can differ.
onli 2 hours ago [-]
I remember multiple reviews of other laptops that indeed came close in all of those categories. So those statements are objectively wrong.
Problem is that I dont remember which, and if I remembered the model might very well not be in stock anymore. The other vendors with their always changing lineup of models make that impossible by choice.
ahartmetz 2 hours ago [-]
The HP ZBook G1a comes close in computing power, screen, sound and trackpad quality - but not at all in battery life: about 7 hours. It's also pretty overpriced, but discounts are common.
albumen 1 hours ago [-]
But the above criteria are mostly subjective, so objectivity largely doesn’t apply.
koonsolo 31 minutes ago [-]
"comes close" in itself is a very relative concept. So how can you claim my statements are "objectively wrong"?. Depends on how close "close" is, right.
If you can provide me an example of a laptop that beats one of those categories, it's objectively wrong. In all other cases, nope.
ekianjo 5 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
boxed 5 hours ago [-]
Or that it's a unix with taste that can render fonts correctly and has UI APIs that aren't absolute trash.
I'm pretty sure Apple doesn't pay any "influencers", but maybe they're doing the Mormon church thing and buying ads?
ben-schaaf 4 hours ago [-]
> can render fonts correctly
macOS font rendering has been worst in class since they removed subpixel-antialiasing. It's now a blurry mess on regular displays.
swiftcoder 3 hours ago [-]
Good thing MacBooks don't ship with regular displays then.
FWIW, I've had no trouble with Mac font rendering on bog standard 1440p and 4K external displays
ekianjo 3 hours ago [-]
Fonts rendered correctly is kind of useless on a glary screen.
> pretty sure Apple doesn't pay any "influencers"
It's true they probably don't need to, since they have a bunch of fanatics who buy whatever Apple releases just because it's Apple
420official 10 hours ago [-]
I just did this to my MacBook not because of the sharp edge but because the pitting turns a sharp edge into a sawblade. Something about the grounding on on the frame when plugged in mixed with my sweaty hands leads to damage along this sharp edge on every MacBook I've ever owned.
Oh is that why it happens? Was wondering why the spot directly under my wrist was pitted into a sawblade. I also filed it, though just enough to remove the pitting, nothing like the OP did.
It's easy for me to feel the mains frequency while gently rubbing the top surface of the MacBook while it's plugged in. Really feels unsafe, but neither me nor the computer have suffered any serious injuries yet.
userbinator 6 hours ago [-]
Really feels unsafe, but neither me nor the computer have suffered any serious injuries yet.
That's due to interference suppression capacitor in the PSU. The safety standard puts the "touch current" limit at something like 300uA (0.3mA), which is definitely in "painful but not dangerous" territory. You do need to exercise caution when plugging in other devices that are also connected to the mains, since that amount of current and voltage can certainly damage sensitive electronics.
> It's easy for me to feel the mains frequency while gently rubbing the top surface of the MacBook
I haven't been a regular Mac user, but I've had maybe 3 work MacBooks since 2010 and I recall having this issue with all of them.
Why haven't they fixed it?
sitharus 8 hours ago [-]
They can’t, it’s caused by the capacitors required to suppress electromagnetic interference caused by the switch-mode power supply. These allow a very very tiny amount of current to leak through from the mains side, which is then capacitively coupled to the metal case (IIRC Apple do not connect the case to power negative) reducing it further, but it’s enough for humans to sense it.
It can be avoided by using a grounded power supply, but because there are large countries that have ungrounded outlets in common use the most designs are ungrounded.
black_puppydog 2 hours ago [-]
Thank you for explaining this! I've been feeling this on my girlfriend's macbook for years and I've always wondered what the hell that was. :D
ranger207 6 hours ago [-]
Why do only Macbooks suffer from this problem? When I had a work-issued Macbook I charged it and my personal Framework off the same USB-C charger and I only every felt the leaking current from the Macbook
RealityVoid 3 hours ago [-]
It's not only mac's suffering from this problem. My old dell latitude with magnesium case had the same thing. I didn't fully understand why and some people thought I was mad for feeling it but it was there.
numpad0 5 hours ago [-]
Only Apple is insane enough to make actual laptop chassis with unpainted anodized aluminum. Others either do it in plastics and/or painted metal. And paints are kind of liquid plastics.
normie3000 4 hours ago [-]
Additional question: why do only some people notice?
sitharus 4 hours ago [-]
It’ll depend on how well grounded you are compared to how well grounded the laptop is, where it’s touching your body, and your sensitivity to electricity which varies.
wazoox 2 hours ago [-]
My aluminium body Lenovo IdeaPad has exactly the same problem.
robotbikes 7 hours ago [-]
I once had an HP with an aluminum case and it had a grounded power supply but if you plugged it in without grounding his an adapter (sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do). You could feel it straight up vibrate while conducting current if you rubbed your hand over it. Not enough to shock me but it felt like kind of a shoddy design and leaked a lot more current than I've felt on a MacBook.
ebbi 4 hours ago [-]
Is that what it is! On my pre-unibody MBP I used to run my finger across the body sometimes and it had this weird wavy feeling (honestly can't describe it well). I thought it was just a quirk of the aluminium itself!
erincandescent 60 minutes ago [-]
You can fix it by switching to one of the grounded charger heads. Unfortunately in most locales those are only available with an integrated extension cable (or as everyone seems to call them, the "gooseneck" cables)
It happens with other 2-pin chargers on both MacBooks and other laptops, but it depends upon various factors how strong the leakage is
msephton 8 hours ago [-]
It's also an issue on the new Neo. It was the first thing I noticed when I tried one in the Apple Store. I unplugged the power cable and it went away, replugged and it came back. I'm in the UK so I expected grounded electricity supply.
SeasonalEnnui 3 hours ago [-]
If you buy the UK 1.8-metre Power Adapter Extension Cable, this has a metal ground pin that grounds through the metal clip on the power brick. I switched all my MacBook & iPad chargers to this, no more earth leakage sensation from metal casing.
normie3000 4 hours ago [-]
Disappointing. I understood Neo doesn't come with a power plug in UK; was yours the official one?
throwaway290 5 hours ago [-]
You wouldn't have this if your plug was properly grounded. Most developed countries have plugs that have grounding. EU via side pins UK via third prong
p_l 4 hours ago [-]
Apple avoids shipping grounded plugs as if it was personal affront to Ive. Also caused many many times for me to be shocked with electrostatic build-up.
normie3000 4 hours ago [-]
My experiences are all from third-prong countries.
vinay427 2 hours ago [-]
To add to this, I notice this more frequently in the UK and EU countries than in some other parts of the world (although it varies within each country quite a bit).
ajam1507 9 hours ago [-]
Using a 3 prong extension cable on the charger will prevent this.
imglorp 9 hours ago [-]
How? The (US) charger's only got 2 pins so ground stays unconnected.
pxx 8 hours ago [-]
There are grounded duckheads for this purpose, e.g. https://amzn.to/4cnzuef (note out of stock. I guess your best bet is to use a UK duckhead, but half of those have a dummy ground...)
if you take the plug part from the brick you'll note that there's only two pins but the button-like thing is a ground
The extension cable they used to include in box with the computers, it has the third pin for the charger brick connector which is wired to ground
15155 8 hours ago [-]
There's zero chance that the DC ground in the laptop is tied to earth ground in the charger: they use LLC resonant converters and flyback converters (depending on vintage) - an earth ground tie would defeat the purpose of these isolated topologies.
jahnu 1 hours ago [-]
However it’s wired up the fact is the electric buzzing feeling goes away if you use a grounded extension cable instead of two pin.
Barbing 3 hours ago [-]
No way, that's why it's "fixed" sometimes, thanks
CGamesPlay 7 hours ago [-]
That cuts it by about 90%. But as others have said, the default US plug doesn't ship with a ground pin (though the extended cord does IIRC).
leptons 8 hours ago [-]
Maybe you're holding it wrong? j/k
Seriously though, that does not sound safe at all.
esskay 3 hours ago [-]
Huh, I've had that pitting with every magic mouse I've owned, the sides of it end up looking like a cheese grater...apparently my fingers are acidic!
al_borland 10 hours ago [-]
This comment is concerning.
> acidic sweat. once you got through the anodization the raw aluminum wears faster....
If one files off the sharp edges, won’t the sweat eat through everything faster, as that protective layer was filed off.
crdrost 9 hours ago [-]
Probably. But, the time when the laptop is taped off would be uniquely a good time to hit it with some polyurethane or something clear to protect it from that sort of damage? Just make sure you hit it with compressed air first so you aren't gluing the aluminum dust to the chassis?
compass_copium 9 hours ago [-]
Aluminum should oxidize essentially instantly.
lukevp 9 hours ago [-]
Anodizing and oxidation are 2 totally different things.
themafia 9 hours ago [-]
True; however, this is an aluminium alloy. These typically have lower corrosion resistance and are most commonly anodized because of it. The applied layer is typically 3 to 5x thicker than that formed by pure aluminium oxidization.
chubs 1 hours ago [-]
Holy moly, that guy in the reddit post needs to see a dermatologist asap and figure out why their skin is emitting acid.
dataviz1000 9 hours ago [-]
I’ve been traveling around the world. It is 50 / 50 of the socket is properly grounded —-anywhere in the world. I get a tingling zap on the wrist when not properly grounded. The charger also gets hot and sparks.
ddlsmurf 8 hours ago [-]
but it's never going to be grounded, there isn't even a ground pin on the charger
only two prongs of which make it through. Usually the regulation as I understand is that it's fine if you can prove the case can never get in contact with anything electric, for most laptops that's just being made of plastic.
masklinn 4 hours ago [-]
> only two prongs of which make it through
The big recess above the pins is what encases the button of the charger and provides grounding if it includes metal strips. Assuming the charger itself has a metal button.
In the EU a grounded cable has been the default forever (I have a grounded cable from my 2010 MBP which I use as travel cable for my 2021 MBP)
bragr 8 hours ago [-]
As has been established in other threads here, the metal button thing the prongs slide onto is an earth connection.
Yeah they sell the 3-pong extension for various countries. I am currently using the Indian version of it.
shawn_w 8 hours ago [-]
>The charger also gets hot and sparks.
Some heat is normal, but the sparking seems concerning.
leptons 8 hours ago [-]
That should not happen with a well designed power supply. It sounds like Apple cut some corners "for design reasons", or some shortcut to make it cheaper to manufacture.
Esophagus4 6 hours ago [-]
So glad to know it wasn’t just me with sweaty hands and pitted aluminum that is razor sharp!
greazy 9 hours ago [-]
Oh wow I think I have a mild version of this.
Can it cause the plastic on the mouse to break down?
bluGill 9 hours ago [-]
Yes, it is fairly common with some plastics. better plastics won't but there are a lot of different plastics with differt formulas (and many can be mixed)
BoredPositron 9 hours ago [-]
You need to moisturize more.
html5cat 12 hours ago [-]
Not all heroes wear capes. This is excellent and can't wait to get aluminium mac next to try it – don't think Space Black is a good way to go.
Author's another post on "The Seasons are Wrong" [0] is excellent too and I fully support both approaches.
The seasons idea is interesting -- to me, both proposals feel wrong. I think it's because the weather changes that I perceive seem to lag behind the changes to daylight length by a few weeks.
I would propose boundaries that align partly with how I perceive the weather, and partly with how we plan our year (by months): Summer starts June 1st, Fall starts September 1st, Winter starts December 1st, and Spring starts March 1st.
dpc050505 10 hours ago [-]
Ocean currents, elevation and distance from the equator also have a big impact on what the season is going to feel like.
