Warning from Apple: don't put our laptops on your lap

We've heard the stories about overheating MacBook Pros, and have even heard that Apple has quietly updated the line's firmware to resolve the problem. However, the company apparently still doesn't want to take any chances on users getting a little overheated while using the new MacBooks, so they've included a warning in the computer's manual (which also appears in the manual for the MBP), advising customers not to use their laptops on their laps: "Do not leave the bottom of your MacBook Pro in contact with your lap or any surface of your body for extended periods. Prolonged contact with your body could cause discomfort and potentially a burn"  Apple's solution to this is to recommend that customers put the computer on a desk or other flat surface. And, not surprisingly, the word "laptop" does not appear once in the MacBook's manual. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're off to chew on an iPod shuffle for a bit.

[khamel @ May 19th 2006 3:58PM]

let the flame wars.... begin!

[Sly @ May 19th 2006 3:58PM]

Apple fanboys to your battle stations!!!!

[not lazy @ May 19th 2006 3:59PM]

dammit. i want to buy a macbook. i don't want to have to open it and clean and reapply with some AS5. that would be annoying.

[Jake Kohlar @ May 19th 2006 4:04PM]

I like how Apple always quietly tries to update something, as if by trying to pretend as if nothing was ever wrong with their "perfect" products. How lame, just admit your faults Apple.

[paris @ May 19th 2006 4:05PM]

Truth is most new laptops aren't laptops anymore. I think we should all drop laptop and start using notebook.

[Eagle117 @ May 19th 2006 4:06PM]

Hasn't that been the warning for years though? I remember when I got my first laptop 5 years ago, it said something about not putting it directly on your skin or even leaving it on your lap for extended periods of time.

I don't think this is anything new.

[ben @ May 19th 2006 4:07PM]

I can't wait to hear the excuses, but...

to be fair to Apple, several people have recommended to me that I keep my laptop off my lap (or, even worse, a soft surface like a bed) because of the risk of blocked fan exhausts and the like. Clearly, a product of such immaculate design as a Mac laptop shouldn't have this problem, but it may not be thaaat farfetched.

[Gordy @ May 19th 2006 4:07PM]

Or...MacBook.

[mang @ May 19th 2006 4:08PM]

I use this... it makes for a very comfortable experience:
http://www.raindesigninc.com/ilap.html

[Todd @ May 19th 2006 4:08PM]

"Don't put you LAPtop on your lap?" - lol.

OK Apple fan boys, who sleep with their iPod stuffed down the front of their underwear, please justify THIS one! Maybe if Apple spent more resources on allowing their customers to put their LAPtop on their lap, and less on pretentious architecture for the retail stores - this kinda stuff wouldn't happen.

[oshean @ May 19th 2006 4:11PM]

huevos fritos manzana!!!! yeowww ay ay ay!

[larken @ May 19th 2006 4:14PM]

I left my macbook on last night and when I woke up it was gone. Turns out it melted and left a white puddle on the ground.

[Chris @ May 19th 2006 4:15PM]

What the hell? I'm getting a MacBook...I don't want to have to deal with this. Get it together Apple! I'm paying good money for this thing! I should be able to put it on my lap without them bursting into flames.

[RZ @ May 19th 2006 4:20PM]

Quick, Steve, activate the Apple fan boy apologist network and send to Engadget comments immediately!

[Jason @ May 19th 2006 4:31PM]

Aside from accumulating heat, it has been reported there is evidence that prolonged use among males could lead to fertility issues...HMM...perhaps Apple should market this as, "The protection for the rest of your life."
http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,65970,00.html

[hey4 @ May 19th 2006 4:32PM]

isn't there also a specific warningn to men about laptops in that it can, er, slow down production?

[hey4 @ May 19th 2006 4:34PM]

beat me to it Jason

[Nate @ May 19th 2006 4:36PM]

Sewell has a pad that's supposed to help this sort of thing:

XPad

[Nate @ May 19th 2006 4:38PM]

http://sewelldirect.com/xpadlaptopheatshield.asp

[Brian Sexton @ May 19th 2006 4:40PM]

notebook != laptop

[Chris McDowell @ May 19th 2006 4:42PM]

I will grab my older powerbooks manual later tonight but I believe this has been around for a while. Using it on your lap is not the most comfortable spot anyways. And for the macbook pro's and powerbooks the case is just a giant heat sync basically and is designed to get hot so that the heat disipates. They probably just carried over the warning from the macbookpro.

