Filing the corners off my MacBooks • Hacker News Board

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#641

Post by ScoobleDoodle » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 4:23 AM UTC

dvdkon wrote: post #616

dismalaf wrote: post #589

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard this but I've personally been typing this way for 25+ years (wrists on the rest, including on laptops exclusively for the last 15) and my wrists are fine. Meanwhile people I know with ergonomic keyboards and everything that's supposed to save your wrists are the ones with bad wrists.

The reasonable takeaway from that correlation is that people with preexisting issues turn to ergonomic keyboards to avoid worsening those issues, not the other way round.

I feel seen :)

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#642

Post by stephbook » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 4:58 AM UTC

vondur wrote: post #619

rlt wrote: post #554

> People like to freak out about this, so I wanted to post it here to make sure that everyone who wants to freak out about it gets the opportunity to do so. I've grown to appreciate unapologetic trolling of people who care way too much about what other people do to themselves or their own private property.

I wonder if by work he means work issued or he just uses it for work?

Explicitly mentioning it implies the more extreme version: Work issued.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#643

Post by stephbook » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 5:02 AM UTC

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…

Do you still have to install third-party software to keep it running when you close the lid?

Does it still not support "Windows Hello" style face unlock when closed? I remember I couldn't touch the fingerprint sensor when closed and the MacBook was unable to use my Windows Hello camera.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#644

Post by seemaze » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 5:08 AM UTC

brianpan wrote: post #548

kpil wrote: post #538

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How the f are you supposed to type? Ideally I'd like full support for my arms from the elbow to the wrist. In my first job - i think it was in 1997, I had my own small room with an L-shaped desk with a rounded corner. That gave a few inches of space for resting my arms - both when typing on a quite reasonable Pentium laptop, and especially when using the mouse. Since then, the desks and the chairs has become shittier…

Like a person playing the piano. If your arms are resting, then your fingers and wrists are doing the maximum amount of reaching as you type. If you use a wrist rest you are encouraging your fingers/wrist to reach up (bend in your wrist) instead of neutral or reaching down (more natural position).

Exactly this. When I was young I was told to practice the piano with golf balls under my palms to maintain proper wrist position.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#645

Post by duxup » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 6:22 AM UTC

makeitdouble wrote: post #632

duxup wrote: post #533

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I got into photography, I used to baby my camera equipment a lot. After all, I spent a lot of money I wanted to take care of it. Later on the topic came up online and someone noted something to the effective of: “If I saw a group of photographers taking pictures, I bet I could pick out the best photographer just based on how beat up their equipment is.” I realized based on my own experience, that was probably tr…

There's a curve. Beginners with pristine gears are babying it, but veterans just don't bump their camera everywhere nor drop them, they have the bags that fit what they do, use straps (or not) that fit them and there's little to hurt their camera. Event photographers are another kind, camera throwing is part of the job. I wonder if you feel the same about cars, expecting expert chauffeurs to have bumps all over their…

I don’t think there’s a connection at all with chauffeurs.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#646

Post by teaearlgraycold » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 6:55 AM UTC

normanvalentine wrote: post #536

teaearlgraycold wrote: post #35

This seems like a reasonable choice, but man you really need to do this with a CNC mill. The craftsmanship is not there.

(author) If anyone around the Bay wants to let me use their CNC mill please reach out! I have lots of things to chamfer. Here's what it looked like freshly after filing fyi: https://kentwalters.com/posts/public/IMG_7438.jpeg

There is a Makera Carvera Air you can use at Noisebridge (272 Capp St in San Francisco). It even has the 4th axis addon. Please donate if you use it!

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#647

Post by grandinj » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 7:03 AM UTC

Tempest1981 wrote: post #298

jagged-chisel wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’re all actually aluminum, anodized to the color you choose. The silver one is the only one not anodized. Filing off the anodized layer is indeed bound to look awful.

What tools are needed to redo the anodized color? Is it doable at home?

Just get some clear nailpolish and apply it with the included brush. Not as good but dead easy.

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#648

Post by swiftcoder » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 7:35 AM UTC

throwaway290 wrote: post #573

swiftcoder wrote: post #528

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> all my EU/UK macbook plugs I got from apple are always grounded, metal prong and metal side pins The short version, where you remove the extension with the 3-prong plug and attach the plug directly to the charger brick, is only available in 2-prong in the EU/US (the UK thankfully still gets all 3 prongs in this configuration)

yes true the short one has no grounding. Anyway as I replied to the other guy (and got downvoted for it) if the plug was grounded there would be no issue. Apple chargers have ground pins. But sure it's bad if they stopped including grounded versions by default in EU...

I really wish some 3rd party would build a 3-prong plug adapter for the EU

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#649

Post by pjmlp » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC

hammock wrote: post #309

yreg wrote: post #142

The takeaway from this article should be to consider modifying your tools to your needs even in unconventional and controversial ways. I love it. The flame war on whether the original chassis design sucks or rocks is not that interesting.

The funny thing is Apple products are considered “finished products” No one would feel the same way if it was a home built computer. The modding community is a shadow of its old self these days

The modding community lives on where it always were, hacking gaming and demoscene, and that never wasn't on Apple platforms for the most part, rather Amiga, PC, Atari,...

Re: Filing the corners off my MacBooks

#650

Post by fuzzy2 » Sun, Apr 12, 2026, 9:38 AM UTC

Is this a design detail that has changed over time?

I have a MacBook Pro Late 2013 and the top edges on the body are not sharp at all. They are already rounded down, with maybe 0.5 mm radius. It's very subtle. I find that the edges are rather pleasant to the touch.