There's no need to change the dates. They're already arbitrary based on the position of the sun and the earth and people have the experience to take them with the grain of salt necessary to the region they live in. People who live near the equator probably don't have much care for the notion of the winter at all. Folks who live far up north know that spring actually comes in much later than march 21st. People who climb glaciated mountains in the canadian rockies know they won't get summer conditions until late june.
thaumasiotes 9 hours ago [-]
> People who live near the equator probably don't have much care for the notion of the winter at all.
My understanding is that tropical regions tend to divide the year into "wet season" and "dry season".
perilunar 7 hours ago [-]
That's how it works in Australia, though rotated six months: Summer starts December 1, Autumn starts March 1, Winter starts June 1, and Spring starts September 1. I think it even has legal status. In the North of the country though they typically just use wet and dry season.
I've also always thought that the equinoxes and solstices should be the middle of the seasons, so using the 'cross-quarter' days as the beginning of seasons makes more sense.
throwaway5465 6 hours ago [-]
Forcing seasons into chunks of equal duration also feels wrong, to me but also anyone I recall having a conversation with so seeing every HN comment assuming all seasons are 3 months long is somewhat perplexing.
fy20 8 hours ago [-]
In my country the dates you stated are what are considered the start of the seasons. This year there was a very clear change between winter and spring on March 1st. February was cloudy and minus, March was sunny and plus.
html5cat 10 hours ago [-]
funny how this is actually the default for me having grown up in Ukraine.
probably same for other post-soviet countries too?
Tyr42 11 hours ago [-]
I second this proposal. Three weeks shift can feel about right.
But we lost a lot of nice symmetries that way, which is unfortunate
Fnoord 9 hours ago [-]
> I would propose boundaries that align partly with how I perceive the weather, and partly with how we plan our year (by months): Summer starts June 1st, Fall starts September 1st, Winter starts December 1st, and Spring starts March 1st.
You do realize there's also a southern hemisphere on planet Earth?
Humphrey 11 hours ago [-]
Oh, I have never heard of seasons starting mid-month. My mind is blown!
In Australia it's just split up by months, with each season being 3 months long:
March 1 - Autumn starts
June 1 - Winter starts
Sept 1 - Spring starts
Dec 1 - Summer starts
Of cause, those in far northern Australia, only really have Dry and Wet seasons. I have no idea when those are.
nopassrecover 10 hours ago [-]
We were taught the same (Australian) - though it always felt slightly off as March often has major heatwaves, and December can be quite spring-like, often cool and wet.
Adelaide’s climate anecdotally feels to be more humid in recent years (historically bone dry Mediterranean climate) and the seasons feel like they’ve shifted a few weeks forward.
The Kaurna (Australian Aboriginal people of Adelaide, pronounced Gar-nuh) apparently mapped seasons a little differently, with a longer summer that resonates with my experience:
Part of the reason for this is that climate lags behind sunlight a bit, so the end of the authors "summer" would be warmer than the beginning.
But most countries other than the USA use meteorological definitions of the seasons starting on the 1st of December, March, June, and September.
tecoholic 9 hours ago [-]
Does Europe and America really call the summer solstice the “start” of summer. Wow.
In India our summer holidays start at the end of March and finish in the start of June. That’s usually our hottest months too. And a lot of our regional “New Year” calendar’s and related festivals are on April 14th and can probably be considered the start of summer.
hadlock 8 hours ago [-]
Hottest day of the year in the US varies by 3 months from California to Texas, which is only about half the width of the country. I would imagine the region you're in has a different hottest day of the year from say Kashmir or your neighbor Sri Lanka.
tecoholic 12 minutes ago [-]
3 months? Wow. It should be impossible to put seasons on a shared calendar for the whole country.
seb1204 8 hours ago [-]
Europe does not. Summer is June, July and August with a bit of give here and there.
jan_g 2 hours ago [-]
Probably depends on where you are, etc., but as an European, I was taught in school two ways of splitting the year up into seasons: calendar/astrological and meteorological. Calendar split is based on solstices and equinoxes (21st March, 21st June, ...), whereas meteorological is based on month start (1st March, 1st June, ...). They use this also in weather reports, for example, where on 1st March they would add "Today starts meteorological spring" and on 21st March "Today starts calendar spring".
7 hours ago [-]
mitthrowaway2 12 hours ago [-]
There's a significant lag between the longer days and the resulting higher temperatures though, which does make the seasons make more sense temperature-wise.
Macha 10 hours ago [-]
On the seasons front, traditionally in Ireland winter starts on Halloween (at sunset if you want to be really specific), and so you get winter is November till January, spring is February to April, summer is May to July and autumn is August to October.
That said being an English speaking country and absorbing a lot of media from other English speaking countries, there’s been a slow drift towards the American system making its way in, so younger generations are more likely to use American seasons and older people more likely to use traditional seasons, though you’ll find people of all age groups using either. Certainly they taught the traditional seasons in school when I was a kid, I wonder which they teach now.
(Of course, you could make yet another system based on the weather where summer is approximately two weeks in July, winter is a thing that happens every few years and the rest is a sequence of mild weather with occasional wind and scattered showers)
Sharlin 9 hours ago [-]
I find the "solstices/equinoxes mark starts of seasons" a bit foreign too, but… weather-wise, annual top and bottom temperatures are of course offset from the solstices due to thermal inertia.
In Finland the traditional division is that winter is Dec-Feb, spring is Mar-May, summer is Jun-Aug, and autumn is Sep-Nov. Historically it has made perfect sense, weather and climate wise – particularly from the point of view of agriculture, which is of course the reason people used to think about seasons in the first place!
February in particular is 100% winter in Finland with no signs of spring besides the days starting to get very noticeably longer by then. It's often the coldest month of the year and when schools usually have a week-long winter break. Similarly, August is very definitely a summer month except in the far north where spring comes late and autumn early. The academic year in schools and universities typically starts at the end of August, so that's a clear and important dividing line in many people's lifes. In Southern Finland, December is these days rather autumny more often than not, and there's often no lasting snow until January (if even then). June is a crapshoot, it can be nice and warm or surprisingly cold.
I guess Jan-Feb are definitely winter, Apr-May definitely spring, Jul-Aug definitely summer, and Oct-Nov definitely autumn. The rest are kind of transitional and their weather unpredictable. Of course, the climate change isn't helping things, either.
rsaarelm 2 hours ago [-]
It's also funny how Finland has a concept of "thermic spring", which is defined by the temperature no longer dipping below 0° C, and the term doesn't exist in English because the definition wouldn't work in the climate of most of the English-speaking world.
hadlock 8 hours ago [-]
You can get some black "machinist's layout bluing" which will stain it better than a sharpie would. It's not going to be a perfect color match but better than 50%
9 hours ago [-]
jojobas 11 hours ago [-]
You can anodize aluminium black relatively easily, similar to this
The author seems to not realize the season are about temperature not about sunlight. If you align the season to northern hemisphere temperatures, where the first week of August is usually the hottest, they make sense.
> A season is a division of the year[1] based on changes in weather…
Art9681 9 hours ago [-]
I have no dog in this fight but a friendly reminder that temperature and weather are not synonymous.
rcarmo 3 minutes ago [-]
This is… unusual.
kvuj 12 hours ago [-]
Maybe I'm autistic, but I loooove the sharp edges near the opening. They've become almost a nervous tick of playing with them with my fingers.
I've got no idea why, but the sharp feeling is amazing.
delecti 10 hours ago [-]
Sounds kinda like pain stimming. I'm not personally a fan, but that's a thing some autistic people do. They make purpose-built toys for that, though you might already be set with your laptop.
a2tech 9 hours ago [-]
I chew my fingers because I find the pain calming.
neom 11 hours ago [-]
I am autistic and I also enjoy the sharp edges, I rub my wrists up and down them sometimes and generally play with them, I find it very satisfying. I also suspect the laptop might not be as easy to carry around when open if edges were rounded?
0xDEFACED 10 hours ago [-]
this can't be how i find out...
al_borland 10 hours ago [-]
This alone doesn’t mean much, but if the signs start to compound…
LoganDark 10 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
shermantanktop 10 hours ago [-]
Is there a DSM5 category for "diagnosing people on the internet"?
jdgoesmarching 6 hours ago [-]
Yes, it’s called “game recognize game.”
smallerize 10 hours ago [-]
And is it self-referential?
kokanee 11 hours ago [-]
I'm conflicted -- the author's rounded Mac looks more comfortable to use, but aesthetically it looks worse. He turned the track pad notch into an amorphous shape that looks like a mistake.
autoexec 10 hours ago [-]
There's certainly a % of mac users who prioritize aesthetics over function.
I feel like there's got to be a way to do this in a way that's more attractive though. Maybe something more gradual or even.
StayTrue 9 hours ago [-]
I wonder what Apple estimates this percentage to be given some of their design decisions.
tonyedgecombe 24 minutes ago [-]
I suspect that with all things Apple 10% really care, 80% are indifferent and 10% really hate it. The middle 80% are happy to be led by those that really care.
j45 10 hours ago [-]
For many power users, Macs are an invisible laptop that just works.
When apple releases a 12" retina Macbook M-series, I'll be the first in line, I don't think there's a better laptop for size and aesthetic.
normanvalentine 12 hours ago [-]
I actually agree with this too — playing with the sharp edge is kind of satisfying. Like having something in your teeth that you're working on.
animegolem 11 hours ago [-]
same, i really love it and i hove my hands typing so they've never caused pain anyway
sublinear 11 hours ago [-]
I don't think there's anything inherently autistic about that. We just finally have these technologies sufficiently mature that materials and design are no longer strictly dictated by their function.
These objects are becoming more like clothing and less like unyielding industrial machines. It's to the point that I'd be genuinely disgusted to handle any used laptop regardless of how "clean" it is.
tonyedgecombe 21 minutes ago [-]
>We just finally have these technologies sufficiently mature that materials and design are no longer strictly dictated by their function.
It's not a new thing, cars started getting fins in 1948.
Spoken like a true autist… perhaps with a side of obsession and compulsion syndrome
LtWorf 11 hours ago [-]
> materials and design are no longer strictly dictated by their function.
Ok… but I don't like to injure my wrists…
aculver 10 hours ago [-]
Love this! I did this in 2020 and until today I hadn't seen anyone else who had done it. If anyone is tempted, I recommend finishing the job with Micro-Mesh. IIRC, I went up to 12,000 grit and it results in a nicely polished look that catches the light beautifully.[1] I bet it would look even more striking on the actual black MacBooks we have today.
Black macbooks are anodized aluminum which are thin coatings that would be removed when filing. It might look cool but it’d be the silvery color of raw aluminum
stevenpetryk 7 hours ago [-]
worth noting that silver macbooks are also anodized aluminum, so you'll also be filing off anodization
powvans 12 hours ago [-]
Nitpicky, but he’s rounding the edges, not the corners.
And yes, why are they so sharp?
I seem to recall my wife having the plastic MacBook that came out circa 2006 and the edges on that thing were legitimately painful.
I always marvel at how sharp the points are on the notch of the lid on my current MacBook. Very very pointy.
jareklupinski 11 hours ago [-]
> why are they so sharp?
they intentionally ship them sharp so you can file them down to your desired fillet
the design is very human
svnt 10 hours ago [-]
The past few generations I found I was not pleased with their performance, so now I take them weekly to the macbook sharpener at the saturday market.
anArbitraryOne 11 hours ago [-]
It's great how apple makes everything so customizable
metrix 11 hours ago [-]
It's by design.
