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Filing the corners off my MacBooks

kentwalters.com

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Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#271

Post by pxc »

davidbjaffe wrote: post #257
lapcat wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I’m not saying that everyone is perfect all the time but like this is barely an issue if you’re sitting at your desk? It's a laptop computer.

Yes. I keep mine on my lap. My regimen is that I wake up at 3am and lie on the couch for several hours with coffee and write code (or these days, ask "someone else" to). It is highly productive and enjoyable and breaks all the rules and no I do not have RSI. Long ago I started sandpapering the edges because yeah otherwise it hurts my wrists.

It's a good move. I have a case on my MBP that helps with this because it means the edges are plastic for me, and not quite so sharp.

If you want to break more rules, you might consider chickenwing-ing your arms a bit. Deviate from the homerow and learn to feel your way around at other angles. Then you can hold the laptop closer to you without putting your wrists at a weird angle (though you may have to use a non-thumb finger for spacebar, as I do).

As I type this, my laptop is partly on my belly and partly on my chest, and my wrists are so far out to the sides that they completely miss the front edge of the laptop altogether. The angle is pretty favorable, too: my palms rest on the laptop on either side of the trackpad, and my wrists rest over the left and right sides of the bottom case but have little to no pressure on them.

No RSI here, either. Just make sure you're loose and comfortable and not forcing anything! That seems to help a lot.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#272

Post by randomeel »

chihuahua wrote: post #177
vvpan wrote: post #101

I just came into Mac world for work and struggle to understand the choices Apple makes: - Sharp edges eat into my forearms. - Glossy screen makes it hard to see when it's light out. - The keys have a real hard stop when you press on them which tires out my hands. - An arrogant desire to obsolete ports. I don't understand the appeal of the machine, it feels like style over function everywhere.

I, too, only use Macs when my employer forces me to do so. Here's how I made it bearable: MacBook lid stays closed at all times; plug it into a Thunderbolt hub (requires just 1 Thunderbolt port for everything); connect a proper matte monitor, external keyboard, Logitech mouse. Now the only annoying things are the MacOS window manager (uBar attempts to fix this, but is flaky) and the weird keyboard mappings for things…

For window manager try rectangle or aerospace

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#273

Post by bigiain »

noisy_boy wrote: post #255
jonhohle wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

25 years ago one of early engineering courses included a case study about Ingersol Rand (IIRC). They went out to work floors and saw how all the workers had modified their air wrenches in the same way, adding padding with tape in various areas. They realized they could probably make a better wrench if it had some of those ergonomics built in. Maybe the next phase of Apple could return to flowing shapes and save our w…

Interchangeable wrist area as an accessory for only 79.99$

Per side.

Note: Left hand wrist areas are currently out of stock.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#275

Post by compounding_it »

jasoneckert wrote: post #222

Thanks for this interesting post - I've been showing it to co-workers to get their reactions, which was incredibly entertaining for me! Co-worker 1: Interesting. I wonder if that voids the warranty. It's Apple you know. Co-worker 2: May Jobs have mercy on their soul... Co-worker 3: Not a bad idea. But not sure if that would cause problems with structural integrity of the laptop, like if you drop it or something. Co-w…

I’d suggest if you are going to do this to your MacBooks to get the silver one. The silver one is actually aluminum and no one would notice.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#276

Post by saagarjha »

lapcat wrote: post #227
saagarjha wrote: post #152

I feel like this is only a problem if you’re keeping your wrists at an unergonomic angle. I’m not saying that everyone is perfect all the time but like this is barely an issue if you’re sitting at your desk?

> I’m not saying that everyone is perfect all the time but like this is barely an issue if you’re sitting at your desk? It's a laptop computer.

I do not in fact keep my desktop computer on my desk

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#277

Post by simonbw »

I've been meaning to do this forever and think this game me the push I've needed to do it tonight when I get home. Probably not as rounded as OP, but it's reassuring to know I could go that rounded and it wouldn't fall apart.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#278

Post by stevenpetryk »

TSiege wrote: post #153
aculver wrote: post #148

Love this! I did this in 2020 and until today I hadn't seen anyone else who had done it. If anyone is tempted, I recommend finishing the job with Micro-Mesh. IIRC, I went up to 12,000 grit and it results in a nicely polished look that catches the light beautifully.[1] I bet it would look even more striking on the actual black MacBooks we have today. [1] https://x.com/andrewculver/status/1297575768520716288/photo/...

Black macbooks are anodized aluminum which are thin coatings that would be removed when filing. It might look cool but it’d be the silvery color of raw aluminum

worth noting that silver macbooks are also anodized aluminum, so you'll also be filing off anodization

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#279

Post by voidhorse »

> I file the sharp corners off my MacBooks. People like to freak out about this

The fact that any conscious human being has the time or energy to be "freaked out" about someone futzing around with their own devices is astounding to me.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#280

Post by userbinator »

I first encountered this in-person on a Mac Mini many years ago, which to be fair is not meant to be touched all the time, but it was still slightly repulsive. It has a surprising weight and uncomfortable sensation like picking up a freshly-cut block of metal. Then I realised Apple did the same with their laptops which are meant to be touched. They do have rounded corners, but not on the axes where the roundedness is useful. In contrast, Thinkpads look sharp-edged with square corners but are actually confortable to hold.
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