“Like any self-respecting techie, I did not read the users manual before unpacking my new MacBook Pro, setting it directly on my lap, turning it on and immediately taking dozens of pictures of myself using the built-in camera and distorting the images with several of the Photo Booth effects, and then assembling them into a hilarious story line using Comic Life. While I busily e-mailed my new comic strip to everyone in my address book, I noticed something that smelled like bacon wafting from my laptop,” Gabriella Papic writes for Salon. “At first, I thought those guys at Apple were geniuses for making the built-in DVD burner smell like my favorite low-carb treat. Then I felt a stinging in my thigh muscles, although stinging isn’t quite the word I’m looking for to describe the burning sensation. It was more of a scalding, or a scorching, that felt worse than a rug burn but not as bad as, let’s say, reentry heat.”
“I considered calling Apple customer support, but I was already absorbed in making an iMovie from last year’s vacation footage. So I checked the users guide to see if something was up with the fan malfunctioning. The appendix directed me to Page 107, which contained a statement so shocking that I immediately posted it on my blog space I had just created using .Mac. The statement said: ‘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.’ An important statement like that should be brought to the user’s attention a bit earlier than Page 107. Being etched on the cover of the laptop in raised neon lettering would be more appropriate. But I could see how that would mess with the sleek, spacecrafty design. So I forgave Apple for this oversight and decided to come up with a few accessories that address the heat issue in a very creative and Mac-like way,” Papic writes. “My list is broken into three sections: first aid, food and other.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Bob A.” for the heads up.]
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Reminds me of the SNL “Happy Fun Ball”
Still – this doesn’t stop me. I can’t wait to get the 17″ MBP. Should be faster than my existing desktop!
the heat of my macbook kills the bacteria that grows on my genitals.
Apple realy needs to deal with this issue. I can rest my Thinkpad T43 on my lap for hours, and while it certainly is warm, it never approaches scalding.
This is a damaging review.
What good is a laptop if you can’t use it on your lap?
yeah, I had the same reaction. So I cracked open my 15″, week 12 MBP and redid the thermal paste. Now it does get warm but just barely.
I almost shit a brick when the guy at Apple told me that they were called “notebooks” (doing the quote thingy with his fingers) and not “laptops” for a reason.
At any rate, I did it and I’m glad.
Well, this was true of the G4 Powerbooks too…
My 15″ MacBook was toasty warm, so last week the dealer replaced my logic board. Now the fans run continually. It isn’t hot anymore but battery life has suffered and the fans are so annoying. It was dropped of at the dealer again this morning for another logic board replacement, let’s hope this one let’s the fans cut in once and awhile to keep the heat down. But they sure do run hot.
C’Mon, Andy … level-headed had an opinion, and stated it. He just had to keep that moronic first post really short to get the cred for it. Cred in his own mind, at least.
That heat thing is a bit of a worry. One of the concepts behind multi-core designs is more power with less energy consumption – less energy consumption meaning less heat production. I’d think someone might have thought to put some of that saved energy into turning the fans on a little earlier to reduce the chance of such unpleasantness.
rlmamon,
That’s what’s known as “over-sharing” … it is NOT a Good Thing and may be one of the reasons you can’t get a date.
The macbooks better not be too hot.
There goes your warranty (Applecare included)
Apple marketing never refers to their portable machines as “laptops.” It’s always “portables” or “notebooks.”
If you have overheating issues and want to keep your warranty in place, take it to an Authorized Apple Service Provider and have them re-apply the thermal paste for you. Seen it done and fixes it every time.
So, I suppose it’s not a laptop computer, it’s an “offlap computer”…
I thought they were supposed to be cooler. I noticed the heat while brousing them at the Apple Store. They are warm little buggers.
Perhaps Apple should consider marketing them as dual-use products: a computer plus a
-toaster
-house heater
-egg fryer
-fire starter
I am waiting for somebody to have his laptop sitting on the rug or couch and it scalds or starts a fire in the material.
Why don´t we hear of the Windows laptops using the same chips as being hot.
And I hate a loud, noisy, incessant fan running on a laptop. That´s what turned me off my last Apple “notebook” – screaming fan!!!
aside from all the gripes
that article was pretty funny
If Asus Tech (or whatever the hell their name is) can’t properly apply thermal paste, time to find another low cost, box assembly plant.
Nevertheless, rock on Steve!
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So, this guy smells bacon. What is he? A pig? Surely he could have come up with something more clever. Anyway, haven’t we been here before. The PowerBook G4 had the same Hotness in Style and substance. LOL.
I just love all these comparisons to the “cooler running” IBM Thinkpads.
A few years ago I had the displeasure of having to use a Thinkpad for many hours. After I was done using it I picked it up off the table to take it back to the owner. And guess what… I DID burn my fingers on the underside of it! Not almost burned. Not “it felt really, really hot”. I got burned. Period. When I got it back to the owner he stated, “Yea, I probably should have told you it got a bit hot.”
This heat issue with the Macbook Pros is a quality issue. Apple needs to fix the production line. Then Apple needs to issue an offer to have each and every Macbook Pro ower to bring theirs into an Apple store or service center for a free fix.
Salon.com is for the gays.
I have a MacBook Pro…it is dead silent…likely the fans are not operating to spec due to some issue with the logic board..I cannot say. AppleCare said bring it in for repair to the local authorised repair facility. It is not a big deal..It is an early model..logic board B which has been superceded by a number of changes. It runs pretty warm. I do not get burned but I must say, having a heating pad on my lap can be annoying at times. What can you expect? Think about desktop machines with similar CPUs…They have large and noisy fans to keep their innards from self destructing. A portable or notebook or laptop is tiny and dense with components so it is not a wonder that they run warm..or hot. I hope that Apple has found a reasonable solution or at least a compromise but knowing the quality of that company’s products I suspect they have. By the way, the computer screen is fantastic and bright sharp and easy on the eyes. The OS works flawlessly and the trackpad is sweet. So it is a little hot…no flies on this computer ( ha hah)…
Macbook Pro and Powerbook is surely hot but not hot enough to burn your carpet or sheets. beleive me I use mine in bed all the time.
My G4PowerBook gets warm/hot.
Even Dells get warm:
<http://www.experts-exchange.com/Hardware/Laptops_Notebooks/Q_20948437.html>
About the time this Dell story came out, I read a post (somewhere) that references to “laptop” were being substituted by terms like “notebook” and “portable.” The reason was that, because of the heat problem, manufacturers did not want users to believe that they could actually rest these devices on their laps.
The fanboys can poo-poo all they want and talk about how great Apple and the MBP are to avoid discussing the heat issue, but I’m not buying a MBP until they fix the heat problems. My TiBook runs cool enought that I can keep it on my bare legs
.
Apple needs to fix this. I also am interested in the MacBook (or whatever they decide to call it) but after the issues with the MBP I will wait to see what the early adopters say before I buy.
MDN magic word: Not -as in “Not buying hot.”