Forgeties79 10 hours ago [-]
I think it’s different.
donatj 11 hours ago [-]
There are definitely corners by the trackpad, at the gap for opening the lid.
The most material is removed at the corners of the lid-lifting notch. Those are IMO the most offensive pointy part on the body.
vr46 10 hours ago [-]
Yeah, I had thin insulation strips running around these edges because my wrists were legit getting sore from these edges. And then Apple replaced the bottom case so they're back, as sharp as ever.
jeffhwang 9 hours ago [-]
Thank you! I zoomed in on the photo looking for sanded corners on the MacBook and saw none. Took me a sec to finally see the amorphous edge nr the trackpad...
vl 9 hours ago [-]
They actually reduced sharpness in M MacBooks Pros.
Unibody Intels before that were really really sharp.
varispeed 11 hours ago [-]
> Very very pointy.
I have intrusive thoughts of trying to cut my finger over it, but so far the attempts were unsuccesful.
sillysaurusx 7 hours ago [-]
I bet the author deliberately called them “corners” instead of “edges” to put more people on edge.
forrestthewoods 12 hours ago [-]
why? Because Apple hates you and wants you to suffer.
Alternatively, because they care about aesthetics more than utility and comfort.
LtWorf 11 hours ago [-]
I don't think apple computers are meant for people who do use computers. I used to have marks on my wrists (I no longer have an apple computer now).
cesarvarela 11 hours ago [-]
Tell that to the people responsible for the trackpads of any other computer maker.
LtWorf 3 hours ago [-]
I wouldn't know, I use a trackpoint :)
nine_k 11 hours ago [-]
Apple computers are made for those who purchases a computer. They are engineered to look great on a demo shelf.
«During the first Jobsian era at Apple, I used to joke that Steve Jobs cared deeply about Apple customers from the moment they first considered purchasing an Apple computer right up until the time their check cleared the bank.» (Bruce Tognazzini)
LASR 11 hours ago [-]
It worked. Most people under 30 don't know Apple existed before the iPod / iPhone. ie: Before Jobs.
nine_k 10 hours ago [-]
Of course it worked. Apple turned from a company that sells electronic equipment into a company that sells media consumption devices which double as fashion accessories signaling high social status. Of course the addressable market is 2-3 orders of magnitude larger.
They still sell computers, which count below 10% of the revenue, and are also partly fashion accessories.
10 hours ago [-]
selkin 10 hours ago [-]
s/Before/Between/
inatreecrown2 10 hours ago [-]
Lovely writing! And I think the understanding that one can and should modify their tools to their needs is rather rare and should be appreciated.
kzrdude 5 hours ago [-]
Presumably the understanding on the forum is greater when it comes to software tools. And I would usually say: don't be your computer's tool! :)
tonyedgecombe 16 minutes ago [-]
When it comes to software I've moved in the opposite direction. I want to customise my system as little as possible.
thaumasiotes 9 hours ago [-]
When I had a MacBook, I was quickly compelled to do something about the fact that its sharp edges scraped things, most notably scraping off the surface of my fingernails.
I wasn't thrilled with a product design that required a case to protect the rest of the world from the product, but it obviously makes more sense than trying to file the MacBook yourself.
simonbw 7 hours ago [-]
I have thought about filing/sanding my MacBook forever and getting a case to solve the problem never even occurred to me. I feel a little silly now because it does seem obvious, but also to me just filing it down sounds like less work than picking out a case.
voy707 35 minutes ago [-]
If most laptop sales were still made in person, in a physical store, maybe laptops would still have rounded edges and maybe even flowing shapes
if you want to do this, there is a better technique than shown in this video.
get a single-cut fine file, maybe with a little more weight than the one in the video. single cut file has diagonal slots and allows firm and continuous contact with the piece. most files are double cut, have two sets of slots and look like bumpy diamonds. they remove more material but tend to bounce.
use long even strokes with firm pressure, only during the fore stroke. watch out for roll-off, where you unconsciously change the angle or pressure of the file as you're at the end of the stroke.
you can make a pretty even-looking chamfer that way.
simonbw 6 hours ago [-]
I've been thinking of just using sandpaper stuck to a block of wood, though I imagine that might be slower.
Heck, a little part of me is tempted to try the smallest radius round-over router bit I have in a trim router, but the odds of that going horribly wrong are just way too high.
vl 9 hours ago [-]
Or get a Dremel.
mvdtnz 7 hours ago [-]
There's absolutely no way you get a good result with a Dremel.
cassianoleal 2 hours ago [-]
A few weeks ago I accidentally dropped my space grey MBP. It had the lip open and fell on its right corner, inner/keyboard side.
The machine is fine and I didn’t even have to adjust the screen as it was still correctly in place but on that corner the aluminium lifted up forming a mountain shape, about 2 mm tall and very sharp.
Not only this was uncomfortable, but it also meant I couldn’t close the lid properly and might eventually crack the screen from it, so I filed it away. Like OP, I started with a pretty gritty file to get most of the tip off, then finished with a multi-tool with the sanding attachment. I went through a few grits but I got bored long before it was smooth.
In the end, I actually liked the look, and have been considering going all around like OP. I may have to do it now.
willtemperley 2 hours ago [-]
Yes the front edge is too sharp for me too, more on the middle right where I rest my hand. It hurts.
I think there must be a better solution than a file, like an attachment to effectively round the edges, or even something like fingerless gloves.
On the other hand Apple always replace the top case when the keyboard needs changing so the filing approach may not be entirely insane. It might send a message to Apple.
franga2000 2 hours ago [-]
I feel like glueing on an attachment or putting on gloves (!!) to use your laptop is in fact a much worse solution to the issue of "edge is too sharp" than...making the edge less sharp...
Especially the gloves, come one, that's peak Apple "you're just using it wrong" mentality. Apple made a bad usability decision for the sake of sexier design. It's not your fault, it's theirs. Fix the defect, not yourself.
Yhippa 12 hours ago [-]
As I'm typing on mine right now, I wonder why they made these so sharp. It hasn't cut me yet, but they are decidedly uncomfortable.
Yes although every time I open the lid with one hand I wonder why no other manufacturer seems to get their hinge friction so perfect.
kube-system 12 hours ago [-]
Probably because it looks nice and crisp
Topfi 11 hours ago [-]
I thought this was going to be on a softwarefix for the appalling inconsistency that are macOS Tahoe window corners. What I found deeply disturbed me, though I must agree, the edges are a bit more sharp then I'd like and a slight curvature could probably prevent them showing wear and tear [0]. Good on op for doing something they like, even if it's really out there and I could see more "pillowy" hardware becoming a thing now, after a few years of sharp edged devices.
Since I mentioned Tahoe, it bears repeating, my spotlight is still broken.
Somebody should offer a service to chuck up Macbooks in a CNC mill and hit them with a chamfer tool
saagarjha 10 hours ago [-]
I feel like this is only a problem if you’re keeping your wrists at an unergonomic angle. I’m not saying that everyone is perfect all the time but like this is barely an issue if you’re sitting at your desk?
maest 10 hours ago [-]
Laptops are used in so many more situations than just sitting at a desk.
Literally "you're holding it wrong".
saagarjha 10 hours ago [-]
Most of those are wrong, yes
lapcat 8 hours ago [-]
> I’m not saying that everyone is perfect all the time but like this is barely an issue if you’re sitting at your desk?
It's a laptop computer.
davidbjaffe 7 hours ago [-]
Yes. I keep mine on my lap. My regimen is that I wake up at 3am and lie on the couch for several hours with coffee and write code (or these days, ask "someone else" to). It is highly productive and enjoyable and breaks all the rules and no I do not have RSI. Long ago I started sandpapering the edges because yeah otherwise it hurts my wrists.
pxc 7 hours ago [-]
It's a good move. I have a case on my MBP that helps with this because it means the edges are plastic for me, and not quite so sharp.
If you want to break more rules, you might consider chickenwing-ing your arms a bit. Deviate from the homerow and learn to feel your way around at other angles. Then you can hold the laptop closer to you without putting your wrists at a weird angle (though you may have to use a non-thumb finger for spacebar, as I do).
As I type this, my laptop is partly on my belly and partly on my chest, and my wrists are so far out to the sides that they completely miss the front edge of the laptop altogether. The angle is pretty favorable, too: my palms rest on the laptop on either side of the trackpad, and my wrists rest over the left and right sides of the bottom case but have little to no pressure on them.
No RSI here, either. Just make sure you're loose and comfortable and not forcing anything! That seems to help a lot.
saagarjha 7 hours ago [-]
I do not in fact keep my desktop computer on my desk
mvdtnz 7 hours ago [-]
You're holding it wrong.
vvpan 11 hours ago [-]
I just came into Mac world for work and struggle to understand the choices Apple makes:
- Sharp edges eat into my forearms.
- Glossy screen makes it hard to see when it's light out.
- The keys have a real hard stop when you press on them which tires out my hands.
- An arrogant desire to obsolete ports.
I don't understand the appeal of the machine, it feels like style over function everywhere.
chihuahua 10 hours ago [-]
I, too, only use Macs when my employer forces me to do so. Here's how I made it bearable: MacBook lid stays closed at all times; plug it into a Thunderbolt hub (requires just 1 Thunderbolt port for everything); connect a proper matte monitor, external keyboard, Logitech mouse.
Now the only annoying things are the MacOS window manager (uBar attempts to fix this, but is flaky) and the weird keyboard mappings for things like "start of line", "end of line", "previous word", etc. Karabiner fixes those if you're willing to invest 3 hours in setting it up.
pxc 7 hours ago [-]
> weird keyboard mappings for things like "start of line", "end of line", "previous word"
Those are Emacs keybindings, and they're also present by default in Bash since they were copied by GNU Readline. They're one of the few things I really like about macOS. (But I'm an Emacs user and I'm also used to using them in my terminal.)
The window manager never stops sucking. Rectangle and Contexts or Witch help. Ice helps with the stupid menu bar design and problems with overflowing icons or oversized menus.
randomeel 7 hours ago [-]
For window manager try rectangle or aerospace
mortsnort 5 hours ago [-]
Design aside, the quality is undeniable, the price is reasonable and the M chips have been in their own league of efficiency. (Tho the new Intel and Qualcomm chips look to be catching up)
5 hours ago [-]
loloquwowndueo 12 hours ago [-]
As a bonus the machine looks like crap so it’s far less likely to get stolen.
margalabargala 12 hours ago [-]
I think it looks nice.
Though you're right that machines whose exteriors are customized and unusual are less likely to get stolen.
padjo 1 hours ago [-]
I salute your can-do spirit and your will to customise your tools to your preferences.
I also think you're an animal and need to be stopped before you do more damage to perfectly well designed machines.
DannyBee 4 hours ago [-]
Probably don't do this if you have a magnesium-aluminum alloy laptop.
Depending on exactly how much magnesium is in the alloy, metal shavings can be highly flammable and otherwise hazardous.
I think it's fine to mess with stuff like this, just make sure you know what you can do safely to the materials.
lokimedes 2 hours ago [-]
To my great dismay, I discovered the physical incompatibility of two Apple products recently: The sharp edge of my MBP and my Apple Watch’s magnetic strap. It seems that the magnets are an effective abrasive, resulting in a ruined strap and a rounded edge.
