“Do Apple’s Macintosh computers emit toxic fumes? That’s the allegation made by a French newspaper,” Ben Worthen blogs for The Wall Street Journal.
“Liberation.fr ran an article recently citing an unnamed researcher who, after noticing a strange smell coming from his Mac Pro, tested the computer and found that it contained a chemical called benzene, which can cause skin and eye irritation. Exposure to large amounts of benzene can cause leukemia,” Worthen reports. “Here’s the original article, for anyone who speaks French.)”
Worthen reports, “Apple, for its part, doesn’t know anything about benzene. ‘We have not found anything that supports this claim but continue to investigate it for customers,’ an Apple spokesman tells us.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We haven’t experienced any odors with a Mac Pro, beyond the normal “new computer smell” that only lasts for a week or two. but we have come across at least one old iBook that smelled distinctly like body odor (but, it wasn’t body odor, unless that iBook was working out on the treadmill and then not showering when we weren’t looking). Please note that we’ve had several iBooks, MacBooks and MacBook Pros treated exactly the same, used on the same desks, and carried in the same backpacks/cases by exactly the same people and they emitted no odors whatsoever.
We chalked it up to “ain’t that the damnedest thing” or, possibly, “who dumped the milk into the iBook and didn’t say anything?” But, maybe, just maybe, we weren’t crazy and something really was up with that iBook? Has anyone else experienced what we have with an iBook*, or with a Mac Pro, or any other Mac?
*After a bit of googling, we found that Low End Mac certainly has encountered iBook smell: “Apparently an adhesive used in the labeling and construction of the keyboard would begin to out-gas about 12-18 months after the iBook was manufactured. This gas smells remarkably like ripe, testosterone-enriched perspiration, and it only gets worse with age.“
You guys are bunch of idiots around here. Don’t you get it MAC SUCKS!!!! Their hardware is a piece of a shit, and look at them not very clever now eh? Pathethic hardware designs. No imagination. STUPI!!!@#$
“The fumes of elitism.”
Also known as “The View”. There. Is the little pigdog happy now?
Well, well, well. I’m impressed. As soon as I saw the French thing in the headline I thought we’d be in for some ‘typical’ French-bashing. Thanks for keeping it civil. Must be a different crowd in here today – except for you, Dasgeek.
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I know it’s off topic but …
Mr. O”Reilly is 100% correct. Frank, Dodd, Raines and Cox should resign immediately and, if investigations find that they lied or mis-stated the facts regarding the financial status of these institutions, they should be indicted and prosecuted to the fullest.
Millions of Americans have suffered from the incompetence and criminality of these people. Someone must pay and it shouldn’t be the taxpayer.
My G3 iBook started smelling like a foot when it would get warm.
@Buster “None of my Macs have ever smelled sweet” $H!T (products) never do you KNOBHEAD!
@Chemistry PhD – Like ANYBODY is going to believe that when everyone sane/ IQ into double figures;
1) thinks Apple fanbois have all clearly offered their heads to a mad man with a chainsaw
2) Thinks Apple is the most INCOMPITANT CORRUPT EVIL Machialvelian company going. Apple will have to pay hush money because being so insidious no-one will believe their innocence
Look on the BRIGHT side for EVERYONE = the fanbois won’t be parted from their near DEATH god JOBS for anywere near as long a time with premature death. And for everyone else we’ll be able to enjoy our SUPERIOR affordable PCs without having the odd SENILE old GRANDAD ranting on about the LONG DEAD comp format that was the Mac LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!
F the snail eating French! For a society that wares no deodorant. How would they even know if something smelled?
Ah yes the French, a people who talk with their hands and make love with their face.
@Nick Fury….
dang! you’re second post stole my first. (I gotta start posting from work)
Idiot assed le français aucun rien ! La seule odeur vient des porcs.
My iMac smelled like benzine for a while after I broke a bottle of benzine against the screen. It was sort of an accident. Whenever I see Rob Enderle I throw a chemical at his receding hairline.
I mistook a Youtube video for him actually standing in my room. I think self defense was still the right call.
“INCOMPITANT”
Can you smell that? It’s the stench of irony. Classic.
I recently took on a part time job. After about two weeks, the shine started to dull and the “New Guy” smell started to go away.
I’m now pretty much odor free.
Unless Mexican food is involved.
My G5, however does emit an unusual odor from time to time. It’s not consistent.
Every Mac initially emits hallucinogenic drugs which permanently alter your brain chemistry to overlook your mac’s flaws and believe anything Steve Jobs says. Fortunately all but about 3% of the population are resistant to the drug, but Apple is working to increase it’s effectiveness.
The dumb shallow benders always value STYLE over SUBSTANCE after all – no wonder Apple’s so rich they only have to bother about how the product looks (just as well given the 3G iPHONE has all the functionality of a BRICK for over 70% of owners which reads 1-2% if you’ve been “SNIFFIN Macs” LOL 😀 ) ;
We can’t imagine the fumes a MS-built PC would emit.
Macs smell like the sweet smell of success.
I’ll tell you what’s emitting and odor. The presidential and vice-presidential candidates for both tickets.
Just when America really needs a leader.
Jimbo has it right again!
@ gross out “a MS-built PC would emit”
MS-built you say?
Is that the SOFWARE company M$ by any chance?
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
THICK as P!G$H!T Apple fanbois! 😀
My Mac smells like a sweet well groomed slice of luscious thatch.
He he. All Apple fanboys are so idiotic! Quit sniffing your computers already and move to a real computer with the almighty Vista!
Liberation.fr and the unnamed researcher all together que se vayan al diablo!
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
“Has anyone else experienced what we have with an iBook*, or with a Mac Pro, or any other Mac?” –MDN
Urrr…yes. Our old G3 iBook smells like sweaty “body odor.” It gets worse as it gets warmer. Really bad, in fact.
Before I knew it was the glue it kinda started to freak us out. I cleaned it thoroughly three or four times before searching for an answer on the net of what it could be. We never passed it on to anyone (family or friends) because of the stench. Who wants to buy or use a laptop that smells like really, really bad B.O.?
Don’t remember any Mac desktop that I’ve encountered smelling particularly odd.