Briefly About the Show

I've been reading several articles lately that warn against putting the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros directly on your lap.

Mac User Article | Endgadget Article | Salon Article

Apple says they're "portable computers" and not literally "lap" tops. Sounds like semantical bullshit to me. Let's face it, the whole world thinks of these things as laptops and a lot of people use them that way.

Even though I usually have my 17" MacBook Pro on a desk or table, I decided to test this warning out for myself. Knowing the risks, I worked on my MacBook all day and then, right before bed, placed it on my bare legs (wearing shorts) to do a few other things.

I worked on relatively processor intensive things like rendering graphics with Photoshop, uploading and downloading huge files, and other things that typically make machines run hotter. I did this for about an hour and a half with no discomfort at all. My legs were warm, but that's about the extent of it.

I will report that the top of the MacBook just above the ESC key often becomes quite hot and "almost" uncomfortable. But why would anyone be putting their hands up there anyway?

So there it is, a real world account of what everyone seems to be buzzing about.