[Obed @ May 19th 2006 4:43PM]

MacBook the new contraeptive for men!!!! Coming soon to all Savons near you!!!!

[anon @ May 19th 2006 4:45PM]

In a related story, avoid keeping your desktops on your desk and your towers in towers.

Seriously though, I'm a Mac fanboy (according to this site) and I use min eon my lap all the time. Sure it gets hit, but no hotter than any other high-powered laptop I've used. This is even moreso when using the DVD burner, for obvious reasons.

What this really boils down to is CYA. Apple also updated their iPos software to allow parents to maintain their children's sound levels and posted more warnings despite it already being displayed in the iPod manual.

For my next trick I'm going to sue McDonalds for their coffee being hot.

[Thom @ May 19th 2006 4:47PM]

Y'know, I kinda like using my laptop and my lap, so one solution I use is to keep my sleevecase nearby and use it for padding twixt the hot aluminum case and my nether region.

As a side note, I concur with the others who say the firmware update has helped with the heat. I've had mine on for about six hours, encoded some video, and it's still quite bearable... Before, it'd be scorching.

[geekdreams @ May 19th 2006 4:47PM]

Most companies call them "notebooks" these days, for exactly the same reason.

[Hogleg @ May 19th 2006 4:47PM]

So that warning on Page 107 has been there since shipment. Apple hasn't recently added this warning, the OP just recently read the warning.

[Sam @ May 19th 2006 4:49PM]

I was told my someone at apple specifically that the macbook pro is NOT A LAPTOP and should not be used on your lap. He said it is a notebook, and should only be used on a desk. Anyway, one of these laptop pads can really do the trick:
http://sewelldirect.com/notebook-cooling-pad-with-fans.asp

[Darren Tilley @ May 19th 2006 5:06PM]

This is not Apple's problem. PC manufacturers have been referring to their machines as Notebooks for a long time before Apple. Most companies even have large fans on the bottom that would be blocked by your legs if used on your lap.

My solution is a small foldable lap-board that fits into my case alongside the computer.

[Andrew @ May 19th 2006 5:08PM]

I bought a MacBook Pro yesterday for two grand and RETURNED IT this morning. Between the obnoxious whining of the processor, 3 freezes in a span of 4 hours and the heat? it was a no-brainer to go back to my PowerBook.

I?m as anxious as the next person to see what Apple comes out with next. But rushing things to production before they are actually finished and tested, has been a HUGE downfall for Apple.

[Joe Dirt @ May 19th 2006 5:08PM]

You know Apple is just trying to cover their sloppy asses cauise someone is going to burn their testicles off or some poor child will bet 3rd degree burns from handling the thing.


LAPTOP
(n.) A small, portable computer -- small enough that it can sit on your lap. Nowadays, laptop computers are more frequently called notebook computers, though technically laptops are somewhat smaller in size than notebooks.

[Geir E @ May 19th 2006 5:14PM]

Uh?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4078895.stm
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/38854.html

If I used my acer laptop (tavelmate 8006) on my lap it's very hot - and without shorts it's burning. I think this applies to every laptop with a high speed processor. and the macbook should be cooler than the macbook pro due to the pro have a higher speed graphics card. That's the problem with my acer. the radeon 9700 is a hot bugger.

[Chris @ May 19th 2006 5:19PM]

"OK Apple fan boys, who sleep with their iPod stuffed down the front of their underwear"

Todd, we're all happy that you would have enough room to comfortably keep your DAP of choice stuffed down the front of your underwear, but you can't assume we all have that . . . um, shortcoming.

[tc @ May 19th 2006 5:25PM]

they say this because a hot laptop can cause your testicles to mess up sperm production

[Todd @ May 19th 2006 5:28PM]

"Todd, we're all happy that you would have enough room to comfortably keep your DAP of choice stuffed down the front of your underwear, but you can't assume we all have that . . . um, shortcoming."

Actually Chris, since you brought it up, I have an iRiver u10. :)

[Andreas @ May 19th 2006 5:34PM]

It's not a big secret that Apple had heat issues the last 3-4 years with their powerbooks. I'm just very sorry to realize that the heat issues are transfered unattended over to the MacBook and MacBook Pro series. Real bad move, Apple. Wasn't that core duo all about low energy, low heat, and all? Bad move. All laptops should be able to run cold by software settings..