Thank you Apple, you have taken designed obsolescence to a new level.
jxramos 2 hours ago [-]
It’s not only more comfortable to file off those sharp edges but also makes the laptop less dangerous to carry around. Those sharp edges not only cause discomfort but can chip paint, damage furniture, and inflict damage in general. If you had to you could use it as a weapon I suppose.
bloody-crow 12 hours ago [-]
Doing this to a work computer seem a bit questionable from the ethical standpoint.
Totally fine to do whatever you want to your personal belongings though.
Loughla 12 hours ago [-]
My work computer is missing two keys and has been since they signed it out to me.
I'm betting they don't notice if I file down the corners. Hell they probably wouldn't notice if I just cut the corners off with a fret saw. But God forbid I try to install an ad blocker or use Firefox.
chatmasta 11 hours ago [-]
I promise you they’re claiming taxes on the depreciation of that machine every year. If anything they’ll be upset you didn’t tell them sooner so they could have claimed more.
jerlam 11 hours ago [-]
If you're a US employee being paid market wages, the cost of the Macbook is rather trivial compared to how much you cost the company, and how much it costs them for you to be not working. But some lower-level managers and employees don't seem to understand this.
topato 11 hours ago [-]
“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF THE PRICE FOR THE PARTS AND LABOR TO REPLACE A SINGLE, GENUINE, APPLE-BRAND, 2021, MACBOOK PRO KEYCAP?!?! CALL THE ACCOUNTANTS, WE WONT BE PAYING TAXES FOR A FEW YEARS!!!”
danans 6 hours ago [-]
> Doing this to a work computer seem a bit questionable from the ethical standpoint.
"Ethical standpoint" seems like the wrong choice of words. I think you mean "equipment ownership standpoint.". Ethical implies a set of values, vs contractual terms of equipment use.
You can't be unethical to your employer, only to people like your coworkers and customers, or other living beings that your business activity impacts.
khalic 1 hours ago [-]
That's some really poor filing job :D but yeah custom tools is the way to go
datahack 48 minutes ago [-]
So, is rasping a subset of hacking now? Goodness.
ribosometronome 12 hours ago [-]
>it is uncomfortable on my wrists
Are your wrists supposed to be coming into contact with that? I suspect many of us have bad posture and do rest our wrists like that, but if your concern is wrist comfort, you probably want to consider that you're going out of your way to enable harmful posture.
nickvec 11 hours ago [-]
> This was on my work computer.
Bold move to do this on your work Macbook. I'd be too worried of getting chased down with a bill when returning the laptop eventually.
lostlogin 11 hours ago [-]
‘I’ve done a lot of work and it wore down’
levocardia 8 hours ago [-]
Honestly that was the cherry on top for me -- the employee confident enough to just decide "this is my work computer, I need it to do work, I can't do work with my hands being irritated, so I will sand down the edge." Pure gold.
mjamesaustin 12 hours ago [-]
I'm not brave enough to try this on my own, but I applaud the effort. I'm pretty sure I'm developing lasting calluses on the underside of my wrists from all the constant rubbing against the sharp edge of my MBP.
ardline 4 hours ago [-]
This reminds me of a problem we hit at work. Ended up going a different direction but same root issue.
starkeeper 11 hours ago [-]
A hero post. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to shave using the edge of iPhone Air 20 or whatever they are coming up with. iPhone Stiletto.
glitchc 12 hours ago [-]
Did the same for my Macbook Pro 15 unibody circa 2010. It was a great QoL improvement.
4 hours ago [-]
swiftcoder 3 hours ago [-]
Definitely didn't expect this to be about literally filing the corners off. Bravo! I think it looks pretty great, not sure I'd do it to one of mine
maximg68 3 hours ago [-]
When I was actively using my Macbook 2014, I did the same, though to lesser extent and in a uniform way. The edge was way too sharp.
tlb 7 hours ago [-]
Cool, but why is the most rounded-off part in the center? My wrists cover the edge at 5-25% and 75-95% when typing. When mousing, my right hand fleshy pad covers the edge at 65-80%.
sillysaurusx 7 hours ago [-]
I think because they had to. The rounded-off center part is actually the part you usually stick your finger into to lift up the lid. So it wasn't done for wrist ergonomics, but rather because it would've otherwise been sharp. The result is a big hole in the center.
It looks a bit strange, but to each their own, I suppose.
EDIT: this thing, below the trackpad https://imgur.com/a/DVzlDOj (What’s that even called? And is there a better image hosting service than Imgur?)
barrkel 8 hours ago [-]
I've done this to my MacBook around the sharp and unpleasant corners near the touchpad. I had the laptop a few weeks before I couldn't take how unpleasant it was to touch any more.
evanjrowley 5 hours ago [-]
I use a case on my MacBooks to protect them from damage. These cases are made of softer materials that are easier to chamfer. I make a similar modification when necessary. Sometimes it's worse with the plastic cases because the injection mold seam is that sharp edge.
patsplat 12 hours ago [-]
Physical objects should be rounded, virtual windows should be square. I will die on this hill.
kibwen 12 hours ago [-]
Tim Cook here, we've heard you loud and clear, the next Macbook will have a perfectly circular screen with square windows.
christophilus 12 hours ago [-]
Jony Ive here. I’ll come back and help make your new keyboard perfectly flat and seamless- touchpad based, and we’ll remove all ports. Bluetooth devices only.
ryandrake 11 hours ago [-]
Alan Dye here. I'm coming back to Apple, and the next versions of the operating systems will not even have visible controls or icons. You just have to click on the beautiful, clear windows and hope you're interacting with the right UI elements.
schmeichel 11 hours ago [-]
Steve Ballmer here, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS!
also, where is the new version of Visual Basic, Ballmer? Your sweaty chants can only distract me for so long…. Wait….. ITS BEEN TWENTY YEARS!?!?
a_e_k 9 hours ago [-]
Cave Johnson here. I'll be honest, we're throwing science at the wall here to see what sticks. No idea what it'll do. Probably nothing. Best-case scenario, you might get some superpowers.
matthewmc3 10 hours ago [-]
Scott Forstall here. I’ll resign before I apologize for the choices we make at Apple. All our research shows you’re gonna love it, and if you say you don’t it’s because you’re wrong, not me.
dlev_pika 12 hours ago [-]
Steve Jobs here, this user is wrong and you are both fired for not realizing this
I had a blackberry passport and it had a lot going for it(best keyboard ever on a phone) but one thing I really liked for reasons I don't understand is it had a square screen and took square photos.
ryukoposting 10 hours ago [-]
Square (or squarish) formats were pretty standard in pro photography once upon a time. Bliss, the Windows wallpaper, was shot on a camera that shoots in 6x7 natively (that's a nominal 6cm x 7cm, really it's more like 55mm x 65mm) A lot of other medium format cameras also shot in 6x7 or 6x6. And of course, 8x10 is still the standard "medium size print." I find square (or squarish) easier to compose with than wide ratios. Street photography, portraits, and sports photography don't often benefit from wider ratios, to name a few examples.
randyrand 11 hours ago [-]
Square sensors ought to be more common because they maximize the field of view for a given lens. Well, apart from circular sensors.
marssaxman 10 hours ago [-]
That looks genuinely useful - I could see positioning a monitor like that on either side of my main monitor, at an angle, and using them for docs, reference material, slack, calendars, etc. All the screen space of a dual-monitor setup, without the separation right in the center! Ah well, shame they're no longer made.
Yep, though what I would want is the width and height swapped. You can rotate the monitor, but then the subpixel layout isn’t good for text.
StilesCrisis 10 hours ago [-]
This worked great for a home arcade machine. Kind of expensive, but worked equally well for both 4:3 games (Super Mario) and 3:4 games (Pac Man).
mgfist 10 hours ago [-]
Thanks, I hate it
dlcarrier 10 hours ago [-]
Also, real windows and displays should have square corners, too. I refuse to buy a new phone until manufacturers stop cutting corners.
mememememememo 10 hours ago [-]
Hmm. Android uses the curvy bits for status so the main area is rectangle. So it is OK. It has the advantage of curved corners on casing to reduce chance of cracking screen on a drop.
porphyra 12 hours ago [-]
> windows should be square
found the Windows 8 enthusiast! haha, I kid. (I myself use a tiling window manager , i3, with completely square windows without any gaps or rounding)
doubled112 12 hours ago [-]
Haha, Windows had square windows long before 8.
If I could run the Windows 2000 UI on a modern OS I would but any recent clone/theme/etc feels too uncanny valley.
dsr_ 11 hours ago [-]
My custom XFWM theme has square corners on windows without focus and large-radius rounded corners on the one window with focus.
The square corners are part of a 2 pixel wide border (one black, one white) because who needs to waste space on handling things we aren't manipulating? But the title bar is high-contrast, because you'll go looking for it when you want to switch windows.
The round corners go with a fairly thick border in a customizable color, usually something very bright in the yellow, orange or cyan ranges. When you sit down, you should immediately know what is active.
bee_rider 12 hours ago [-]
I like rounding the corners on i3. It is a bit wasteful but the base WM is so efficient with my pixels that I have some to spare.
paulddraper 12 hours ago [-]
Not having i3 is truly the worst part about Macs.
(Yes, please tell me about some buggy half-compatible tiling window manager for my Mac.)
porphyra 12 hours ago [-]
For real. Doesn't help that the three/four finger swipe between full screen windows/workspaces has a mandatory animation that you can't disable (you can turn on "reduce motion", but it simply changes the scrolling animation into an equally time-wasting fading animation).
bee_rider 12 hours ago [-]
Surely MacOS has some nice virtual machine that you could run Linux in?
porphyra 11 hours ago [-]
Virtual machines aren't the solution for day-to-day computing though. You're missing out on the graphics acceleration, being able to plug things in that just work, and so on.
paulddraper 11 hours ago [-]
If you're running your UI on a Linux VM....why not just used Linux?
lostlogin 11 hours ago [-]
UTM.
pastel8739 11 hours ago [-]
You were being sarcastic, but aerospace is100% worth setting up
anArbitraryOne 11 hours ago [-]
Try exfoliating your wrists with square virtual windows
golem14 10 hours ago [-]
Yes, the glass UI is the first step. Well done!
mememememememo 10 hours ago [-]
Well you wont die on that hardened steel cube :)
sublinear 12 hours ago [-]
Nope. Virtual windows are rectangular because the screen is also rectangular while being small enough to see the edges within our field of view.
They don't have to be any particular shape or size. The property of being virtual overrides everything else when free of these self-imposed constraints.
Even if you lose the GUI and go back to text, the ideal terminal is a plane of infinite columns of arbitrary cell size that dynamically fills your field of view.
I'd further argue that the only reason VR/AR isn't more widely adopted is the lack of orthographic vs perspective modality per application (and uncomfortable headsets). In VR/AR, you don't want a window manager or even windows at all. What you want is a field manager (as in FOV "fields" of varying opacity that can be composited by the user). Shape and size is just an arbitrary region blended in with the environment.
For the sake of ergonomics, you'd more often prefer to project an interface onto a surface if you had the choice. When you don't, you probably want the projection to be orthographic, but for the edges to be fuzzy if not invisible. You'd generally want to be able to layer these interfaces as well instead of having opaque rectangles always in your way.
imiric 11 hours ago [-]
I don't think GP was advocating for actually square windows. Rather that the corners should be right angles.
This makes perfect sense considering that most LCD displays, and practically all computer displays, don't have rounded corners. This trend of rounding displays and GUI elements is purely an aesthetic choice. I also find this obnoxious since the only thing it does is rob me of a few pixels which are often useful.
