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.
posted May 19th 2006 3:50PM
let the flame wars.... begin!
Apple fanboys to your battle stations!!!!
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.
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.
Truth is most new laptops aren't laptops anymore. I think we should all drop laptop and start using notebook.
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.
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.
Or...MacBook.
I use this... it makes for a very comfortable experience:
http://www.raindesigninc.com/ilap.html
"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.
huevos fritos manzana!!!! yeowww ay ay ay!
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.
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.
Quick, Steve, activate the Apple fan boy apologist network and send to Engadget comments immediately!
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
isn't there also a specific warningn to men about laptops in that it can, er, slow down production?
beat me to it Jason
Sewell has a pad that's supposed to help this sort of thing:
XPad
http://sewelldirect.com/xpadlaptopheatshield.asp
notebook != laptop
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.
MacBook the new contraeptive for men!!!! Coming soon to all Savons near you!!!!
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.
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.
Most companies call them "notebooks" these days, for exactly the same reason.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
they say this because a hot laptop can cause your testicles to mess up sperm production
"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. :)
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..
My new VAIO doesnt do that, its on my lap right now its kinda warm, but feels kinda good :)
thinkpad rocking it nice and cool....
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...
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
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!"
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
So......as long as its not on my lap, I can still use it in the bathtub right?
So is it still a laptop or will Apple come up with a new i-name for it to avoid the laptop term?
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
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
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.
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.
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.
I have a sony that also has this warning in the user manual AND on the actual laptop.
Useless article.
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
Maybe they should stop running those idiotic Mac vs PC commericials since their "laptops" are going out like the wicked witch of the west.
From IBM (http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-45709):
"Do not leave the base of your computer in contact with your lap or any other part of your body."
Note: they do call it a "laptop"!
I have an iBook G4 and it seems to have problems with heat too, if I play a really graphic heavy game such as UT 2004 or even just use it for long periods of time it starts to get uncomfortably hot
HP also adds that warning on the manuals.
And all laptops, notebooks or however u want to call them get really hot.
And in my opinion they are like 4x4s, u can have a regular desktop computer (more powerful and useful), but u get a laptop in case u have to go somewhere with it...BUT most of the times you dont move your computer in months or years... And you get a car with 9 seats to go with your cat and laptop cause u dont even know so much people...
Laptops are great with the supposed 3 hours batteries that most of the times last 1:30. (Mac and Pcs) Very useful stuff... Get an iMac or wait for intel powermacs but dont waste your money on something u are going to hate if you dont need to.
I worked in tier 1 apple support for awhile and we had very strict rules about how we referenced all the "laptop" models. We were NEVER to refer to the Powerbook or iBook as "laptops" they were always to be referenced as "portables", this is nothing new to Apple or any "portable" for that matter. Anytime a laptop computer is on your lap it can suffocate fans and reduce airflow.
For the guys, hot laptops on your lap even for 30-60 minutes at a time can totally destroy your sperm. There is a specific reason the area where your sperm are produced is not on your body - it needs to be at least a couple of degrees cooler than the rest of you for them to thrive. Now imagine what a 120 degree laptop can do to them.
On the other side, it's a great way to keep your coffee cup warm.
The MBP is hot, but it is way not as bad as everyone says.
First of all..
The term "fanboy" has got to be the single most annoying thing I've ever read. The way you people rush to call someone an "apple fanboy" simply because they have a preference of one product over another is idiotic. You do realize that by calling someone a fanboy of one product, you are automatically declearing yourself a fanboy of the opposing product, right?
In regards to the article itself, like more logical people have already pointed out, laptops haven't been marketed as LAPtops for years now, by every CPU company including apple. So dogging apple on the basis that their notebooks can't be used safely on one's lap really doesn't make sense.
For those who feel the heat issues are a detriment to the term "laptop", I think the main draw of these devices isn't the ability to sit it on your lap, but moreso the fact that it's portable. I personally dont' wanna sit a computer on my lap for an extended period of time anyway.
Just my $0.02.
Then there is always the "wait for revision B, because revision A of anything always has a lot of hardware associated issues".
Too bad my personal update cycle is just in line with Apple's rev A intel products. I will wait as long as I can to update to intel Mac. I think I can wait til fall. Let's hope they're preparing rev B of at least MacBook Pro til then.
um its called a LAP TOP for a reason. oh yea to use on the TOP of ure friggin lap FFS
"58. um its called a LAP TOP for a reason. oh yea to use on the TOP of ure friggin lap FFS"
You must have missed where most CPU manufacturers refered to their products as "notebooks", and not laptops.
