razor edge on new MBP

WOW. Im new to macs ive been using this site to help my own problems, but it is really stupid how negitive and MEAN some people are, not everybody has to have your opnion, if you cant offer positive help then DONT help. and YES the edges could be smoothed better, they ARE slightly uncomfy, and i dont type as much as the person typing up to 10 hours.

Hi,
I've been posting about this on another thread. It's surprising to me how many people responded by saying either:

It's not sharp.

or:

Your posture is bad.

Quite a few people find the sharp edge uncomfortable. I returned a MacBook Pro I received as a gift just this week because of the edge (Apple Customer Support waived the 10% restocking fee).

If you search on Google, you will find an article in Popular Mechanics dated 3/6/2009 that lists that edge as the number one design error that ruined and otherwise great gadget.

I posted the link on the other thread, and it was removed for being off topic! I agree that the topic is to find a workaround (same on both threads), but with so many responders denying that the edge is sharp, why remove a link to a major publication where a journalist says it is sharp?

I think the edge could be radiused by Apple without compromising the structure, but I don't know this for a fact--it is pure surmise.

Just use Cool feet or something....

http://www.bluelounge.com/coolfeet.php

It's like... less than $10 and you won't ever get this problem....

Wow, just coming into this thread I see flaming hot, belittling, patronizing, arrogance among the incumbent posters.

I too dislike the sharp edges on the MBP which don't exist on the previous version, or any other laptop in existence. It is aesthetic above real-world usage. I can definitely use the edges to file finger-nails, just to prove the point.

I do find it humorous all the fear-mongering about rusting/corroding the aluminum when it's one of the most corrosion resistant metals out there. Aluminum "self-heals" by forming an thin, durable oxidation layer. It's about as good as the nickel in the coins we use. In fact, the top of the Washington monument has an aluminum pyramid for the lightning catcher and will last hundred of years beyond the stone beneath it.

Back to the topic, the edges are too sharp, and so the take away I get is there's no realistic, non-warranty-voiding, solution for it except beg Apple to be less industrial-grade in their designs.

All the passive-aggressive "solutions" of using wrist protectors, external keyboards, etc just practically scream the MBP design isn't meant to be used by real people.

scotch tape works (2-3 layers around the edge one on top of the other). get the invisible type. When you peel it off it does not leave gunk on the machine.
If you dont mind the hideous look... masking tape is thicker and better
LOL

I love the various posts on this one... entertainment

Message was edited by: toxicpenguin

I can see how the edges could cause irritation over time with as it rubs your wrist. I installed a speck cover on my MBP that I purchased at the apple store and have noticed that it prevents this as well as protects the case from the scratches of day to day use. You could look into doing something similar. I would not advise doing anything to permanently alter the macbook.

I normally use a bluetooth keyboard and mighty mouse with the laptop in clamshell mode at the office and home so I do not do allot of typing on the laptops keyboard.

I have the same problem with the sharp edge.

As a purely temporary solution, I am using electrical tape across along the edge. It makes it far more comfortable, doesn't interfere with the magnetic clasp, and is completely removable.

It's far too trashy a solution for the long-term, however, and I'm looking into others.

By favored solution is to smooth the edge down physically, as suggested by those who are filing there own, but I potentially agree with what the detractors are saying: it's possible that it can void the warranty, and possible that it will structurally compromise the computer.

However, as a craftsman, I know that I can bevel the edge subtly enough that the apple techs would need a microscope to realize I'd done so. If they can't tell, the warranty problem is solved, as well as the resale problem. I can afford to do this because I'm good with tools.

If you're not completely confident in your ability to do something like this, it's obviously not going to be something you'll want to attempt.

However, that still leaves the structural problem, if there is one. Whether or not there is depends on what, specifically, the unibody is composed of. If it's relatively pure aluminum, the issue with anodization doesn't arise: in aluminum, anodizing oxidizes the surface, and it's purpose is to increase surface strength (scratch-resistance), not corrosion-resistance. When pure aluminum oxidizes to the open air, it creates the same protective coating that anodization does, though less thick, making it less scratch-resistant.

If it's an aluminum alloy, though, especially one with a lot of corrosible content, removing the anodized layer will leave it prone to corrosion (though still not that prone: aluminum alloys don't corrode much, as a rule).

I've done an extensive google search, and I haven't found any definitive sources stating whether the unibody is pure aluminum or an alloy. I'll keep looking and report back.

In the meanwhile, does anybody on the forum have any definitive sources for whether or not it's pure aluminum or an alloy?

Some of the responses here are just sad. I am a very long-time Apple user, and have even run an Apple support site many years ago. The responses in this thread are very suspicious. Perhaps it's because so many are now using Macs, and the friendly Mac user group we're used to has now been replaced by Windows switchers. It almost seems like M$ has paid people to come to these forums and belittle Apple users, all the while pretending to be hardcore Mac users, in order to make the Mac community look like a bunch of arrogant *****. The ones calling the others trolls so far, seem to be the only ones "trolling" at all.