But considering Apple users have accepted living without a large block of pixels dead center at the top of the screen, which they've been sold as a "feature", the rounded corners are likely even less of an issue.
I'm not sure that an infinite plane of pixels makes sense even in XR. I want to see a clear edge of where digital content begins and ends, and a rectangle is the simplest and most optimal shape for that. So I would rather have physical display-like floating rectangles, than floating text in arbitrary locations, or rounded off corners for the sake of aesthetics. I'm not opposed to a very slight rounding off of edges on certain elements, but the trend Apple is pushing is supremely ridiculous.
sublinear 10 hours ago [-]
Yeah I don't think we disagree. I just think you all's preference for windows, tiles, etc. (anything rectangular and opaque) is rooted in an idealistic efficiency of pixels (or irrational fear of deception?) just as unergonomic and frustrating to everyone else.
I'm saying that there is room for your arbitrary preference for opaque rectangles if we all abandon the notion of a "screen". We are well past the point where we can do this economically. It only persists because of consumer acceptance. Traditional screens are less efficient in every tangible way. They are less power efficient for their apparent brightness and require more material to construct.
Even the notion of clear boundaries and pixel size is an illusion. Traditional screens only make the pixels so big because they require sufficient brightness and power to see them at that distance, not because we cannot manufacture smaller pixels for cheaper. We could have much better results for everyone and the only remaining cost/problem is finding a way to comfortably wear the display.
11 hours ago [-]
abujazar 12 hours ago [-]
Yea, that's ugly. I'm sure it could've been done more gracefully with 15 minutes more effort. But judging from the general wear and tear on this poor Mac I guess they don't even consider the resale value.
kibwen 12 hours ago [-]
I can't even imagine prioritizing resale value here over one's own comfort. The purpose of a tool is to be used, not to serve as an asset class.
abujazar 11 hours ago [-]
Sure, but comfort != abuse :D
Apart from the filing, I can't think of ways to make such a recent Mac look like this. Did it suffer a plane crash? Acid attack? Thermite fire?
I appreciate the customization, but would probably make an effort to make it not look like (another) accident.
bee_rider 12 hours ago [-]
I think he is not worried about the resale value.
> This was on my work computer. I expect to similarly modify future work computers, and I would be happy to help you modify yours if you need a little encouragement.
I don’t understand the actual decision but I appreciate the gusto with which it was made.
hk1337 12 hours ago [-]
The main reason to consider resale value is 1-2 years later you may want to upgrade and selling it to another person typically yields you more money than trading it in with Apple. Doing something like this may decrease how much you could sell it for later.
If you’re not planning on doing that then it’s not really a factor for you.
dazilcher 8 hours ago [-]
> work computer
windowsrookie 12 hours ago [-]
Seriously, I have several mac laptops dating back to 2004 and they all have less wear than that.
simonbw 7 hours ago [-]
I've been meaning to do this forever and think this game me the push I've needed to do it tonight when I get home. Probably not as rounded as OP, but it's reassuring to know I could go that rounded and it wouldn't fall apart.
ebrewste 8 hours ago [-]
Love that he took it so far. I filed mine a while back - it’s so much more comfortable to use. When I drop it and a corner get mashed, I file that back flat. It reminds me of kintsugi where it shines from the fine filing.
I filed my work dell laptop too. Very different feel, but it is nice not living in feel of your own stuff.
estetlinus 5 hours ago [-]
Mac users since 2010. Never noticed the sharp edges. I am just keen on not having that little red ball in the middle of the keyboard á la Elitebook.
RadiozRadioz 5 hours ago [-]
Give the TrackPoint a go. If you configure the sensitivity and acceleration properly, it can be an extremely productive way to move the mouse.
beloch 5 hours ago [-]
There are plenty of laptops out there that have square edges on the user-facing edge. However, most are tapered and/or have hinge designs that tilt the laptop surface towards the user, dropping that square edge away from the user's wrists.
Most Apple laptops, such as the latest Pro's, are level, rather than tapered, and sit flat so that the user-facing edge cuts into your wrists. It's bad ergonomics, plain and simple. If you value function over form enough to modify your tools in this way, choose better tools.
pmontra 5 hours ago [-]
Choosing tools is not easy. Last time I bought a laptop was 2014. My goal was running Linux. My other requirements were, in order of importance, without explanation:
3 physical buttons below the touchpad. That removed really many laptops. They would be nearly zero today, or really zero.
15 inches screen. Common.
Matte finish. Common.
User serviceable hardware. That removed many other laptops.
No number pad. I had to give up on that or I would have no laptop to buy.
I ended up with the first generation HP ZBook 15.
sandreas 6 hours ago [-]
I wonder if it would be possible to sand down a MacBook surface to the grade where it was all shiny mirror like the Apple logo, e.g. with car polish :-) The "untouchable" MacBook mirror :-)
cwicklein 10 hours ago [-]
Sitting in a reclined position on the train, I’ve had a MacBook fly into my face when the car lurched and slice my nose open. Bled all over.
jasonjmcghee 11 hours ago [-]
Depending on how I'm using the computer, I may definitely have deep marks after working laying down, but if I sit in a wood chair for a while it's the same thing- and my forearm is much tougher than behind my knee.
I suppose I would prefer it nice and rounded and soft on my wrist - but I don't feel like it's quite as extreme as this thread would have you believe lol
mkagenius 5 hours ago [-]
Not just sides, the vents are much sharper.
Few years back, I tried to look on reddit for complaints regarding this - barely anything.
culopatin 10 hours ago [-]
A very even 45 degree cut, like the cut to lift the screen but much shallower would look pretty cool. Maybe 2mm wide
noman-land 10 hours ago [-]
Everyone should be personalizing their belongings to suit their needs and desires. Living with belongings that make you feel anything less than happy and satisfied is NOT necessary.
This is a particularly hilarious customization both for its combined utility and shock value and also for doing it on a work computer.
jbverschoor 11 hours ago [-]
The sharp and high edges leave a mark in my skin. The older MacBook Air design was lower, so resting your palms wouldn’t give me this
PufPufPuf 5 hours ago [-]
Too bad my Mac is company owned, maybe I'd use it in a "laptop mode" more if it didn't slit wrists.
nateburke 10 hours ago [-]
I did this at my last job, it's nice.
dec0dedab0de 5 hours ago [-]
I did this on the macs at an old job, but not as drastic. It really doesn’t need much to ..ahem… take the edge off.
ayaros 7 hours ago [-]
Truly the most horrifying post on HN I've seen in quite a while
eru 1 hours ago [-]
I don't have any trouble with the corner on my MacBooks. But now I'm disappointed that Apple added an extra few grams to my MacBook Air that they could have avoided without damaging functionality.
11 hours ago [-]
dvt 9 hours ago [-]
Maybe it's just me, but I think it looks kind of cool. I like how it tapers from the ultra-smooth front to the jagged back edges. Only suggestion would be to use better tools to do the filing, since it looks a bit uneven/rough.
sbaildon 10 hours ago [-]
The author has the same problem as myself; there’s a permanent imprint on the screen that sits right where the screen makes contact with the topside of the touchpad.
It’s quite an annoying flaw, and i’ve only had this problem with the machines since the M1 redesign
bombcar 8 hours ago [-]
One of the ATPers was going on and on a bit ago about how the Neo is very "rounded" and "not sharp" compared to the Pro. I wonder if it would need this.
tmd83 11 hours ago [-]
At one point due to the way I was using my just above my wrist my skin basically calloused from the edge of the macbook. Now at least the lid is not that sharp but it used to be I recall and I always worried about kids getting hit by it in case of an accident.
tonypapousek 11 hours ago [-]
Maybe it's because I type like one would play the piano (with hands curved, fingers well below the palms), but I've never ran into an issue like this with a laptop before, wrists always clear the edges by a couple inches.
All the same, hell yeah.
asciimov 8 hours ago [-]
Would be cool if somebody would make a round over or chamfer plane that would allow you to remove the corner with a higher finished look.
anant_who 6 hours ago [-]
This is very interesting
Maybe I'll do this when my mac is a couple years old haha
Retr0id 11 hours ago [-]
I'm very tempted to try this although I worry that the rubber "seal" around the edges of the screen will no longer have anything to butt up against, meaning there's glass-on-metal contact when it's closed?
Retr0id 11 hours ago [-]
Ok I did it, but to a lesser extent to OP, so it definitely doesn't affect the seal. Even a small radius makes a big difference to comfort!
woeirua 7 hours ago [-]
This is the spicy content I come here to read. I wouldn’t do it myself but god speed to anyone who does.
phamilton 11 hours ago [-]
I dropped my MBA on concrete and the edges got dinged up and sharp.
A bit of 220 grit sandpaper and all the sharp edges are smooth and it actually looks pretty cool. I was grimacing at first but now I like the feel.
zephen 11 hours ago [-]
Too many MBAs, not enough concrete.
12 hours ago [-]
culi 11 hours ago [-]
I too find the sharp corners incredibly uncomfortable for my weak sensitive baby wrists but I chose to overcome this by wearing a wrist band. Two very different approaches
On one of my old MacBook Pros, I managed to do this naturally through friction from my wrist moving back and forth on the keyboard for years; good idea to get ahead of it.
proee 12 hours ago [-]
The Apple Watch Ultra also has an aggressively sharp screen edge. It's kept me from upgrading from my current watch (Model 8). But maybe I would get use to it?
gensym 11 hours ago [-]
The side that faces your wrist is rounded - only the face is sharp. I haven't noticed any issues with the edge wearing the thing.
I was worried about scratches because I abuse the shit out of anything I wear, and sure enough, there are scratches in the titanium bezel, but they look good in a way that scratches on my (non-pro) steel Apple Watch did not.
philsnow 9 hours ago [-]
The clearest demonstration that the knife edge is dumb is that there isn't a similar sharp edge around the exterior.
canbus 9 hours ago [-]
Maybe it’s the lighting, but that doesn’t look even on both sides to me - that’d bother me more than the sharpness.
ghshephard 11 hours ago [-]
Another thing that multiple generation of MacBook Airs used to do is constantly be running (sometimes quite painful) amounts of electricity through your wrists if they accidentally touched the metal.
Not sure if the Apple Silicon devices have the same issue - but it was consistent through at least 3 different generations.
LtWorf 11 hours ago [-]
I remember, at university we had rows of metal chairs and one single person with a macbook could occasionally electrocute multiple people.
pugworthy 10 hours ago [-]
Fans of My Mechanics on YouTube will chuckle at this.
The channel’s Swiss host is famous for removing sharp edges from metal things.
nickpinkston 11 hours ago [-]
It was oddly satisfying taking a file to my MacBook when a drop lifted a nasty burr on the edge.
Very minor "you can just do things" collides with the "infallible object" presence that Apple wants for its products - almost feels "wrong", but it's a nice norm to break.
One concern with doing this would be when you pack it in a bag and the screen would now flex more than usual, leading to excessive wear of the anti-reflective coating on these screens.
Since the edge has been filed away, the rubber seal on the screen would no longer presses against the edge of the body protecting the screen.
bredren 11 hours ago [-]
It’s not just the edge but the corners where the finger accommodation is for opening the lid.
There’s a sharp corner there is unnecessary.
sharkjacobs 12 hours ago [-]
I don't want to do the whole front edge but this has definitely inspired me to take a file to these notch corners
michael1999 12 hours ago [-]
The sharp points by the track-pad are bad design. Ive made some terrible decisions when he wanted to show off.