I want to buy a macbook pro, but should i consult my doctor first before purchasing one?
defeats the whole point of LAPtop
But then again its a Apple mac so I don't mind.
"The way you people rush to call someone an "apple fanboy" simply because they have a preference of one product over another is idiotic."
Spoken like a true fanboy. If you prefer Apples over other brands, you ARE a fanboy. It doesn't mean you're the antichrist (well, maybe), but it does mean you're biased. Because you are.
"You do realize that by calling someone a fanboy of one product, you are automatically declearing yourself a fanboy of the opposing product, right?"
Sorry - BZZT. For starters, Apple owners themselves will declare some of the harder core apologists fanboys. Go browse an iPOD forum and see the various lag, scratch and other problems from the newer gen models (I have a new 60G myself). There are some who will defend and argue in favor of Apple regardless of ANYTHING. These are the fanboys. Pointing them out as such doesn't make anyone automatically a 'fanboy' for the 'opposing product'. But hey, nice try, fanboy.
"So dogging apple on the basis that their notebooks can't be used safely on one's lap really doesn't make sense."
Do a google search for "APPLE LAPTOP" and see what sites come up. Yep, Apple. Including the new MacBook Pro page. That means Apple wants you to find their LAP TOPS using the word LAPTOP. And if I can use another CoreDuo 17" system like my girlfriend's MBP-stomping Dell E1705 ($1260 shipped, btw) on my *LAP* without burning myself, then yeah, Apple deserves to be dogged. That goes double for the stupid 'switch' ads and endless elitist rhetoric from the Apple fanatic contingent over the years.
"the main draw of these devices isn't the ability to sit it on your lap, but moreso the fact that it's portable."
Hiding behind semantics is amusing.
I'd happily trade my fertility for a new MacBook Pro.
(Okay, I'm actually getting that op soon anyway... but still.)
Hey Pixelator (#62)
Little do you know that your remarks all but verify the truth in my comments. Not once did I even proclaim myself to be an apple fan (atleast not one that prefers it over a PC). I'm enough of a tech head to appreciate both platforms. Yet and still...you read through my comments, and the first thing out your mouth is "spoken like a true fanboy". Sometimes you people really wear your maturity level on your sleeves.
Pixelator.
Apple doesn't use the word 'laptop' in any of their pages for the MacBook Pro, the MacBook or any of their portables, past or present. They have always used either "notebook" or "portable."
Your "proof" that Apple has it on their web site is highly flawed. You don't understand how Google works. Apple has nothing to do with what your Google search says because Google doesn't just index the text of a particular web site... it uses other web sites that link to that particular link to correlated the word "laptop" with that Apple web site. That means if you had a blog and linked to the MacBook Pro website using the word "laptop," you would affect Google's search results if Google crawls your page, but nowhere on Apple's web site does it say "laptop."
Laptop is generally a term not used by computer manufacturers, as has been stated before, but it is a term still used by the masses to describe that type of computer. However, just because the public uses the term laptop doesn't mean that the manufactures intended for you to use the machine on your body.
This is not about semantics. This is about you getting the facts wrong, and shooting your mouth off.
"...don't put our laptops on your lap, if you still want to have kids".
There is a similarity in the design of the laptops and that of the sandwich makers, maybe now they can combine the two of them. You know, opening it on one side is the laptop, on the other side you can make yourself a sandwich.
Apple should market this as a "feature."
I can see the commercial now:
Guy and Girl in bed...
Girl: "Did you bring protection"
Guy: "Don't worry honey, I used a MacBookPro today"
kissing and queue the music....
"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"
The less painful way to get a vasectomy?
Or maybe more painful--it IS an Apple computer ;)
Its always been this way. never did i see apple refer to their portable computers as "laptops". In fact the only time I saw it mentioned was in the discussion forums by users.
You guys are all just over-reacting nerds. Come on, all laptops get hot, apple just put that in there so that just in case something extremely rare happened, some flaming liberal wouldn't try to do anything about it. apple fixed over-heating problems. Period. And their laptops run mac os x. I would take that over windows any day (I like to not clean out my computer every day.)
All notebooks get hot...Apple uses are just so used to their crappy power PC chips that suck ass.