Filing the corners off my MacBooks

1406 667 3 months ago

tomjacobs• 3 months ago

yay

Yhippa• 3 months 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.

gruez• 3 months ago

I wonder why they made these so sharp

So the seam looks neat when the macbook is closed, eg. https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MacBo...

guelo• 3 months ago

Form over function

kube-system2• 3 months ago

Probably because it looks nice and crisp

patsplat• 3 months ago

Physical objects should be rounded, virtual windows should be square. I will die on this hill.

porphyra3• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

paulddraper2• 3 months 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.)

bee_rider3• 3 months 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.

dsr_• 3 months 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.

kibwen2• 3 months ago

Tim Cook here, we've heard you loud and clear, the next Macbook will have a perfectly circular screen with square windows.

christophilus• 3 months 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.

GraceParkNYC2• 3 months ago

Mini Cooper redux.

dnmc• 3 months ago

In response, I expect the open-source community to make an optimal square packing window manager. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_packing

sublinear3• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

layer83• 3 months ago

Eizo made a square 1920 x 1920 monitor which was quite nice: https://www.eizo.com/products/flexscan/ev2730q/

somat• 3 months ago

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.

zdw• 3 months ago

LG sells a DualUp monitor that is 2560x2880, same size as two 2560x1440 displays stacked on top of each other: https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-28mq780-b-dualup-monitor

marssaxman• 3 months 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.

mgfist• 3 months ago

Thanks, I hate it

StilesCrisis• 3 months 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).

anArbitraryOne3• 3 months ago

Try exfoliating your wrists with square virtual windows

dlcarrier• 3 months ago

Also, real windows and displays should have square corners, too. I refuse to buy a new phone until manufacturers stop cutting corners.

mememememememo3• 3 months 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.

mememememememo3• 3 months ago

Well you wont die on that hardened steel cube :)

golem14• 3 months ago

Yes, the glass UI is the first step. Well done!

glitchc• 3 months ago

Did the same for my Macbook Pro 15 unibody circa 2010. It was a great QoL improvement.

abujazar2• 3 months 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.

windowsrookie• 3 months ago

Seriously, I have several mac laptops dating back to 2004 and they all have less wear than that.

bee_rider3• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

kibwen2• 3 months 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.

abujazar2• 3 months 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.

bloody-crow• 3 months 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• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

danans2• 3 months 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.

GuB-42• 3 months ago

Why can you be ethical to your coworkers and not your employer? You boss is a living being too, and he is working for the company just like you are, even if his status is different. And your coworkers are the ones who make up the company, so being ethical to your coworkers is being ethical to your company.

And if filing your computer causes a problem to your IT department for whatever reason, and you do it without approval, then I think it is indeed not very ethical, it really depends on the situation. The IT department people are your coworkers too.

supliminal• 3 months ago

Don't be scared. Fuck around a bit.

Preach.

kvuj• 3 months 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.

normanvalentine3• 3 months 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.

neom• 3 months 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• 3 months ago

this can't be how i find out...

kokanee2• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

j452• 3 months 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.

sublinear3• 3 months 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.

LtWorf5• 3 months ago

materials and design are no longer strictly dictated by their function.

Ok… but I don't like to injure my wrists…

tonyedgecombe4• 3 months 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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_tailfin

animegolem• 3 months ago

same, i really love it and i hove my hands typing so they've never caused pain anyway

delecti• 3 months 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• 3 months ago

I chew my fingers because I find the pain calming.

kube-system2• 3 months ago

Somebody should offer a service to chuck up Macbooks in a CNC mill and hit them with a chamfer tool

mjamesaustin• 3 months 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.

michael1999• 3 months ago

The sharp points by the track-pad are bad design. Ive made some terrible decisions when he wanted to show off.

denimnerd422• 3 months ago

I hate those sharp edges. I've contemplated taking a router with a carbide roundover to mine many times.

michaelcampbell4• 3 months ago

I just asked an LLM this exact question; it said "sure, but use cutting fluid, ensure the bit is carbide, slow the router speed down to 10-16k rpm, go slow, and clean off the flutes if they get gummed"

And dont climb-cut

denimnerd422• 3 months ago

yeah. gonna be a huge mess so I havent

adastra22• 3 months ago

I just put a plastic case on my MacBook…

loloquwowndueo2• 3 months ago

Don't be scared. Fuck around a bit.

Bet this person never heard about FAFO

layer83• 3 months ago

He hasn’t found out yet.

kimjune01• 3 months ago

'a bit' is load-bearing

krackers• 3 months ago

There's a more thorough version of this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSaJAAqSAMw and the end-result doesn't look as tacky

convolvatron• 3 months ago

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.

vl2• 3 months ago

Or get a Dremel.

simonbw3• 3 months 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.

powvans• 3 months 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.

forrestthewoods• 3 months ago

why? Because Apple hates you and wants you to suffer.

Alternatively, because they care about aesthetics more than utility and comfort.

alanbernstein• 3 months ago

The most material is removed at the corners of the lid-lifting notch. Those are IMO the most offensive pointy part on the body.

varispeed• 3 months ago

Very very pointy.

I have intrusive thoughts of trying to cut my finger over it, but so far the attempts were unsuccesful.

LtWorf5• 3 months 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).

nine_k2• 3 months 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)

cesarvarela• 3 months ago

Tell that to the people responsible for the trackpads of any other computer maker.

jareklupinski• 3 months 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

anArbitraryOne3• 3 months ago

It's great how apple makes everything so customizable

svnt• 3 months 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.

donatj• 3 months ago

There are definitely corners by the trackpad, at the gap for opening the lid.

They are quite stabby and I hate them.

https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/aca51a7051edc493b19cfd93da...

vr46• 3 months 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• 3 months 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...

vl2• 3 months ago

They actually reduced sharpness in M MacBooks Pros.

Unibody Intels before that were really really sharp.

sillysaurusx2• 3 months ago

I bet the author deliberately called them “corners” instead of “edges” to put more people on edge.

mikey_p4• 3 months ago

This is incorrect usage of the word "corner" to be overly pedantic. It's still a corner, but English doesn't have a separate word for inside vs. outside corner, so it's common to just say "outside corner".

