6 ms·

I wish they would put in at least some basic effort into smoothing that sharp edge where wrists often rest when using the MacBook, rather than just the curvatur

by muro 4y ago

I wish they would put in at least some basic effort into smoothing that sharp edge where wrists often rest when using the MacBook, rather than just the curvature of the corner. Any cheap laptop is nicer to my wrists than a MacBook.

xnx 4y ago
The front edge of the Dell XPS 17 is not just square, but distinctly sharp. It's terrible.
muro 4y ago
Also: if they could create a gap between the screen and the keys, so the screen is not always smudged after closing the MacBook. Aka, if you use your MacBook as a laptop, the screen will be dirty even if you are careful to never mistakenly touch it.
- StringyBob 4y ago
  For at least one gen of MacBooks (maybe the ill-fated 2016 MacBook Pros?), this was actually a design fault. In the battle for thinness there was not enough separation between screen and keys when closed, leading to damage to screen coating over time. Newer versions had a slightly larger rubber lip on the screen to increase the separation - as I noticed after getting a replacement for a damaged model
  - GrayShade 4y ago
    This can happen on other laptops, especially to cat owners.
  - muro 4y ago
    I now have the M1 MacBook Pro and it still has that issue.
    - CSSer 4y ago
      On the brightside, if you ignore it until you can’t see your screen properly it’s like the heavens have opened once you finish cleaning it.
      - tosc 4y ago
        Have you tried putting gravel in your socks at the beginning of the day? It feels great when you get home and finally take them off.
        CSSer 4y ago
        You win. I chuckled. You know I was making a bit of a joke too, right?
    - solarkraft 4y ago
      I had an M1 pro and have an M1 air, both with screen protectors (that are matte but quick to show smudges) and haven't noticed this.
    - kalleboo 4y ago
      I have the M1 MacBook Pro and I don't have this issue (I also didn't have it on my 2019, 2017, 2012, etc MacBooks Pro). Do you put your laptop in a bag where it gets squished between books and other stuff to cause the display to be pushed in?
- djaychela 4y ago
  I always put something between the screen and the keys when I close it - not only finger grease, but eventually you get damage on the screen from grit on the keys or the hard edge by the track pad. A sheet of A4 paper was the thing for a while, but then I got some of the material you get in new laptops and use that now (it's made from recycled PET, and black). Bad design, imo.
- tinus_hn 4y ago
  Do the keys also scratch the screen like on a Dell or HP?
- kitsunesoba 4y ago
  I haven't had a much trouble with this on my MacBooks, but based on observation (relatively small sample size, so take with grain of salt) this is exacerbated by tightly packing them in e.g. a bag with books/tablets/etc or stacking things on them. As long as I've avoided those situations I don't get key tracks.
eternityforest 4y ago
Apple has beautiful squircle curves the rest of us can't have unless we want expensive CAD tools and extra JS files, but they also have plenty of sharp transitions. Look at their cables, that have no strain relief, being a bad influence on every other cable for a decade. It's basically just Bauhaus design but with a few nice soft features, it's gonna be a bit uncomfortable, it's gonna be expensive, it might compromise functionality, all to create a sense of precision, authenticity, and high-endness.
- crazygringo 4y ago
  What are you talking about, every Apple USB and Lightning cable I've ever had has had strain relief on both ends. There's the main plug in a plastic housing, and then there's an extra-thick rubber part about a centimeter long which is the strain relief wrapped around the cable, and then the rest of the cable itself. Clearly visible in any product photograph close-up.
  - pja 4y ago
    Yes & it doesn’t work very well. Or at least it didn‘t, Apple has been notorious for sacrificing good strain relief on their cables in pursuit of aesthetics for years. Possibly things have improved now that Ive has left, but there was a period a few years ago when everyone I knew with a Macbook had wrapped the power cable in electrical tape because the cable housing had failed just above the (useless) strain relief sleeve you describe.
    - Gigachad 4y ago
      I think it was less the strain relief and more the rubber they used. It would go gummy and fall apart after a few years. I absolutely remember around 2013 everyones MacBook charger would fail like this. But they have changed the design a lot since then so I no longer think this is an issue. The brick is now usb c so you can swap the cable without needing an expensive brick, and the MagSafe cables they now include are braided instead of rubber.
      - 4y ago
joezydeco 4y ago
But then you would have a rounded surface matched up with a sharp one (the top of the display) when you close the lid and that wouldn't look sexy at all. Two rounded edges would be even worse.
- nomel 4y ago
  The marks in my wrists look worse, to me.

by muro 4y ago

xnx 4y ago

The front edge of the Dell XPS 17 is not just square, but distinctly sharp. It's terrible.

muro 4y ago

Also: if they could create a gap between the screen and the keys, so the screen is not always smudged after closing the MacBook. Aka, if you use your MacBook as a laptop, the screen will be dirty even if you are careful to never mistakenly touch it.