Anyway, I too am a writer, and today I just got fed up. Sitting in a cafe on this brand new 13" MBP, and planning to spend a good 3-5 hours writing, and I could put up with about 20 minutes before my wrists were seriously hurting. So I came looking for a solution, and found this thread.

Well on Monday I will be trying to find a solution at our local hardware store. I am thinking some kind of spongy tape would work. Otherwise, I will be sanding the edge.

Now let me get this perfectly straight. Most Apple employees, managers included, do not know the foggiest about anything Apple. It's just a fact of life with such a fast-growing company. I spoke to AppleCare last week about the shorter battery life on my 3GS, and was told to get a bigger battery from the Apple Store. I kid you not. You absolutely can NOT trust anything they tell you until you have a problem escalated way beyond the first person you talk to. So let me speak to this issue of warrantee. If you alter the machine in such a way that does not compromise it, your warrantee will be secure. There are legal protections against these kinds of things even. It's like if you add a turbo to your car, but you have an unrelated problem with your power windows, they will not tell you it's not covered because you modified the engine.

So... If I can not find tape that will fix this issue, I WILL be sanding the edge. As a previous poster correctly addresses the Alu issue, it will be just fine. Sanding the edge will not void your warrantee, no matter what some other agent provocateurs might have you think. And besides that, there would be no reason to even address the issue of a sanded edge if your warrantee issue is unrelated.

But, first to try and find some tape, and if no luck, then to sand. Either way, I will find my solution to this and report back.

And the previous gentleman that said he was good with tools. Well, I can see a very much needed business opportunity there my friend. Private message me if you're willing to sand my edge for me.

Gosh.. Dr. Huxtable.. stop trolling the forum looking for "sharp edge" posts. Geesh.

"The aggressive act of filing down edges can cause many issues?" Such as.......???

First of all, the solidity of the aluminum exterior has nothing to do with the operation or inner-workings of the machine, such as you don't file through the aluminum and into the logic board. It's not like there are any electrical paths located within the aluminum.

Now, you could file enough aluminum to weaken the structure, but we're talking about the edges here. The aluminum is the thickest at the edges, and taking off a portion to round the edge would not hurt the machine in the slightest. I wouldn't do it, but the "fragile" machine would still work 100%.

As far as voiding the warranty, I would think Apple would second guess your warranty if it looked like you dragged it down the street. However, if you rounded the edges, and there is no other damage, Apple would have to prove you did something to void the warranty. Apple would have to prove your "work" voided the warranty based on what the warranty states.

Next time @ the mall, I think I'll stop in and ask a Genius there.

Bryan

"Now let me get this perfectly straight. Most Apple employees, managers included, do not know the foggiest about anything Apple."

That's not true. However, reading the many posts, it's obvious that many users do not understand anything about the products that they bought.

Here is a block from the Apple One (1) Year Warranty:

"This warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries, unless damage has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports; (c) to damage caused by use with non-Apple products; (d) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes; (e) to damage caused by operating the product outside the permitted or intended uses described by Apple; (f) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”) ; (g) to a product or part that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple; or (h) if any Apple serial number has been removed or defaced."

What this says to me is that Apple will not repair your aluminum if you file the edges down. But as long as that doesn't alter the functionality or capability of the machine, i.e., you don't file through and scratch the board and put a file through the fan, Apple can't reject your valid claim of warranty for defective parts not related to your aluminum shell. They also state they don't cover cosmetic damage, which would be filing of the edges. However, that simply means they won't fix that. That doesn't mean that if your logic board goes and you filed your edges, they won't fix it if you are under warranty.

Unless I missed something, there is no VOID for altering the external appearance of your computer as long as it does not interfere with the functionality or capability of the machine. As written, we are in full right to "round" our edges. But as I said before, I wouldn't do that.

Bryan

I have had my macbook pro for one day. Worked all day on it, and my wrists were really sore. I had not seen this thread so i called applecare to see if there was a fix coming out by Apple. Perhaps some type of strip. But what I got was a apple care person that made me feel that I was the only person in the world with this complaint!

I have put blue painters tape on my edge. Not very good publicity for an apple laptop i would say.

Nancy

I find the edge where my wrists rest occasionally very sharp as well. It's usually happens whenI'm applying a bit of pressure because I'm laying on the couch or the bed. Don't notice it if I'm sitting at a desk. Wish it was slightly rounded off. The few people that think this issue is a joke are not very helpful eh? They sound like stuck up idiots to me. I'm a huge Apple fan but have found this sharp-ish edge to be a flaw for sure. I mean there must be something to it because I actually felt the need to look it up on here and see if anyone else shared my feeling. Guess I was right.

My friend and I both bought our MacBook Pro's the same day. His a 13", mine a 15". I just checked his front edge and it's ever so slightly beveled. I can physically see a difference between his and mine.
I think that it's a production line error. A very tiny one, but one that makes a big difference!!!