And yes it is a corner (or vertex), where two planes meet. Edge can also be correct, but corner is not wrong.

bilalbayram• 3 months ago

I hate this But I also understand Still I hate this

loloquwowndueo2• 3 months ago

As a bonus the machine looks like crap so it’s far less likely to get stolen.

margalabargala• 3 months ago

I think it looks nice.

Though you're right that machines whose exteriors are customized and unusual are less likely to get stolen.

sharkjacobs• 3 months 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

teaearlgraycold2• 3 months ago

This seems like a reasonable choice, but man you really need to do this with a CNC mill. The craftsmanship is not there.

chuckadams• 3 months ago

That's like telling a punk to use a proper sewing machine for their jacket patches.

normanvalentine3• 3 months ago

(author) If anyone around the Bay wants to let me use their CNC mill please reach out! I have lots of things to chamfer.

Here's what it looked like freshly after filing fyi: https://kentwalters.com/posts/public/IMG_7438.jpeg

jwlake2• 3 months ago

Whats it look like closed?

teaearlgraycold2• 3 months ago

There is a Makera Carvera Air you can use at Noisebridge (272 Capp St in San Francisco). It even has the 4th axis addon. Please donate if you use it!

andreybaskov• 3 months 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?

ribosometronome• 3 months 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.

_virtu• 3 months ago

I came here thinking that there would be more comments discussing this. This seems like the wrong direction to go for fixing the comfort problem. Tilting your wrists down like that is not proper typing posture.

proee• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

dwg• 3 months ago

Wish I had the courage to do this too.

html5cat2• 3 months 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.

[0] https://kentwalters.com/posts/seasons/

mitthrowaway2• 3 months 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.

kokanee2• 3 months ago

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.

Tyr42• 3 months 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

html5cat2• 3 months ago

funny how this is actually the default for me having grown up in Ukraine.

probably same for other post-soviet countries too?

dpc050505• 3 months 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.

Fnoord• 3 months 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?

fy20• 3 months 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.

perilunar• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

jojobas• 3 months ago

You can anodize aluminium black relatively easily, similar to this

https://youtu.be/y8HEZ-x4-_w?t=402

Getting the shade right could be tricky though.

eightysixfour2• 3 months ago

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.

LtWorf5• 3 months ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season

Humphrey• 3 months 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.

LeoPanthera• 3 months ago

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.

nopassrecover• 3 months 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:

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...

Macha• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

Izkata2• 3 months ago

On holidays, in the US, Thanksgiving is Fall-themed so we wouldn't want to start winter until after the 4th Thursday of November (which because of how it shifts around, pretty much means December).

tecoholic2• 3 months 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.

hadlock2• 3 months 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.

seb1204• 3 months ago

Europe does not. Summer is June, July and August with a bit of give here and there.

hadlock2• 3 months 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%

ryukoposting2• 3 months ago

It's funny, because back home by the Great Lakes, the solstice system aligns better with the seasons than his system. Peak "cold" is usually in January or early February, and you'll generally get one straggler snowfall sometime in March. Peak "hot" is sometime in July or August, with June being when the temperature noticeably goes from "springy" to "summery."

dexterdog• 3 months ago

Yes, the black will wind up 2-tone when you get through the top layer. Mine get silvery to the sides of my trackpad from hand friction over time. I like the laptop in black, but silver ages far better.

toxik• 3 months ago

Great post. Also, we celebrate "midsummer" on the summer solstice in Sweden and other countries. I see the author noted that.

sitzkrieg• 3 months ago

anything but admitting the design is bad and frivolous

nickvec• 3 months 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.

lostlogin2• 3 months ago

‘I’ve done a lot of work and it wore down’

levocardia• 3 months 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.

nickpinkston• 3 months 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.

(and I'm not a "Cult of Mac" guy)

jcgrillo2• 3 months ago

you can just do things: https://ebay.us/m/vWMAUU

rmccue• 3 months ago

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.

Retr0id2• 3 months 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?

Retr0id2• 3 months 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!

phamilton• 3 months 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• 3 months ago

Too many MBAs, not enough concrete.

whalesalad• 3 months 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.

tmd83• 3 months 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.

starkeeper• 3 months 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.

rvz• 3 months 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.

orliesaurus• 3 months ago

You don't dock your MacBook for long sesh?

smlacy• 3 months ago

Is it me or is that aluminum already developing some stress cracking?

bredren• 3 months 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.

jbverschoor• 3 months 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

ghshephard• 3 months 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.

LtWorf5• 3 months ago

I remember, at university we had rows of metal chairs and one single person with a macbook could occasionally electrocute multiple people.

Topfi• 3 months 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.

[0] https://ljpuk.net/2025/05/23/how-does-the-space-black-macboo...

vvpan• 3 months 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.

chihuahua2• 3 months 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.

pxc2• 3 months 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• 3 months ago

For window manager try rectangle or aerospace

stephbook2• 3 months ago

Do you still have to install third-party software to keep it running when you close the lid?

Does it still not support "Windows Hello" style face unlock when closed? I remember I couldn't touch the fingerprint sensor when closed and the MacBook was unable to use my Windows Hello camera.

mrguyorama• 3 months ago

I found external, non-apple mice had terrible functionality. There was forced acceleration and other ways in which the Magic mouse and Mac were purposely configured to work "differently" from normal mice and it made using anything other than a Magic mouse work terribly.

Which sucks because the magic mouse is the worst mouse money can buy.

mortsnort• 3 months 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)

culi2• 3 months 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

eaurouge• 3 months ago

Yeah, I wear a wrist band as well. I've used these (https://www.vivehealth.com/products/wrist-support) for some years now but they've since changed the material to something with less give.

Do you have a brand you'd recommend?

culi2• 3 months ago

Not really. My almost favorite solution was to get gloves with touchscreen finger tips but I couldn't find a good one that has the touchscreen material go all around the tips which makes certain touchpad gestures annoying to do.

Any wrist band has been "good enough" for me so far though

GraceParkNYC2• 3 months 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.

anArbitraryOne3• 3 months ago

If only they'd round the edges/corners of the body instead of the screen and the UI

tonypapousek• 3 months 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.

jcgrillo2• 3 months ago

If instead you sharpen the corners it's a security mechanism.