StringyBob 4y ago
For at least one gen of MacBooks (maybe the ill-fated 2016 MacBook Pros?), this was actually a design fault. In the battle for thinness there was not enough separation between screen and keys when closed, leading to damage to screen coating over time. Newer versions had a slightly larger rubber lip on the screen to increase the separation - as I noticed after getting a replacement for a damaged model
- GrayShade 4y ago
  This can happen on other laptops, especially to cat owners.
- muro 4y ago
  I now have the M1 MacBook Pro and it still has that issue.
  - CSSer 4y ago
    On the brightside, if you ignore it until you can’t see your screen properly it’s like the heavens have opened once you finish cleaning it.
    - tosc 4y ago
      Have you tried putting gravel in your socks at the beginning of the day? It feels great when you get home and finally take them off.
      - CSSer 4y ago
        You win. I chuckled. You know I was making a bit of a joke too, right?
  - solarkraft 4y ago
    I had an M1 pro and have an M1 air, both with screen protectors (that are matte but quick to show smudges) and haven't noticed this.
  - kalleboo 4y ago
    I have the M1 MacBook Pro and I don't have this issue (I also didn't have it on my 2019, 2017, 2012, etc MacBooks Pro). Do you put your laptop in a bag where it gets squished between books and other stuff to cause the display to be pushed in?
djaychela 4y ago
I always put something between the screen and the keys when I close it - not only finger grease, but eventually you get damage on the screen from grit on the keys or the hard edge by the track pad. A sheet of A4 paper was the thing for a while, but then I got some of the material you get in new laptops and use that now (it's made from recycled PET, and black). Bad design, imo.
tinus_hn 4y ago
Do the keys also scratch the screen like on a Dell or HP?
kitsunesoba 4y ago
I haven't had a much trouble with this on my MacBooks, but based on observation (relatively small sample size, so take with grain of salt) this is exacerbated by tightly packing them in e.g. a bag with books/tablets/etc or stacking things on them. As long as I've avoided those situations I don't get key tracks.

eternityforest 4y ago

Apple has beautiful squircle curves the rest of us can't have unless we want expensive CAD tools and extra JS files, but they also have plenty of sharp transitions. Look at their cables, that have no strain relief, being a bad influence on every other cable for a decade. It's basically just Bauhaus design but with a few nice soft features, it's gonna be a bit uncomfortable, it's gonna be expensive, it might compromise functionality, all to create a sense of precision, authenticity, and high-endness.

crazygringo 4y ago
What are you talking about, every Apple USB and Lightning cable I've ever had has had strain relief on both ends. There's the main plug in a plastic housing, and then there's an extra-thick rubber part about a centimeter long which is the strain relief wrapped around the cable, and then the rest of the cable itself. Clearly visible in any product photograph close-up.
- pja 4y ago
  Yes & it doesn’t work very well. Or at least it didn‘t, Apple has been notorious for sacrificing good strain relief on their cables in pursuit of aesthetics for years. Possibly things have improved now that Ive has left, but there was a period a few years ago when everyone I knew with a Macbook had wrapped the power cable in electrical tape because the cable housing had failed just above the (useless) strain relief sleeve you describe.
  - Gigachad 4y ago
    I think it was less the strain relief and more the rubber they used. It would go gummy and fall apart after a few years. I absolutely remember around 2013 everyones MacBook charger would fail like this. But they have changed the design a lot since then so I no longer think this is an issue. The brick is now usb c so you can swap the cable without needing an expensive brick, and the MagSafe cables they now include are braided instead of rubber.
    - 4y ago

joezydeco 4y ago

But then you would have a rounded surface matched up with a sharp one (the top of the display) when you close the lid and that wouldn't look sexy at all. Two rounded edges would be even worse.

nomel 4y ago
The marks in my wrists look worse, to me.