GraceParkNYC 11 hours ago [-]
Sharp edges and an axehead-like profile wear down the bottom of the laptop sleeve in my office-commuter hand luggage. Solved by putting my old MacBook Air in a neoprene pocket case before putting the whole thing, now with the double-thickness :-( p into my sachel.
anArbitraryOne 11 hours ago [-]
If only they'd round the edges/corners of the body instead of the screen and the UI
I first encountered this in-person on a Mac Mini many years ago, which to be fair is not meant to be touched all the time, but it was still slightly repulsive. It has a surprising weight and uncomfortable sensation like picking up a freshly-cut block of metal. Then I realised Apple did the same with their laptops which are meant to be touched. They do have rounded corners, but not on the axes where the roundedness is useful. In contrast, Thinkpads look sharp-edged with square corners but are actually confortable to hold.
hommelix 5 hours ago [-]
Older Thinkpad were made without the sharp edge. I love the edge on the X230 and I've been wondering why no designer has taken a look at these to make new laptop.
Is it me or is that aluminum already developing some stress cracking?
baud9600 11 hours ago [-]
Brilliant. Love the tech-disrespect and the “right to repair”!
owenthejumper 9 hours ago [-]
Did this too. Absolutely ridiculous I had to :(
serf 6 hours ago [-]
on the tool analogy :
only the biggest POS tools have bad ergonomics on the industrial side. The real quality tools, the ones meant to be used on the factory floor or in a production line, think of human ergonomics first .
I would probably be considering that as I took a file to my laptop in order to keep it from cutting into my skin as I used it.
I applaud the ingenuity, but I detest the concept of aesthetic-first engineering without a thought for the human user of the thing. Vote with your dollar.
In the case of parent : I admire your ability to cope and the chutzpah it took to take a file to company property.
on a side note : I think it's absolutely fascinating in every Apple thread watching users trade tips on how to avoid electric shock, electrolytic/chemical pitting, and skin cuts like it's just normal computing worries. You folks have some thick skin to keep at it. I would be rubberizing the whole damn thing after the first zap.
lozenge 2 hours ago [-]
Can we get some pictures with the hinge closed?
orliesaurus 11 hours ago [-]
You don't dock your MacBook for long sesh?
nottorp 3 hours ago [-]
Well, this can be read as a nice hack or ...
... it means the OPs job does not provide external monitors and proper keyboards :)
egeozcan 3 hours ago [-]
Some people visit customers, work on the go, work in a cafe, etc. That's the point of getting a laptop, no?
Flavius 3 hours ago [-]
I can't downvote you enough for this comment, but hopefully others will. You're arguing that a device designed for portability is perfect as it is because you're supposed to use external monitors and proper keyboards. This is peak HN/Reddit/"current society", whatever you want to call it.
nottorp 3 hours ago [-]
I'm arguing that using a laptop without dedicated input and display peripherals if you can avoid it is a bit of masochism and filing off the corners won't fix it.
tclancy 9 hours ago [-]
Takes a real bastard to do this.
pointpth 8 hours ago [-]
…file.
adastra22 12 hours ago [-]
I just put a plastic case on my MacBook…
dwg 12 hours ago [-]
Wish I had the courage to do this too.
10 hours ago [-]
lofaszvanitt 6 hours ago [-]
I did this when my old 2011 Air dropped the fiftieth time and the sides showed some pitting. The aluminium body is a godsend.
ed_mercer 10 hours ago [-]
Goodbye resale value
refurb 6 hours ago [-]
I did something similar with drawer handles. I was living in a place with cheap furniture and the handles were aluminum billet cut to length and tapped so it could be screwed to the drawer face. The edge on either side were crazy sharp. If you bumped it with your knee you'd easily cut the skin.
So I took some 1000 grit sand paper for metal and gently wet sanded the edge. If you rotate it a little you can get a very small radius evenly around the edge and it will keep a nice finish that matches brushed aluminum.
I'd actually feel comfortable doing this to a Macbook having done it to the drawer handles. Just use little pressure, back the paper with something flat, and check your progress often. It takes very little to remove the sharpness to the edge, to the point it's hard to see with the naked eye.
Nursie 7 hours ago [-]
It’s interesting to me that this makes it look old. Even slightly retro. Makes me think of early 2010s ultrabooks.
mr-pink 3 hours ago [-]
i think its fine but why do such a shitty job
sitzkrieg 11 hours ago [-]
anything but admitting the design is bad and frivolous
mvdtnz 7 hours ago [-]
If my work computer were my own I would do this in a second. The MacBook pro is ridiculously uncomfortable, both in terms of geometry and heat. I don't mind when it gets warm but on a cold morning it's just downright unpleasant to get working on it.
denimnerd42 12 hours ago [-]
I hate those sharp edges. I've contemplated taking a router with a carbide roundover to mine many times.
bmitc 8 hours ago [-]
I have never understood how Jony Ive is highly regarded as a designer when he put not only sharp, aluminum edges but sharp aluminum corners exactly where your body spends almost all the time for continuous contact with the device.
He honestly seems like a terrible designer, which seems corroborated by him doing nothing of remote interest outside of Apple and barely inside it. The items that are regarded as design epochs, like the iPod, we're not his.
andreybaskov 12 hours ago [-]
Finally, now I know I'm not the only one! These sharp edges constantly cut into my wrists to the point I was thinking of doing the same, or glueing some kind of kind soft padding to the edges. Great someone did it. I wonder how far can you cut them?
tiborsaas 9 hours ago [-]
Savage.
fragmede 10 hours ago [-]
OMFG I am so glad to hear I am not the only one! The stupid thing hurt my wrists on the white Macbook generation so I shaved it off so it wasn't so sharp.
j45 10 hours ago [-]
Love it, this is the ultimate laptop sticker.
BenFranklin100 11 hours ago [-]
I dealt with sharp edges issue by investing in an Andar leather case. Works just as well.
If instead you sharpen the corners it's a security mechanism.
whalesalad 11 hours ago [-]
I would remove material from the outside edges of the front, not the center near the trackpad. The blue edges of my M2 air have already become silver and the palm rests have become more silver and glossy like glass from wear. I'm probably going to do something like this.
teaearlgraycold 12 hours ago [-]
This seems like a reasonable choice, but man you really need to do this with a CNC mill. The craftsmanship is not there.
tomjacobs 12 hours ago [-]
yay
bilalbayram 12 hours ago [-]
I hate this
But I also understand
Still I hate this
voidhorse 7 hours ago [-]
> I file the sharp corners off my MacBooks. People like to freak out about this
The fact that any conscious human being has the time or energy to be "freaked out" about someone futzing around with their own devices is astounding to me.
maest 10 hours ago [-]
I'm now painfully aware of how uncomfortable the edge of my mac is.
thegdsks 10 hours ago [-]
Not seriously... I too love the sharp edges but this is scary.. Lol
camillomiller 3 hours ago [-]
Looks terrible, I love it
taneq 3 hours ago [-]
I’m now wondering how difficult it would be to polish one to a mirror finish.
octagons 10 hours ago [-]
> Don't be scared. Fuck around a bit.
Damn good advice.
ProAm 11 hours ago [-]
Apple users always convincing themselves they are still using the best premium most thought after designs of all time.
supliminal 12 hours ago [-]
> Don't be scared. Fuck around a bit.
Preach.
loloquwowndueo 12 hours ago [-]
> Don't be scared. Fuck around a bit.
Bet this person never heard about FAFO
kimjune01 9 hours ago [-]
'a bit' is load-bearing
layer8 11 hours ago [-]
He hasn’t found out yet.
throwanem 8 hours ago [-]
[dead]
RShackleford 11 hours ago [-]
[dead]
rvz 11 hours ago [-]
One of the many first world problems of this century. /s
Meanwhile a very important object called "Orion CM-003 Integrity" of the Artemis II mission is about to splash-down on Earth in 35 mins.
Rendered at 10:37:45 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Vercel.
Co-worker 1: Interesting. I wonder if that voids the warranty. It's Apple you know.
Co-worker 2: May Jobs have mercy on their soul...
Co-worker 3: Not a bad idea. But not sure if that would cause problems with structural integrity of the laptop, like if you drop it or something.
Co-worker 4: The only downside I see is that you can no longer say "Hey, that's a sharp-looking laptop!"
Whilst I like that it increases the “tooliness” of the Mac it’s not of me I think.
I like mine pristine. ”There are many like it but this one is mine”, yada, yada.
Filing off the anodized layer is indeed bound to look awful.
Technically it can be done in a garage, but spot and/or intact application might be difficult. Strict color matching against Apple made things would be impossible.
Anodizing works as follows:
1. Take the MacBook apart
2. Clean it
3. Chemical bath to remove old anodized layer
4. Clean it again
5. Chemical bath with power supply attached. applied voltage+current and duration will determine hardness and thickness of the anodized layer.
6. Clean it
7. Dye it.
8. Seal the dye in a hot water bath.
It’s fairly straight forward to do.
In the context of a MacBook, it’s not. Removing just the aluminium components and leaving everything that doesn’t like baths undamaged is practically impossible for amateurs. I’m not sure it’s something many professionals would take on.
Also, the way you acquire the knowledge, expertise and tooling is by screwing around with stuff where you have no idea what you’re doing.
Playing around with lithium batteries to build bigger battery packs (DYI Perks did this and even though he mentions the dangers of doing that (fire or electric shock) it’s still inspires people to do the same in their living rooms.
Then is playing with chemicals.
Again I’m not saying don’t do it. But one should ease into things not just grab a random set of chemicals and disassemble a laptop and hook up a power supply etc by just following a list from the internet.
Otherwise known as "remove everything from the chassis, leaving only the chassis."
But do so in a way that lets you fully re-assemble it later on, after you've finished the re-anodising.
> 7. Dye it.
Why the dye? I thought anodising's colour comes only from the voltage used, with no dye needed.
ie you can pick the colour you want, but you need to get the voltage correct for that colour
That's true for anodization processes for some other metals like titanium and stainless steel, but aluminum is dyed. Also the process is material specific. Anodization for Al is only possible because Al does that unique self organizing micropore thing.
If anyone's interested in details of Aluminium anodising, this seems like a decently thorough introduction: https://nzic.org.nz/unsecure_files/book/8E.pdf
People do home anodizing all the time, but colored home anodizing on electronics is very rare.
The way to do it would be wrapping it in, say, a wet paper towel with your strong acid solution (but not sulfuric, because that would turn the paper into pure carbon foam) and running outside current from the laptop through the paper to a cathode, or vice versa.
When this line of MacBooks first came out in 2021 and I bought one (I desperately needed an upgrade), I was joking that it's top-notch hardware.
Drop them like it’s hot!
C2: Homo-religious
C3: Homo-enginerus
C4: Homo-bros
The flame war on whether the original chassis design sucks or rocks is not that interesting.
Maybe the next phase of Apple could return to flowing shapes and save our wrists.
Note: Left hand wrist areas are currently out of stock.
I also really like this article and am 100% supportive of people messing around and modifying their stuff.
The modding community is a shadow of its old self these days
I get the feeling that might not be the greatest idea in some fields.
For example, anything that could kill you (or others) if it goes wrong. ;)
Chopping the fenders on a Porsche 911 to install a widebody kit does not have the same weight as rolling the seams on an Jeep Cherokee.
Big difference between bolt-ons vs deeper mods too.