BenFranklin100• 3 months ago

I dealt with sharp edges issue by investing in an Andar leather case. Works just as well.

https://www.andar.com/products/the-helm

ProAm• 3 months ago

Apple users always convincing themselves they are still using the best premium most thought after designs of all time.

baud9600• 3 months ago

Brilliant. Love the tech-disrespect and the “right to repair”!

jasonjmcghee• 3 months 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

mememememememo3• 3 months ago

External keyboard and mouse too easy?

Unless you fly/train travel alot I guess.

cwicklein• 3 months 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.

yreg• 3 months 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.

Steltek• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

rpcope1• 3 months ago

Go to any mechanic thats been doing cars, especially if it's a focused subset of cars, for more than a few year and I guarantee they'll either have some modified HF sockets or wrenches or some home made tools. Probably don't want to cut up your SnapOff debt peonage tools, but a lot of the time they alone don't cut it.

snowwrestler• 3 months 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.

jonhohle2• 3 months 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_boy2• 3 months ago

Interchangeable wrist area as an accessory for only 79.99$

jacobolus4• 3 months ago

save our wrists

If your wrist is in contact with the edge of the laptop while you are actively typing, then your typing style has a good chance of giving you RSI. You'd be better off trying to fix that than trying to make the fast path to RSI more convenient.

hammock• 3 months 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

jnovek2• 3 months ago

That doesn’t seem strange to me, Apple is my “buy it for what’s on the box” brand, stuff that I don’t want to mod. If I want to mess with something I usually use hardware that runs Linux.

pjmlp• 3 months ago

The modding community lives on where it always were, hacking gaming and demoscene, and that never wasn't on Apple platforms for the most part, rather Amiga, PC, Atari,...

justinclift3• 3 months 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. ;)

duxup3• 3 months ago

When I got into photography, I used to baby my camera equipment a lot. After all, I spent a lot of money I wanted to take care of it.

Later on the topic came up online and someone noted something to the effective of:

“If I saw a group of photographers taking pictures, I bet I could pick out the best photographer just based on how beat up their equipment is.”

I realized based on my own experience, that was probably true.

The idea being use your tools and worry about the output, not how they look.

LiquidPolymer• 3 months ago

I’ve made my living as a pro photographer for over 30 years. These days I consider most cameras to be disposable. I also keep any older bodies as hazardous duty remote cameras. Once you get into the mindset it opens a certain amount of creativity.

makeitdouble2• 3 months ago

There's a curve. Beginners with pristine gears are babying it, but veterans just don't bump their camera everywhere nor drop them, they have the bags that fit what they do, use straps (or not) that fit them and there's little to hurt their camera.

Event photographers are another kind, camera throwing is part of the job.

I wonder if you feel the same about cars, expecting expert chauffeurs to have bumps all over their car ?

jblitzar• 3 months ago

Yeah, I think it's pretty funny. And it is good to modify your own tools. In a way that's the whole sentiment of FOSS software.

KolibriFly4• 3 months ago

The interesting part isn't whether Apple got the design right or wrong, it's that most of us never even consider altering the tools we use every day. We just adapt ourselves instead.

AnthonBerg• 3 months ago

And commonly get judgy and weird if somone thinks and does.

bityard• 3 months ago

This is exactly why I run Linux instead of an OS that I'm not allowed to modify for my needs.

Uptrenda• 3 months ago

I used to turn the back of my laptop into a whiteboard. Then you could write todos on it or custom messages. Was kind of neat. You know I've always thought the back of the case was wasted potential. Can you imagine if it had an eink display? You could flash whatever you wanted to it as a clean customized print and it would stay there without power. would be cool but prob expensive.

lwhi• 3 months ago

I love this with all my heart!

420official• 3 months 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.

See https://www.reddit.com/r/macbook/s/hbyVh5SJhw for another poor soul with the same caustic skin

al_borland2• 3 months 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.

compass_copium• 3 months ago

Aluminum should oxidize essentially instantly.

crdrost• 3 months 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?

greazy2• 3 months ago

Oh wow I think I have a mild version of this.

Can it cause the plastic on the mouse to break down?

bluGill• 3 months 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• 3 months ago

You need to moisturize more.

CGamesPlay2• 3 months ago

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.

ajam1507• 3 months ago

Using a 3 prong extension cable on the charger will prevent this.

normie30004• 3 months ago

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?

leptons2• 3 months ago

Maybe you're holding it wrong? j/k

Seriously though, that does not sound safe at all.

userbinator2• 3 months 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.

Old but good page on such measurements: http://www.aplomb.nl/SMPS_leakage/Doc_ie.html

rlonstein• 3 months ago

Finally. Someone else has mentioned this, I thought it was just me who I experiences the sensation of there being stray current on MacBook frames.

Brian_K_White2• 3 months ago

I have super dry skin and I also feel that weird ac effect when lightly touching and moving along the surface of pretty much any aluminum mac device since they started making them aluminum.

And almost no other device I've ever used. My aluminum Framework does not do it. My wifes magnesium LG Gram does not do it.

I have felt it on other things but only extremely rarely. It's bizarre that whatever it is they're doing different, it's probably wrong, and they've kept doing it in every device for decades.

To describe the effect in more detail for anyone who doesn't already know: It's like the case is alternately grabbing and releasing your skin at 60hz.

It's a bit like chatter, ie the periodic friction you use to ring a wine glass by wetting the rim and then running your finger along it. It rings because the combination of the friction, the lack of friction from hydroplaning, and the rubbery give of your skin, makes your skin alternately grab and release 30,000 times a second. Only in this case you are only barely touching the case not pressing enough to make any friction or make a squeal noise. It's like static electric charge attraction. Just touching the case you feel nothing, but move your finger along the surface and you feel it vibrate your finger without any friction to explain it.

It's unsettling and displeasing, which are strange words to expect from an apple device at least when you are only talking about the design and not the tech stack or corporate behavior. It makes me think of cheap electronics from a country with no consumer safety regulations that will probably burn down every 3rd house they wind up in.

It's probably harmless, but then again a lot of things that are harmless in short infrequent doses turn out to have been harmful after you did it for 10 hours a day for 20 years.

dataviz1000• 3 months 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.

ddlsmurf3• 3 months ago

but it's never going to be grounded, there isn't even a ground pin on the charger

shawn_w• 3 months ago

The charger also gets hot and sparks.