[Alex Pellot @ May 19th 2006 5:59PM]

My new VAIO doesnt do that, its on my lap right now its kinda warm, but feels kinda good :)

[will chen @ May 19th 2006 6:11PM]

thinkpad rocking it nice and cool....

[Tim @ May 19th 2006 6:38PM]

Polycarbonate is good until 280 degrees fahrenheit, who cares about your skin (and family jewels) as long as your MacBook isn't melting!--talk about a way tostop your family's bloodline...

[daniel @ May 19th 2006 6:55PM]

havent theses warning been around for ages and theres always the having laptops on you lap for long periods of time can make you infertile in men anyway isnt it obvious not to put laptops on your laps from how hot they get

[Mike Ishi @ May 19th 2006 6:58PM]

First off Engadget, learn the correct term. It's a "notebook" not a "laptop." There hasn't been a laptop for many years. Laptops are very large... Now adays we have notebooks. Second of all it warns you to not keep it on your lap for PROLONGED periods of times. It doesn't say "DO NOT PUT THIS ON YOUR LAP!"

[Lucy Van Pelt @ May 19th 2006 7:05PM]

This was an interesting read... it talks about how the temperature is lowered by removing the battery from the MacBook Pro
http://macnewsblog.com/2006/05/macbook_pro_no_batteryless_hea.html

[Rand @ May 19th 2006 7:18PM]

So......as long as its not on my lap, I can still use it in the bathtub right?

[Finished.Law.School @ May 19th 2006 7:31PM]

So is it still a laptop or will Apple come up with a new i-name for it to avoid the laptop term?

[the glass cube @ May 19th 2006 8:05PM]

maybe they could put a hot plate at the bottem so when your hungry while working long hours on your movies just flip it over and grill some hamburgers

[bliss @ May 19th 2006 8:18PM]

who needs a heating system in your house when you can just leave the MacBook Pro on? I must confess that I have used mine to warm up my bed :P

[Jim @ May 19th 2006 8:38PM]

My Compaq laptop (350 mhz K6-III) that I bought 7 years ago had a similar warning. Come on guys, it's just computer companies (yes plural) trying to cover their butts in case of lawsuits--think hot coffee at McDonald's.

[Will @ May 19th 2006 9:09PM]

Ok, I want clairify what kind of "table" they want their 'notebooks" placed on. Before I reapplied AS 5, in the correct way, I would leave my MBP on my wood desk at work and listen to music, or whatever. So after the "notebook" sits on my wood desk for an hour or two, the desk is just as hot as the computer, and I suspect acting as an insulator. So, does this mean I have to consantly move my "notebook" around on my desk, or do have have to use an aluminum alloy "table" with fans and heat sink, if I expect to use the "notebook" on my desk for longer than an hour.

I love the MBP, but after photographic proof that the thermal paste is excessive, I will not accept that this is normal. I use a PC laptop at work and at home, and it gets, hot but, not like mine did before I corrected the sloppy assembly. After the AS 5 and the firmware update, the MBP is warm, but not excessive. Although the left fan runs constantly.

[Rusty @ May 19th 2006 9:49PM]

I don't know what the big deal is....laptops the past couple of years have almost always been warm/hot if you leave them on your laps. Maybe here is a chance for a nitch market to pop up water cooling laptop holders???
My P4 duo notebook gets a little warm on the bottom when running video...it's just a fact of life. You run anything with that many transistors, it's gonna get warm.

[Ben @ May 19th 2006 9:57PM]

I have a sony that also has this warning in the user manual AND on the actual laptop.

Useless article.

[Hedgie @ May 19th 2006 10:12PM]

Dell notebooks can get pretty hot after its operating for a while. I think it would be interesting to see some sort of crazy science experiment like you usually see with bugs like these.

oh and @Apple Comp.

*screams on top of lungs* MACBOOKS PRO HAS A TENDANCY TO BURN PEOPLE ALIVE!!!!! ITS MORE DANGEROUS THAN GOING OUTSIDE BAREFOOT ON PAVEMENT IN ARIZONA!

well.. at least it was fun for a few seconds