Anybody been told MacBook Air is 'Not A Laptop' when complaining about heat?

Question

Anybody been told MacBook Air is 'Not A Laptop' when complaining about heat?

My MacBook Air gets so hot I cannot comfortably keep it on my lap. When I called Support to talk about this they told me it is not a laptop but a portable computer. I find this completely unacceptable and expect a repair or refund - the ones in the Apple Store are nothing like as hot as mine. Has anybody had a better or worse response for a similar issue?

MacBook Air (11-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5), Not a Laptop

Posted on Sep 21, 2013 5:05 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 21, 2013 5:07 PM in response to oblivionjapan

Apple doesnt call them Laptops for a GOOD set of reasons.

Apples portables are technically "notebooks"

A: the alloy case can get hot during some types of use, and AS SUCH is not meant for your lap.

B: the screen does NOT go far back as is often seen in laptop use.

Yes, Apple doesnt make laptops, rather deemed Notebooks

however the connotation VS. denotation is non-existent to MOST people 😁

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Answer 2

stedman1

Level 10

264,634 points

Sep 21, 2013 5:09 PM in response to oblivionjapan

Have you checked the Apple article below for troubleshooting clues?

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1473

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Answer 3

Sep 21, 2013 5:13 PM in response to PlotinusVeritas

Even if it is not meant for the lap this thing gets so hot my hands sweat as I type. But I am told as long as it doesn't get so hot it auto switches off it is normal.

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Answer 4

Sep 21, 2013 5:21 PM in response to oblivionjapan

Thanks for the advice. Yes I have cut out some big CPU using tasks, but it still gets hot. Very disappointed with the thing. It's expensive. It should be able to run a few things at once without hurting me.

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Answer 5

stedman1

Level 10

264,634 points

Sep 21, 2013 5:35 PM in response to oblivionjapan

Download, install and run iStat Pro to monitor your temperatures and fan speeds. Post back with a screen shot of results.

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Answer 6

Sep 22, 2013 3:04 AM in response to oblivionjapan

The MBA and MBP are designed to sit on a hard flat surface so air can circulate underneath them to provide cooling. The entire metal case is part of the cooling system.

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