Some heat is normal, but the sparking seems concerning.

leptons2• 3 months 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• 3 months ago

So glad to know it wasn’t just me with sweaty hands and pitted aluminum that is razor sharp!

esskay• 3 months 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!

roysting2• 3 months ago

Have you ever had that looked into it maybe just ask AI? That does not seem healthy.

chubs• 3 months ago

Holy moly, that guy in the reddit post needs to see a dermatologist asap and figure out why their skin is emitting acid.

CarVac• 3 months ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_mantle

psd1• 3 months ago

It is within the range of physiology. Nobody has pH-neutral skin, and aluminium is reactive.

sanj2• 3 months ago

I’ve noticed that this only occurs when I use a two-prong adapter for the power brick.

If I use the 3-prong, which is usually tied to a long cable, I don’t feel the buzz.

I assumed that the additional grounding helped.

aculver2• 3 months 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.

[1] https://x.com/andrewculver/status/1297575768520716288/photo/...

TSiege• 3 months ago

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• 3 months ago

worth noting that silver macbooks are also anodized aluminum, so you'll also be filing off anodization

saagarjha3• 3 months 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?

maest2• 3 months ago

Laptops are used in so many more situations than just sitting at a desk.

Literally "you're holding it wrong".

saagarjha3• 3 months ago

Most of those are wrong, yes

lapcat• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

saagarjha3• 3 months ago

I do not in fact keep my desktop computer on my desk

mvdtnz3• 3 months ago

You're holding it wrong.

maest2• 3 months ago

I'm now painfully aware of how uncomfortable the edge of my mac is.

nateburke• 3 months ago

I did this at my last job, it's nice.

jasonidol• 3 months ago

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.

ed_mercer• 3 months ago

Goodbye resale value

sbaildon• 3 months 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

inatreecrown2• 3 months 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.

thaumasiotes2• 3 months 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.

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.

simonbw3• 3 months 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.

kzrdude• 3 months 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! :)

tonyedgecombe4• 3 months ago

When it comes to software I've moved in the opposite direction. I want to customise my system as little as possible.

j452• 3 months ago

Love it, this is the ultimate laptop sticker.

thegdsks• 3 months ago

Not seriously... I too love the sharp edges but this is scary.. Lol

pugworthy• 3 months 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.

noman-land• 3 months 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.

fragmede• 3 months 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.

octagons• 3 months ago

Don't be scared. Fuck around a bit.

Damn good advice.

culopatin• 3 months ago

A very even 45 degree cut, like the cut to lift the screen but much shallower would look pretty cool. Maybe 2mm wide

dvt• 3 months 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.

philsnow• 3 months ago

The clearest demonstration that the knife edge is dumb is that there isn't a similar sharp edge around the exterior.

tiborsaas• 3 months ago

Savage.

tclancy• 3 months ago

Takes a real bastard to do this.

pointpth• 3 months ago

…file.

canbus• 3 months 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.

owenthejumper• 3 months ago

Did this too. Absolutely ridiculous I had to :(

jasoneckert• 3 months 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• 3 months ago

Co-worker 4 is the one I want to have a beer with.

block_dagger• 3 months ago

I have just the opposite reaction.

skavi• 3 months ago

i’ll take 3. we can be boring together

harha• 3 months ago

Steer clear from co-worker 1..

ekjhgkejhgk• 3 months ago

Really? Co-worker 4 is just repeating a pun. Using "sharpe" to mix the meanings of "good looking" and "literally sharpe" is a well known joke. Almost a dad-joke, a joke that's been done so many times that everyone recognizes when it's there to be done, but the person who actually does it out loud will annoy people with their predictability.

1 and 3 are way more creative.

compounding_it• 3 months 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.

jagged-chisel• 3 months 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.

Lio2• 3 months 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.

FloatArtifact• 3 months ago

It's nice your co-workers are being blunt with you.

dotancohen2• 3 months ago

It seems he has a well-rounded selection of coworkers.

xandrius• 3 months ago

C1: Homo-economicus

C2: Homo-religious

C3: Homo-enginerus

C4: Homo-bros

thenthenthen3• 3 months ago

There is some material loas but wouldn't rounded corners be way stronger on impact than sharp corners?

gravlax• 3 months ago

C4 homo fraternicus?

grishka• 3 months 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.

baddash• 3 months ago

Now I gotta hear these four coworkers' opinions on other things

raverbashing• 3 months 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)

larodi• 3 months 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!

zerr• 3 months ago

All of the reactions are valid, including the 2nd one if that's a sarcasm.

noufalibrahim• 3 months ago

The slight groove that was there on the middle of the base which allowed you to stick your finger to open the top had sharp corners that poked my wrists and i filed them both off on the first, and only, macbook I used in 2014 or so m

NikolaNovak• 3 months ago

It's a work laptop - I'm surprised none of the coworkers said "you'll get in trouble when you return it".

I don't know WHY... But corporate bureaucracies have logic of their own.

fooqux• 3 months ago

Well, it's property of his workplace, and they're usually resold when the employee gets a new one. And it's not exactly mint any more, is it.

Neikius2• 3 months ago

I am actually encouraged to try this now. Gotta check if they allow it. Sharp edges are really annoying on this machine.

Luckily I use it like a desktop 95percent of the time.

oofbey• 3 months ago

I love the line “People like to freak out about this, so I wanted to post it here to make sure that everyone who wants to freak out about it gets the opportunity to do so.”

bombcar2• 3 months 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.

throwanem• 3 months ago

Not so great for the black ones, but that's okay. It shows honest wear, including from my watch strap's steel buckle, and the sharp pressure is a good reminder to improve my typing posture and protect my aging wrists.

ebrewste• 3 months 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.

bmitc• 3 months 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.

barrkel• 3 months 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.

asciimov• 3 months 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.

tlb• 3 months 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%.

sillysaurusx2• 3 months 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?)

eviks• 3 months ago

One way to equalize the form > function equation!

woeirua• 3 months ago

This is the spicy content I come here to read. I wouldn’t do it myself but god speed to anyone who does.

ayaros• 3 months ago

Truly the most horrifying post on HN I've seen in quite a while

mvdtnz3• 3 months 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.