If I have it in my lap, the outer ball of each wrist is resting on the body to the left and right of the trackpad and that means my forearms are angled upwards, away from the edges. They never rest on the edge of the laptop until I use the trackpad, and then the puffy outer pad of my palm is resting on the laptop edge. Still very comfortable.
If I'm using it at a desk it's the same story. My seat is high enough (relative to the desk) that my forearms lift up and away from the laptop. Never resting on the edge.
Are people seated so low so that the desk height is at breast level and they're making T-Rex arms to reach the keyboard? It seems so intuitively obvious to avoid such positions.
For example, the monitor should be at eye level vertically but with laptop that's very hard to accomplish unless you position yourself in a reclined fashion to bring down your eye level closer to your lap - on a macbook you get wrist cuts like this.
One of the most important thing that makes a good ergonomic laptop is the ways it accomodates as many positions and setup as posible so your can rotate your working position to avoid excessive strain on one particular area. So when your back is tired you slouch down, when your wrists are tired you straighten up, when your eyes are tired you adjust the display brightness/theme etc.
When taken seriously it's totally possible to work safely even in poor conditions like outside or on a train but devices that completely ignore ergonomics just don't even give you the chance.
In trying to picture this, I suppose there are certainly some stock photo models who'd feel the sharp edges:
google.com/images?q=person+using+laptop
I totally know what you mean about shifting positions. All the positions I've been in where I've felt the edges have been quite unergonomic, but perhaps not for everyone.
I don’t care about the sharp edges because 1) they’re not actually that sharp. 2) I don’t rest my wrists on them.
I mostly work from a desk with an external monitor and the laptop cantered below it. I avoid mice and try to use keyboard shortcuts.
I’ve used Dells, HPs and Thinkpads and the current MacBook Pros are still my favourite design.
Horses for courses, I guess.
I also like the short-travel Apple keyboards, though, and if Apple made a tenkeyless Magic Keyboard with the standard layout for cursor movement keys, I'd probably be using it.
And yes the keyboards are terrible too. Up to 2015 it was OK but I can't work with the butterfly ones and the "new and improved" scissor ones that came after that. They still have a lot less travel than the ones from up to 2015.
I never sanded my metal macbooks though I did do so with a plastic one I had. I just didn't really use them much as laptop anymore.
My Dell XPS is almost as sharp (there's a microscopic chamfer, which won't be enough to explain the difference), but because the body is wedge-shaped, the keyboard sits at a slight angle which makes it feel so much better to me. Propping the back of the Macbook on something helps - only needs to be 2-3mm to make a difference.
It's like the static electricity issues that plagued them in the 2010s. They produced shocks that were actually painful, the sort that I've only experienced before from CRT screens in metal housings. The chargers contained a grounding pin internally, but it wasn't actually connected to anything. Utter madness, and would have been such an easy thing to fix - but it persisted until they replaced the charging port with usb-c.
That is standard procedure in consumer electronics actually.
My work MBP is charged via external display and sure enough, I get zapped every now and then. The bundled charger also has just two pins.
- Battery: no other laptop comes even close
- Trackpad: I don't use a mouse anymore, no other laptop comes close
- Audio: No other laptop comes close
"Sharp edges" really don't bother me to be honest, I wouldn't have noticed it if nobody told me.
I have a nano-texture screen, and it works great in daylight.
Just goes to show how opinions can differ.
Problem is that I dont remember which, and if I remembered the model might very well not be in stock anymore. The other vendors with their always changing lineup of models make that impossible by choice.
If you can provide me an example of a laptop that beats one of those categories, it's objectively wrong. In all other cases, nope.
I'm pretty sure Apple doesn't pay any "influencers", but maybe they're doing the Mormon church thing and buying ads?
macOS font rendering has been worst in class since they removed subpixel-antialiasing. It's now a blurry mess on regular displays.
FWIW, I've had no trouble with Mac font rendering on bog standard 1440p and 4K external displays
> pretty sure Apple doesn't pay any "influencers"
It's true they probably don't need to, since they have a bunch of fanatics who buy whatever Apple releases just because it's Apple
See https://www.reddit.com/r/macbook/s/hbyVh5SJhw for another poor soul with the same caustic skin
It's easy for me to feel the mains frequency while gently rubbing the top surface of the MacBook while it's plugged in. Really feels unsafe, but neither me nor the computer have suffered any serious injuries yet.
That's due to interference suppression capacitor in the PSU. The safety standard puts the "touch current" limit at something like 300uA (0.3mA), which is definitely in "painful but not dangerous" territory. You do need to exercise caution when plugging in other devices that are also connected to the mains, since that amount of current and voltage can certainly damage sensitive electronics.
Old but good page on such measurements: http://www.aplomb.nl/SMPS_leakage/Doc_ie.html
I haven't been a regular Mac user, but I've had maybe 3 work MacBooks since 2010 and I recall having this issue with all of them.
Why haven't they fixed it?
It can be avoided by using a grounded power supply, but because there are large countries that have ungrounded outlets in common use the most designs are ungrounded.
It happens with other 2-pin chargers on both MacBooks and other laptops, but it depends upon various factors how strong the leakage is
if you take the plug part from the brick you'll note that there's only two pins but the button-like thing is a ground
as noted in a sibling, the power adapter extension cable does plumb the ground through (https://www.apple.com/shop/product/mw2n3ll/a/power-adapter-e...)
US Version: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/mw2n3ll/a/power-adapter-e...
Seriously though, that does not sound safe at all.
> acidic sweat. once you got through the anodization the raw aluminum wears faster....
If one files off the sharp edges, won’t the sweat eat through everything faster, as that protective layer was filed off.
The big recess above the pins is what encases the button of the charger and provides grounding if it includes metal strips. Assuming the charger itself has a metal button.
In the EU a grounded cable has been the default forever (I have a grounded cable from my 2010 MBP which I use as travel cable for my 2021 MBP)
US Version: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/mw2n3ll/a/power-adapter-e...
Some heat is normal, but the sparking seems concerning.
Can it cause the plastic on the mouse to break down?
Author's another post on "The Seasons are Wrong" [0] is excellent too and I fully support both approaches.
[0] https://kentwalters.com/posts/seasons/
I would propose boundaries that align partly with how I perceive the weather, and partly with how we plan our year (by months): Summer starts June 1st, Fall starts September 1st, Winter starts December 1st, and Spring starts March 1st.
There's no need to change the dates. They're already arbitrary based on the position of the sun and the earth and people have the experience to take them with the grain of salt necessary to the region they live in. People who live near the equator probably don't have much care for the notion of the winter at all. Folks who live far up north know that spring actually comes in much later than march 21st. People who climb glaciated mountains in the canadian rockies know they won't get summer conditions until late june.
My understanding is that tropical regions tend to divide the year into "wet season" and "dry season".
I've also always thought that the equinoxes and solstices should be the middle of the seasons, so using the 'cross-quarter' days as the beginning of seasons makes more sense.
probably same for other post-soviet countries too?
But we lost a lot of nice symmetries that way, which is unfortunate
You do realize there's also a southern hemisphere on planet Earth?
In Australia it's just split up by months, with each season being 3 months long:
March 1 - Autumn starts June 1 - Winter starts Sept 1 - Spring starts Dec 1 - Summer starts
Of cause, those in far northern Australia, only really have Dry and Wet seasons. I have no idea when those are.
Adelaide’s climate anecdotally feels to be more humid in recent years (historically bone dry Mediterranean climate) and the seasons feel like they’ve shifted a few weeks forward.
The Kaurna (Australian Aboriginal people of Adelaide, pronounced Gar-nuh) apparently mapped seasons a little differently, with a longer summer that resonates with my experience:
https://www.bom.gov.au/resources/indigenous-weather-knowledg...
The Noongar people of Western Australia have a 6 season model that also maps pretty well to my experience in South Australia.
https://australiassouthwest.com/six-seasons-of-the-south-wes...
But most countries other than the USA use meteorological definitions of the seasons starting on the 1st of December, March, June, and September.
In India our summer holidays start at the end of March and finish in the start of June. That’s usually our hottest months too. And a lot of our regional “New Year” calendar’s and related festivals are on April 14th and can probably be considered the start of summer.
That said being an English speaking country and absorbing a lot of media from other English speaking countries, there’s been a slow drift towards the American system making its way in, so younger generations are more likely to use American seasons and older people more likely to use traditional seasons, though you’ll find people of all age groups using either. Certainly they taught the traditional seasons in school when I was a kid, I wonder which they teach now.
(Of course, you could make yet another system based on the weather where summer is approximately two weeks in July, winter is a thing that happens every few years and the rest is a sequence of mild weather with occasional wind and scattered showers)
In Finland the traditional division is that winter is Dec-Feb, spring is Mar-May, summer is Jun-Aug, and autumn is Sep-Nov. Historically it has made perfect sense, weather and climate wise – particularly from the point of view of agriculture, which is of course the reason people used to think about seasons in the first place!
February in particular is 100% winter in Finland with no signs of spring besides the days starting to get very noticeably longer by then. It's often the coldest month of the year and when schools usually have a week-long winter break. Similarly, August is very definitely a summer month except in the far north where spring comes late and autumn early. The academic year in schools and universities typically starts at the end of August, so that's a clear and important dividing line in many people's lifes. In Southern Finland, December is these days rather autumny more often than not, and there's often no lasting snow until January (if even then). June is a crapshoot, it can be nice and warm or surprisingly cold.
I guess Jan-Feb are definitely winter, Apr-May definitely spring, Jul-Aug definitely summer, and Oct-Nov definitely autumn. The rest are kind of transitional and their weather unpredictable. Of course, the climate change isn't helping things, either.
https://youtu.be/y8HEZ-x4-_w?t=402
Getting the shade right could be tricky though.
I've got no idea why, but the sharp feeling is amazing.
When apple releases a 12" retina Macbook M-series, I'll be the first in line, I don't think there's a better laptop for size and aesthetic.
These objects are becoming more like clothing and less like unyielding industrial machines. It's to the point that I'd be genuinely disgusted to handle any used laptop regardless of how "clean" it is.
It's not a new thing, cars started getting fins in 1948.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_tailfin
Ok… but I don't like to injure my wrists…
[1] https://x.com/andrewculver/status/1297575768520716288/photo/...
And yes, why are they so sharp?
I seem to recall my wife having the plastic MacBook that came out circa 2006 and the edges on that thing were legitimately painful.
I always marvel at how sharp the points are on the notch of the lid on my current MacBook. Very very pointy.
they intentionally ship them sharp so you can file them down to your desired fillet
the design is very human
They are quite stabby and I hate them.
https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/aca51a7051edc493b19cfd93da...
Unibody Intels before that were really really sharp.
I have intrusive thoughts of trying to cut my finger over it, but so far the attempts were unsuccesful.
Alternatively, because they care about aesthetics more than utility and comfort.
«During the first Jobsian era at Apple, I used to joke that Steve Jobs cared deeply about Apple customers from the moment they first considered purchasing an Apple computer right up until the time their check cleared the bank.» (Bruce Tognazzini)
They still sell computers, which count below 10% of the revenue, and are also partly fashion accessories.
But the obvious way to handle that problem is to put it in a case. For example: https://www.itslaut.com/products/crystal-x-case-for-macbook-...
I wasn't thrilled with a product design that required a case to protect the rest of the world from the product, but it obviously makes more sense than trying to file the MacBook yourself.
get a single-cut fine file, maybe with a little more weight than the one in the video. single cut file has diagonal slots and allows firm and continuous contact with the piece. most files are double cut, have two sets of slots and look like bumpy diamonds. they remove more material but tend to bounce.
use long even strokes with firm pressure, only during the fore stroke. watch out for roll-off, where you unconsciously change the angle or pressure of the file as you're at the end of the stroke.
you can make a pretty even-looking chamfer that way.
