milliGauss readings? Electromagnetic Emissions

As Dave has said above, no reasonable person is likely to be very concerned about studying the health effects of the difference between .001 mG and 2 mG when the earth's own magnetic field strength at its surface ranges between about 300 and 600 mG. You aren't very likely to find much of an audience for your implied view that that difference between tiny traces of magnetism really needs study, when everyone and everything is already bathed in hundreds or thousands of times more magnetism than that 100% of the time.

ive never seen any reports.

your not one of those people who think they are being effected by electromagnetic fields are you?

None I've seen that were done at all recently. I think this sort of study was pretty much discontinued when VDT monitors were largely replaced with LCDs, since any possible magnetic radiation from an LCD-equipped computer would almost certainly be swamped by the Earth's own magnetic field which is typically about 500 mG. Unless and until lab studies show any sort of conclusive link between weak magnetic fields and health, I doubt that there will be much motivation to measure magnetic fields, if any, being emitted by current LCD-based computer systems.

Regards.

The fact remains that there appear to have been no comprehensive studies done on the magnetic emissions of any current or recent computer, Apple or any other brand. If you feel that this is something Apple should address, you can comment to Apple here:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html

Further discussion on the subject will just, I fear, lead to fruitless argument, so I think that unless someone can point to a study that would address your question, either by providing data as to such emissions, or data that contradicts the (rather arbitrary) limits on such emissions that have been proposed and so eliminate your cause for concern, we should discontinue the thread at this point.

Regards.

It is an interesting question, I reckon, and I'm surprised that there aren't more real "numbers" out there. Instead, for notebook computers generally, there seems to be simply rhetoric from one side or the other when I google around about it.

Notebook computers are used differently from many other devices, often in close proximity to certain sensitive and problem prone parts of the body (hence the popular name "laptops", despite the attempts of manufacturers to stress that they are not!)

Certainly EMI issues can be a significant technical issue in notebook design - especially fast, small, modern ones - see http://www.electronics-manufacturers.com/info/electronic-components/emi-shieldin g-solutions.html for example.

+Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a significant problem in high performance notebook computers. The high clock rate of the CPU of a high performance notebook computer is associated with high-frequency signal components. These high-frequency signal components may generate electromagnetic waves which propagate to other portions of the notebook computer or to neighboring electronic circuits and produce deleterious electromagnetic interference (EMI).+

Yep, I'd like to see some figures on this too, not because I have strong feelings one way or another about the "health issue" , but because it always helps to have the facts straight about such things. I noticed in one piece I came across from the US EPA while looking at this that even they found information about laptop emissions hard to obtain. (I'm afraid I've lost the link for the moment).

Cheers

Rod

"Even though Apple Corporation has recieved both the EnergyStar 5.0 and EPEAT Gold compliance stamps...electromagnetic radio emissions are not considered in the evaluations."

That is true. Apple's products complies with all international EMC emissions standards. In the US, the standards are generally referred to as "FCC Class A" and "FCC Class B". The internet has volumes of information regarding this, and I suggest that you utilize Google.

Is there a 3-prong unit available for the MBP for earthing in the US or is there only one available in Great Britain?

This I can answer: yes, there is. The MBP adapter is supplied with a 6-foot, 3-prong cord that can be used in place of the 2-prong "duck head".

...Step up to the plate...Now it is your turn. Houston, we have a problem! You do some testing now and see if your MBP is as noisy electronically as mine.

You do understand that you aren't talking to Apple here, don't you? These are user-to-user forums.

If you feel you've discovered a crisis to which Apple must quickly respond, please contact Apple directly rather than demand action from other Mac users. That's who is reading your posts here. We're in no position to do anything about your issue. And in over a year of daily reading and posting in these MBP forums, I haven't seen a single other poster who shares your particular concern/anxiety, so I'm sure it will be an interesting new topic for Apple's readers of MBP Feedback.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html