Nursie• 3 months ago

It’s interesting to me that this makes it look old. Even slightly retro. Makes me think of early 2010s ultrabooks.

simonbw3• 3 months 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.

voidhorse• 3 months 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.

jodrellblank• 3 months ago

It's a certain kind of tasteless to take a thing which most people consider a very expensive luxury, and show off how little it means to you and how casually you damage it.

People in a museum gasping at a child almost knocking an expensive vase off a pedestal, for comparison. Then walking in and damaging the vase deliberately while pretending that you don't understand what people are gasping about, to show off that $2000 is nothing to you.

userbinator2• 3 months ago

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• 3 months 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.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2F...

sandreas• 3 months 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 :-)

refurb• 3 months 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.

lofaszvanitt• 3 months 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.

serf• 3 months 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.

anant_who• 3 months ago

This is very interesting Maybe I'll do this when my mac is a couple years old haha

wraptile3• 3 months 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.

wolvoleo• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

NetMageSCW2• 3 months ago

If you are creating red lines on your wrists you should really reconsider your typing position.

PufPufPuf2• 3 months 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).

ta8903• 3 months ago

On the other hand, placing your laptop on your belly when lying down on a couch is peak computing ergonomics.

wraptile3• 3 months 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.

suzzer99• 3 months 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).

koonsolo3• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

rbanffy8• 3 months ago

My only complaint is with the EN-international keyboard my company prefers - there is no way to reverse the tilde key position back to the same place next to 1 on the US keyboard. The OS knows what keyboard the laptop has and refuses to change it.

dismalaf4• 3 months ago

Trackpad: I don't use a mouse anymore, no other laptop comes close

I always hear this but don't get it. Every time I use a Mac laptop, I hate the touchpad. Maybe it's the defaults but I don't feel it's more accurate or anything... Why do people think it's good? A certain acceleration profile?

I much prefer the commodity Synaptics trackpads I've had on my last 2 laptops, running Linux with Gnome and now Hyprland. I just crank the sensitivity, have all the gestures enabled, tap to click and 2 finger reverse scrolling and am happy.

Slow_Hand• 3 months 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.

wraptile3• 3 months 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.

Sardtok• 3 months ago

That sounds like you have your desk too low. You're going to get some major repetitive strain injuries in 10-20 years.

If you have your arms at your sides, elbows should bend 90 degrees. Then just move your arms slightly forward and you'll end up somewhere around 95 degrees. Now you can rest your forearms on the desk. This won't save you from all kinds of RSI, but it might help your wrists, elbows and shoulder joints last a bit longer.

HumblyTossed• 3 months 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.

It's almost like y'all are different people...

threecheese2• 3 months ago

You may have smaller hands (no offense meant); imagining my hands in the position you explained, my fingers would be well outside of where they need to be. I have the same issue as OP, the corners dig into my heel/wrist area. I do have big banana hands though.

necovek3• 3 months ago

People have differently sized hands too: with my fingers on the home row, 13" and 14" Macs have the heels of my hands resting exactly on the sharp bottom edge.

Glare from the screen can affect you more if you have problems with halos in general (many vision problems can cause them, and fatigue won't help either), causing reflections to disproportionately affect legibility of the screen for you.

Finally, the keyboards are simply bad in comparison to best keyboards (in terms of typing feedback) on small portable laptops like Thinkpad X1 Carbons (though those have gotten significantly worse with Gen 7 onwards too).

Additional gripe I'd have is that they are very heavy in this day and age when we are getting laptops under 1kg (2.2lbs) in 14" size that perform and hold battery adequately well. This only hurts if you travel a lot and carry more than one laptop with you (business and personal, for instance).

But really, ergonomics is hard because everyone is different, and as long as you are outside the 2 SDs from average (and you can be so only on one of those measures, like your hand size or torso height or head size), your ergonomic position might be impossible.

Lio2• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

dwb• 3 months 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.

roryirvine• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

koverda• 3 months ago

a positively angled keyboard is actually less ergonomic (at least for most people), and a holdover from typewriters.

nicman23• 3 months ago

macbooks are mostly social media consumption machines anyways

Neikius2• 3 months ago

I am with you. But we are somehow a minority. Cannot decide weather we are oddballs or people just love to drink the Kool aid that much.

hansvm2• 3 months ago

People come in all sorts of different shapes, sizes, and configurations. I don't have any pressure on the sharp edges in my normal day-to-day, and I'm having a little trouble figuring out how I'd contort myself to change that, so that particular issue is fine.

The glare is annoying. I would like to work outside more often.

Mind you, I don't really like the poor isolation and floating ground causing a tingling sensation when you touch it while charging, the lid hinge doesn't quite have enough internal resistance, the keys get stuck way too easily, etc. The sharp-corners build defect is fine for me though.

spockz2• 3 months ago

I’m really flummoxed at why the MacBooks continue to be spicy. When using then laptop with a charger using the grounded cable on the socket side there used to be no spice. Now that adapters are mostly only used with two prong connectors the spicyness is ubiquitous.

I recall audio equipment also not being grounded because the industry prefers not being grounded over being accidentally grounded to two different grounds causing voltage transients. Maybe the same reason now also applies to MacBooks? Or does someone know another reason why the outer shell of a MacBook is still spicy.

a4564634• 3 months ago

same. i thought it was me, but every mbp has been spicy and leaks current like crazy.

RobMurray• 3 months ago

Why is floating ground still a thing? I've found it can actually sting quite a bit if you are grounded or touch something that is.

thePhytochemist• 3 months ago

Yes, the electrical shocks are very annoying! I don't know if it's related to an older/failing battery but I've certainly noticed this on an old Macbook Pro. Thanks for mentioning this - I guess at 24VDC it isn't a regulatory issue but it really does feel like a small insect sting or something and it's irritating.

My newer Air doesn't seem to have this problem. Also the screen is brighter, together with a mat finish it is better for using outside.

technotarek• 3 months ago

Like Mr Jobs said, “You’re holding it wrong.”

Rekindle80902• 3 months ago

Do you also have glass bones and paper skin?

bigyabai• 3 months ago

No? The Mac current chassis has objective problems, you can feel the laptop grounding to your body when you touch it with any bare skin.