Heck, a little part of me is tempted to try the smallest radius round-over router bit I have in a trim router, but the odds of that going horribly wrong are just way too high.
The machine is fine and I didn’t even have to adjust the screen as it was still correctly in place but on that corner the aluminium lifted up forming a mountain shape, about 2 mm tall and very sharp.
Not only this was uncomfortable, but it also meant I couldn’t close the lid properly and might eventually crack the screen from it, so I filed it away. Like OP, I started with a pretty gritty file to get most of the tip off, then finished with a multi-tool with the sanding attachment. I went through a few grits but I got bored long before it was smooth.
In the end, I actually liked the look, and have been considering going all around like OP. I may have to do it now.
I think there must be a better solution than a file, like an attachment to effectively round the edges, or even something like fingerless gloves.
On the other hand Apple always replace the top case when the keyboard needs changing so the filing approach may not be entirely insane. It might send a message to Apple.
Especially the gloves, come one, that's peak Apple "you're just using it wrong" mentality. Apple made a bad usability decision for the sake of sexier design. It's not your fault, it's theirs. Fix the defect, not yourself.
So the seam looks neat when the macbook is closed, eg. https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MacBo...
Since I mentioned Tahoe, it bears repeating, my spotlight is still broken.
[0] https://ljpuk.net/2025/05/23/how-does-the-space-black-macboo...
Literally "you're holding it wrong".
It's a laptop computer.
If you want to break more rules, you might consider chickenwing-ing your arms a bit. Deviate from the homerow and learn to feel your way around at other angles. Then you can hold the laptop closer to you without putting your wrists at a weird angle (though you may have to use a non-thumb finger for spacebar, as I do).
As I type this, my laptop is partly on my belly and partly on my chest, and my wrists are so far out to the sides that they completely miss the front edge of the laptop altogether. The angle is pretty favorable, too: my palms rest on the laptop on either side of the trackpad, and my wrists rest over the left and right sides of the bottom case but have little to no pressure on them.
No RSI here, either. Just make sure you're loose and comfortable and not forcing anything! That seems to help a lot.
- Sharp edges eat into my forearms.
- Glossy screen makes it hard to see when it's light out.
- The keys have a real hard stop when you press on them which tires out my hands.
- An arrogant desire to obsolete ports.
I don't understand the appeal of the machine, it feels like style over function everywhere.
Now the only annoying things are the MacOS window manager (uBar attempts to fix this, but is flaky) and the weird keyboard mappings for things like "start of line", "end of line", "previous word", etc. Karabiner fixes those if you're willing to invest 3 hours in setting it up.
Those are Emacs keybindings, and they're also present by default in Bash since they were copied by GNU Readline. They're one of the few things I really like about macOS. (But I'm an Emacs user and I'm also used to using them in my terminal.)
The window manager never stops sucking. Rectangle and Contexts or Witch help. Ice helps with the stupid menu bar design and problems with overflowing icons or oversized menus.
Though you're right that machines whose exteriors are customized and unusual are less likely to get stolen.
I also think you're an animal and need to be stopped before you do more damage to perfectly well designed machines.
Depending on exactly how much magnesium is in the alloy, metal shavings can be highly flammable and otherwise hazardous.
I think it's fine to mess with stuff like this, just make sure you know what you can do safely to the materials.
Thank you Apple, you have taken designed obsolescence to a new level.
Totally fine to do whatever you want to your personal belongings though.
I'm betting they don't notice if I file down the corners. Hell they probably wouldn't notice if I just cut the corners off with a fret saw. But God forbid I try to install an ad blocker or use Firefox.
"Ethical standpoint" seems like the wrong choice of words. I think you mean "equipment ownership standpoint.". Ethical implies a set of values, vs contractual terms of equipment use.
You can't be unethical to your employer, only to people like your coworkers and customers, or other living beings that your business activity impacts.
Are your wrists supposed to be coming into contact with that? I suspect many of us have bad posture and do rest our wrists like that, but if your concern is wrist comfort, you probably want to consider that you're going out of your way to enable harmful posture.
Bold move to do this on your work Macbook. I'd be too worried of getting chased down with a bill when returning the laptop eventually.
It looks a bit strange, but to each their own, I suppose.
EDIT: this thing, below the trackpad https://imgur.com/a/DVzlDOj (What’s that even called? And is there a better image hosting service than Imgur?)
also, where is the new version of Visual Basic, Ballmer? Your sweaty chants can only distract me for so long…. Wait….. ITS BEEN TWENTY YEARS!?!?
found the Windows 8 enthusiast! haha, I kid. (I myself use a tiling window manager , i3, with completely square windows without any gaps or rounding)
If I could run the Windows 2000 UI on a modern OS I would but any recent clone/theme/etc feels too uncanny valley.
The square corners are part of a 2 pixel wide border (one black, one white) because who needs to waste space on handling things we aren't manipulating? But the title bar is high-contrast, because you'll go looking for it when you want to switch windows.
The round corners go with a fairly thick border in a customizable color, usually something very bright in the yellow, orange or cyan ranges. When you sit down, you should immediately know what is active.
(Yes, please tell me about some buggy half-compatible tiling window manager for my Mac.)
They don't have to be any particular shape or size. The property of being virtual overrides everything else when free of these self-imposed constraints.
Even if you lose the GUI and go back to text, the ideal terminal is a plane of infinite columns of arbitrary cell size that dynamically fills your field of view.
I'd further argue that the only reason VR/AR isn't more widely adopted is the lack of orthographic vs perspective modality per application (and uncomfortable headsets). In VR/AR, you don't want a window manager or even windows at all. What you want is a field manager (as in FOV "fields" of varying opacity that can be composited by the user). Shape and size is just an arbitrary region blended in with the environment.
For the sake of ergonomics, you'd more often prefer to project an interface onto a surface if you had the choice. When you don't, you probably want the projection to be orthographic, but for the edges to be fuzzy if not invisible. You'd generally want to be able to layer these interfaces as well instead of having opaque rectangles always in your way.
This makes perfect sense considering that most LCD displays, and practically all computer displays, don't have rounded corners. This trend of rounding displays and GUI elements is purely an aesthetic choice. I also find this obnoxious since the only thing it does is rob me of a few pixels which are often useful.
But considering Apple users have accepted living without a large block of pixels dead center at the top of the screen, which they've been sold as a "feature", the rounded corners are likely even less of an issue.
I'm not sure that an infinite plane of pixels makes sense even in XR. I want to see a clear edge of where digital content begins and ends, and a rectangle is the simplest and most optimal shape for that. So I would rather have physical display-like floating rectangles, than floating text in arbitrary locations, or rounded off corners for the sake of aesthetics. I'm not opposed to a very slight rounding off of edges on certain elements, but the trend Apple is pushing is supremely ridiculous.
I'm saying that there is room for your arbitrary preference for opaque rectangles if we all abandon the notion of a "screen". We are well past the point where we can do this economically. It only persists because of consumer acceptance. Traditional screens are less efficient in every tangible way. They are less power efficient for their apparent brightness and require more material to construct.
Even the notion of clear boundaries and pixel size is an illusion. Traditional screens only make the pixels so big because they require sufficient brightness and power to see them at that distance, not because we cannot manufacture smaller pixels for cheaper. We could have much better results for everyone and the only remaining cost/problem is finding a way to comfortably wear the display.
I appreciate the customization, but would probably make an effort to make it not look like (another) accident.
> This was on my work computer. I expect to similarly modify future work computers, and I would be happy to help you modify yours if you need a little encouragement.
I don’t understand the actual decision but I appreciate the gusto with which it was made.
If you’re not planning on doing that then it’s not really a factor for you.
I filed my work dell laptop too. Very different feel, but it is nice not living in feel of your own stuff.
Most Apple laptops, such as the latest Pro's, are level, rather than tapered, and sit flat so that the user-facing edge cuts into your wrists. It's bad ergonomics, plain and simple. If you value function over form enough to modify your tools in this way, choose better tools.
3 physical buttons below the touchpad. That removed really many laptops. They would be nearly zero today, or really zero.
15 inches screen. Common.
Matte finish. Common.
User serviceable hardware. That removed many other laptops.
No number pad. I had to give up on that or I would have no laptop to buy.
I ended up with the first generation HP ZBook 15.
I suppose I would prefer it nice and rounded and soft on my wrist - but I don't feel like it's quite as extreme as this thread would have you believe lol
Few years back, I tried to look on reddit for complaints regarding this - barely anything.
This is a particularly hilarious customization both for its combined utility and shock value and also for doing it on a work computer.
It’s quite an annoying flaw, and i’ve only had this problem with the machines since the M1 redesign
All the same, hell yeah.
A bit of 220 grit sandpaper and all the sharp edges are smooth and it actually looks pretty cool. I was grimacing at first but now I like the feel.
Do you have a brand you'd recommend?
I was worried about scratches because I abuse the shit out of anything I wear, and sure enough, there are scratches in the titanium bezel, but they look good in a way that scratches on my (non-pro) steel Apple Watch did not.
Not sure if the Apple Silicon devices have the same issue - but it was consistent through at least 3 different generations.
The channel’s Swiss host is famous for removing sharp edges from metal things.
Very minor "you can just do things" collides with the "infallible object" presence that Apple wants for its products - almost feels "wrong", but it's a nice norm to break.
(and I'm not a "Cult of Mac" guy)
Since the edge has been filed away, the rubber seal on the screen would no longer presses against the edge of the body protecting the screen.
There’s a sharp corner there is unnecessary.
Unless you fly/train travel alot I guess.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F...
only the biggest POS tools have bad ergonomics on the industrial side. The real quality tools, the ones meant to be used on the factory floor or in a production line, think of human ergonomics first .
I would probably be considering that as I took a file to my laptop in order to keep it from cutting into my skin as I used it.
I applaud the ingenuity, but I detest the concept of aesthetic-first engineering without a thought for the human user of the thing. Vote with your dollar.
In the case of parent : I admire your ability to cope and the chutzpah it took to take a file to company property.
on a side note : I think it's absolutely fascinating in every Apple thread watching users trade tips on how to avoid electric shock, electrolytic/chemical pitting, and skin cuts like it's just normal computing worries. You folks have some thick skin to keep at it. I would be rubberizing the whole damn thing after the first zap.
... it means the OPs job does not provide external monitors and proper keyboards :)
So I took some 1000 grit sand paper for metal and gently wet sanded the edge. If you rotate it a little you can get a very small radius evenly around the edge and it will keep a nice finish that matches brushed aluminum.
I'd actually feel comfortable doing this to a Macbook having done it to the drawer handles. Just use little pressure, back the paper with something flat, and check your progress often. It takes very little to remove the sharpness to the edge, to the point it's hard to see with the naked eye.
He honestly seems like a terrible designer, which seems corroborated by him doing nothing of remote interest outside of Apple and barely inside it. The items that are regarded as design epochs, like the iPod, we're not his.
https://www.andar.com/products/the-helm
The fact that any conscious human being has the time or energy to be "freaked out" about someone futzing around with their own devices is astounding to me.
Damn good advice.
Preach.
Bet this person never heard about FAFO
Meanwhile a very important object called "Orion CM-003 Integrity" of the Artemis II mission is about to splash-down on Earth in 35 mins.