Greed• 3 months ago

As others have mentioned: battery, build quality, Linux-ish ecosystem. If I could get all three in another laptop I would go for it, but nothing comes close at the moment. There was a very brief moment in time where the XPS came close, and then the M series rolled out and eradicated the competition on performance + battery life.

encom• 3 months ago

Linux-ish ecosystem

You cannot be serious. It's the most proprietary locked down system of them all.

a4564634• 3 months ago

oh fr. macs are garbage dev machines. display gives me headaches. keyboard is terrible, it hurts. speakers are the best part.

the lock screen doesnt show battery charge level. dead battery? mac wont start for 15 min on connecting power... still need half ass homebrew

swiftcoder6• 3 months ago

dead battery? mac wont start for 15 min on connecting power

Having just received an M4 in the mail with a completely flat battery, I can confirm this is nearer 10 seconds on Apple silicon (you are correct it used to be this way on Intel Macs)

foobarian• 3 months ago

The build quality and least-nonsense OS is why I like it. Huge caveat though, I keep it plugged into a KVM setup so I don't actually use it directly, but I do keep it open on the side of my desk for meetings.

michaelcampbell4• 3 months ago

Jony Ive.

He wanted a razor blade made out of pure aluminum that had no function at all but stood as a testament to his design aesthetic.

doug_durham2• 3 months ago

There's no way you can cut your wrists on the edge of a MacBook. To do that, you would have to be leaning straight-armed with all of your weight on the edge of the keyboard, which is a typing style that I've never seen. Mac keyboards are some of the best that I've ever used. There's nothing special about the Mac screen one way or the other.

threecheese2• 3 months ago

You sound very confident. My M1 mbp’s edges are uncomfortable enough against my wrist/heel (?) area that I use an external keyboard even when on the couch.

Could it slice me open? Probably not without effort. Is it sharp, and sharp enough to cause discomfort? Definitely.

elAhmo• 3 months ago

I have also been using Macbooks for around 10 years, Airs and Pros, and usually my wrists are on the flat part, when docked I used a keyboard.

Keyboard on Macs is pretty much good, other than the early butterfly version, rest is definitely above average and it just feels good. Glare is a problem, but darkest basement is an overstatement.

It might not fit your workflow or you might be expecting super niche, but it is the worlds most popular laptop for both regular users and developers for a reason. Input devices and screen are significant part of the Macbook appeal, so definitely not almost unusable.

icedchai• 3 months ago

I agee, the keyboards are terrible. The last time I felt the MacBook Pro had a "good" keyboard was in 2007. It's been the flat chiclet-style "island" keys for a while now. I'd pay for more for a thicker MacBook with a real keyboard.

KolibriFly4• 3 months ago

This is probably a combination of ergonomics and expectations

evanjrowley• 3 months 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.

dec0dedab0de• 3 months 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.

PufPufPuf2• 3 months ago

Too bad my Mac is company owned, maybe I'd use it in a "laptop mode" more if it didn't slit wrists.

estetlinus• 3 months 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• 3 months 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• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

mkagenius• 3 months ago

Not just sides, the vents are much sharper.

Few years back, I tried to look on reddit for complaints regarding this - barely anything.

4mitkumar• 3 months ago

Early Saturday morning and what a simple, to-the-point read about irreverence :D Gave me my new maxim - "Fuck about a bit" Created a poster out of it :D https://nextfive.xyz/bits/2026/04/11/fuck-around-a-bit.html

DannyBee• 3 months 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.

ardline• 3 months ago

This reminds me of a problem we hit at work. Ended up going a different direction but same root issue.

mr-pink• 3 months ago

i think its fine but why do such a shitty job

swiftcoder6• 3 months 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

nottorp2• 3 months 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 months 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 months 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.

nottorp2• 3 months 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.

taneq• 3 months ago

I’m now wondering how difficult it would be to polish one to a mirror finish.

camillomiller• 3 months ago

Looks terrible, I love it

maximg68• 3 months 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.

willtemperley• 3 months 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• 3 months 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.

jxramos• 3 months 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.

lokimedes• 3 months 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.

cassianoleal• 3 months 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.

lozenge• 3 months ago

Can we get some pictures with the hinge closed?

padjo• 3 months 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.

eru• 3 months 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.

khalic• 3 months ago

That's some really poor filing job :D but yeah custom tools is the way to go

datahack• 3 months ago

So, is rasping a subset of hacking now? Goodness.

voy707• 3 months 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

dryadin2• 3 months ago

Nice initiative but I would personally prefer adding some kind of padding, which is an easier solution to the problem, not as drastic, reversible, and less controversial. Unless doing something controversial is one of the goals here, which is also fair.

thenthenthen3• 3 months ago

How are you gonna close the lid when there is padding in the way?

dryadin2• 3 months ago

Thin padding? Removable padding? Squishable padding? (Is that a word?) I assume that filing the edge leaves an ugly gap when closing the lid, so that is not ideal either.

rcarmo• 3 months ago

This is… unusual.

rbanffy8• 3 months ago

I would love to see a Unibody polished to a mirror finish. Would be a perfect match for Queen Amidala’s shuttle.

fsiefken• 3 months ago

dear apple, please bring back the wedge shaped design of the macbook air m1 https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/03/04/after-14-years-ap...

xbar3• 3 months ago

Love mine. Filed that edge too.

Hard_Space• 3 months ago

A spinal injury three years ago made me above-averagely aware of ergonomics, as I created a dedicated office (chairs, floating supports for monitors, keyboards, etc.) that would support the injury.

I have to say that I now access the 8 or so machines across my LAN and VPS via a Macbook Air rested on my lap, either through RDP or SSH. I probably use this 80% of the time. Because the machine is on my lap, held up at about 30 degrees on my lap, I can't say I ever noticed the sharp edges, until this post!

baud147258• 3 months ago

This was on my work computer

is this an employer-issued computer? Like if I did something similar on my DELL laptop (us lowly devs at %DAY_JOB% don't have Macs), management would be up my ass the minute they saw this, if only because the maintenance agreement the company has with our supplier will likely be voided for my machine.

jmkni• 3 months ago

That was my first thought, I don't think my employer would be cool with this somehow

xbar3• 3 months ago

I have done this to every work Macbook I have received since 2015. No one has ever said anything.

artur_makly• 3 months ago

Can anyone explain why i get sharp electrical shocks when i touch the bottom edges with my wrists? Or its just me?

b-star• 3 months ago

Not just you. If you use the Apple extension cord with the 3 prong outlet plug, this doesn’t happen.

MacBooks (and many laptops) have a tiny amount of alternating current that leaks through the metal chassis to ground. When you use the compact 2-prong power adapter (the “duck head” without a ground pin), there’s no path for this leakage current to safely flow to earth ground — so it flows through you instead, creating that tingling sensation.

Interestingly I haven’t felt this when using my 2 prong NAND Anker adapter.

thenthenthen3• 3 months ago

It is for cutting cake did everyone forget??? https://techcrunch.com/2008/06/01/the-macbook-air-thin-enoug...

4rtem• 3 months ago

It's actually reveal the major issue in Apple products where aesthetics prevail over tactile. Sharp edges and aluminium is the worst way to make things that people use by fingers. I have some older version of Apple TV remote control and every day I wonder how it was approved to production, it's barely usable.

I'm strongly convinced that modern iPhones designed to use in case as basic idea, while using iPhone without case is like using that Nokia phone unit when you take the housing off. In that case I think that iPad with magnetic keyboard (which is soft-touch plastic) is the future of Apple mobile computers.

sanj2• 3 months ago

There’s something lovely about this.

To my eye, it is like the patina that your favorite tools get.

I’m looking at you, 40 year old tape measure.

zeafoamrun• 3 months ago

You mac people are masochistic freaks. Buying overpriced hardware that you hate the design of just to file off the corners.

caymanjim• 3 months ago

I do this too, although only the corners. It's one of the only design failures of the MacBook.

mrlonglong• 3 months ago

Just a few drops of mercury on aluminium kills it.

ape4• 3 months ago

I'd like to see some side-by-side before and after photos

scarybeard• 3 months ago

I have literally cut my finger with a sharp edge of one of my Apple laptops. Like a paper cut. Filing the edges down is the right way to do it. However - for that price it should've be done by Apple at their factory.

Rekindle80902• 3 months ago

I dont believe this at all

1e1a• 3 months ago

The edges of the air intake slits are much sharper.

a4564634• 3 months ago

i dont believe you

burnt-resistor• 3 months ago

It's a symptom of improper prioritization of values: form over function and usability.

Form only matters to a tool if function and usability are present, otherwise that object becomes more like art than a tool.

stogot• 3 months ago

If this was a service in San Francisco I’d pay for it. I don’t want the particles in my space if I were to do it in my home

nl• 3 months ago

Factory distressed Fender Stratocasters coming up...

bilekas• 3 months ago

This was on my work computer.

I would love to see the guys reactions when you have to give this back.

xtiansimon• 3 months ago

Nice. Maybe a touch of 600 and 1200 wet/dry sandpaper (with some dish soap lubricant)?

rvanmil• 3 months ago

I have calluses on my wrists from years of using MacBooks, so the sharp corners are no longer a problem ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

wildpeaks• 3 months ago

I can imagine the resulting texture feeling better on the skin, but I can't unsee the lack of symmetry.

xbar3• 3 months ago

I go through at least one dimestore nail file on every Macbook. The edge near the front touchpad always gets treated.

samrus• 3 months ago

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to freak out about it. I did so, but only a little bit. Then i thought about how i have sometimes felt the bottom corner to be a bit uncomfortable. But then i thought that it wasnt a big enough issue to be worth the effort of filing off the edge

Also a little bit pedantry, you seem to have mostly filed the edge off, which seemed to be the real issue, the corners on that center divet are filed off, but its mostly edges

juleiie• 3 months ago

Honestly I love these things because they are so sturdy that you can do it. It’s like a slab of metal

I know people hate apple and I get it but like if you sign the pact with the devil you get many benefits from that ecosystem

Besides I can’t imagine going back to windows, I would have to use Linux. It wouldn’t be a tragedy alright but I am at the point where I like less customization and more the readiness and it just works aspect

I never found comfort in the endangered Linux ricing communities either that usually enriches the experience above just OS

jensC• 3 months ago

I have a similar problem. My handicap makes it impossible to use the huge trackpad of all newer MacBooks. I am working still with a 2012 MacBook Pro that had a considerable smaller trackpad. Any idea from you guys how to circumvent these trackpad monsters? Thanks for any suggestion.

rayiner• 3 months ago

This is so triggering.

BobBagwill• 3 months ago

This reminds me of the shim scene in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".

mooktakim• 3 months ago

Ah man, I hate how sharp the edges are. Good solution

alecco• 3 months ago

What was wrong with a $20 palm rest/cover? It would also protect it for resale value.

a-dub• 3 months ago

maybe a better approach to start with computers that already have ergonomic chassis (they exist) and then spend energy for modifying tools on what happens inside of them?

kjkjadksj• 3 months ago

It is kind of funny how all the comments are like “yes, finally, file away!” Instead of taking a step back and asking why half the users don’t get these issues at all with the way they lay their hands on the keyboard. I’ve been using metal macbooks for as long as they’ve been around and this is the first I’m hearing of it. Maybe I’m holding it right.

jwlake2• 3 months ago

my m1 max macbook pro 14 has small little divots out of the edge on the right side (not on the left) presuambly because of where my wrist sits when using the track pad. It would be nice it there was some radius on it to not cause that.

Groxx• 3 months ago

Yeah, they are quite uncomfortable. A clear "form before function" decision, and one of many "the wrong people are deciding things" signs :/

I like the idea of fully blending the notch, rather than just rounding slightly. Looks comfy and distinct!

a962• 3 months ago

The form is fuckugly, too. At least it's somewhat consistent, though.

rlt3• 3 months ago

People like to freak out about this, so I wanted to post it here to make sure that everyone who wants to freak out about it gets the opportunity to do so.

I've grown to appreciate unapologetic trolling of people who care way too much about what other people do to themselves or their own private property.

xeromal• 3 months ago

One of my favorite pastimes. There's a facebook group I'm in that has a member that ran over some old plastic part of his car that people pay good money for and the amount of chaos it caused in the group was indescribable. I watch the video anytime I need a good laugh

adolph• 3 months ago

Was it the protective packaging of Dodge sports cars that people thought looked cool and thus retained?

https://www.hellcat.org/threads/this-is-what-happens-when-th...

KolibriFly4• 3 months ago

But there's also a thin line between trolling and just being comfortable ignoring other people's expectations

duxup3• 3 months ago

I'm a bad speller. At some point I improved, but on the early days of the internet I would intentionally misspell things as it just got some folks really going like a light switch ;)

Zancarius• 3 months ago

It still does.

I'm not sure what benefit it is for people to point out such mistakes, but my biggest problem comes from glide typing. Often, my device decides it knows better what word I intended than what I actually intended. I've gotten to the point where I don't especially care about those mistakes either if it's an otherwise unimportant conversation.

I think there are just some people who care entirely too much about trivialities. It may be maturity, though. Where do you invest your energy? When you're younger, minutia can seem far more important than it does when you're older. It's still worth showing them some grace—they'll learn. Eventually. Maybe.

underdeserver• 3 months ago

"The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer. This is known as Godwin's law."

mythas• 3 months ago

I always like to cite Benford’s law for this one.

vondur• 3 months ago

I wonder if by work he means work issued or he just uses it for work?

stephbook2• 3 months ago

Explicitly mentioning it implies the more extreme version: Work issued.

tristanlukens• 3 months ago

My first reaction to this was something akin to "what a terrible day to be literate" but the more I think about it, I admire how you're not afraid to change something about YOUR machine, that YOU paid for. Still wouldn't do this myself tho ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

kbutler4• 3 months ago

I smoothed the sharp corners of the notch by the keyboard, and smoothed a corner where it got dinged from a drop, but nothing this extensive.

Respect.

I definitely empathize with "concerned I would file through the machine."

danielvaughn• 3 months ago

I also hate these sharp edges. After a long working session I have deep grooves in my wrists, and my skin is red with irritation. It's uncomfortable enough that it distracts me from work. It's the very antithesis of good design.

repple• 3 months ago

Yeah, a very admirable project indeed.

smrtinsert• 3 months ago

I would do this but cant stand the MacBook keyboards anyway. Even a cheap $50 amazon mechanical is a much more ergonomic experience

Cort3z• 3 months ago

I can see Apple doing something similar in the future. Just like how they are pivoting away from flat design in their ui, perhaps the time is ready for a more "organic" design. Wonder what marketing term they would use

calmbonsai• 3 months ago

Hey man, you keep doing you and let the haters wash off your shoulders. I'm left-handed and remove the pocket clip from all of my knives.

The power to personalize should not be underestimated--even at the cost of durability and overall functionality.

627467• 3 months ago

I never owned the MacBook I used and the current one I do own I still consider selling one day. That's the only reason I'm not ready to replicate this on my own.

The edges are indeed extremely uncomfortable, not to mention how cold it is in winter.

Luckily its just sitting on a stand 99.9% of the time

pvtmert• 3 months ago

I think he filed edges too much that the font on the website is getting thinner. /s

I agree the edges _can_ be sharp, I have chosen to use a thin-plastic cover which also doubles as a sticker-holder. Also helps with the "bumps" and scratches...

KolibriFly4• 3 months ago

If a device is uncomfortable in daily use, modifying it to fit your body actually makes a lot of sense

rpmisms• 3 months ago

I already use a matte screen protector on mine, I think I will do this as well...

muzika• 3 months ago

I have also done it. My MacBook Pro felt like a torture to use until I filed the edges. Much better now.

mzelling• 3 months ago

To anybody who wants to try this at home: consider wearing a face mask while you do the filing. The author mentions taping off speakers etc. to protect the machine's internals from aluminum dust, but don't forget to protect your own body, too. Aluminum exposure has been linked to Alzheimer's, and inhalation likely poses particularly high risk, compared to ingestion.

FredrikSE• 3 months ago

I had the same problem with my Macbook Air, solved it by design and 3D print a curved edge mounted with 3M. https://makerworld.com/models/1356464

namelosw• 3 months ago

I know it's too sharp for many people, but I've also heard a lot of people say they really enjoy touching the sharp corners of MacBooks repeatedly during boring meetings...

steveharrison• 3 months ago

This was on my work computer.

Haha love it. Would love to see the IT guy's face handing that back in.

fuzzy2• 3 months ago

Is this a design detail that has changed over time?

I have a MacBook Pro Late 2013 and the top edges on the body are not sharp at all. They are already rounded down, with maybe 0.5 mm radius. It's very subtle. I find that the edges are rather pleasant to the touch.

rldjbpin• 3 months ago

misread two 'l's instead of one and imagined it would be about the rounded corners in the latest macos.

personally, having recently switched to one, the edges were a bother at first. but over the months grew to tolerate them just like callouses. opening the lid from the sides make me appreciate the need for a lip. however, i really hope they refine their approach for the rumored new model with better tooling and more comfortable.

mark124mj• 3 months ago

I have a MacBook and honestly barely use it anymore partly because of this. The front edge digs into my wrists after any extended session. It surprises me from Apple — a company known for obsessing over every detail of the user experience. Do they not test these things for hours of actual use? It's the kind of thing that seems like it would get caught immediately in any real-world usability testing.

dominick-cc• 3 months ago

Reminds me of the magic mouse having the charging port on the bottom

pdroid12• 3 months ago

Would this void apple care?

Andi• 3 months ago

I don't like it. I would just attach a part of a silicone baking form to the front of the body. This can be undone at any time.

SamuelAdams• 3 months ago

Am I the only one that uses a thunderbolt dock and a keyboard + mouse + monitor setup? The Macbook itself is always closed in clamshell mode.

The only time I ever use a Macbook as a proper laptop is during meetings, and even then it is brief - looking up materials or taking notes - not nearly enough time to encounter long-term strain in the wrists.

If you are working on a computer for 6+ hours a day professionally, you owe it to yourself to get a proper workstation setup. Hunching over a laptop for hours a day is terrible for your posture and health.

weezing• 3 months ago

Cool idea, not very cool execution tho.

xenadu02• 3 months ago

I do some machining as a hobby (I get enough of computers at work and elsewhere) so here's a similar tip:

Don't treat your lathe faceplate as a precious artifact. Need to clamp an oddly shaped part to it? Drill and tap some holes. That's what it is for.

Is that reamer too long to fit? Cut it shorter.

Modify your tools to make you happier or more productive.

What if the modification doesn't turn out well? Great! You learned something. Make the next one better.

Filing the corners off my MacBooks

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