A very even 45 degree cut, like the cut to lift the screen but much shallower would look pretty cool. Maybe 2mm wide

Lovely writing! And I think the understanding that one can and should modify their tools to their needs is rather rare and should be appreciated.

I just did this to my MacBook not because of the sharp edge but because the pitting turns a sharp edge into a sawblade. Something about the grounding on on the frame when plugged in mixed with my sweaty hands leads to damage along this sharp edge on every MacBook I've ever owned.

See https://www.reddit.com/r/macbook/s/hbyVh5SJhw for another poor soul with the same caustic skin

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.

Maybe I'm autistic, but I loooove the sharp edges near the opening. They've become almost a nervous tick of playing with them with my fingers.

I've got no idea why, but the sharp feeling is amazing.

Not all heroes wear capes. This is excellent and can't wait to get aluminium mac next to try it – don't think Space Black is a good way to go.

Author's another post on "The Seasons are Wrong" [0] is excellent too and I fully support both approaches.

[0] https://kentwalters.com/posts/seasons/

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/...

Nitpicky, but he’s rounding the edges, not the corners.

And yes, why are they so sharp?

I seem to recall my wife having the plastic MacBook that came out circa 2006 and the edges on that thing were legitimately painful.

I always marvel at how sharp the points are on the notch of the lid on my current MacBook. Very very pointy.

Everyone should be personalizing their belongings to suit their needs and desires. Living with belongings that make you feel anything less than happy and satisfied is NOT necessary.

This is a particularly hilarious customization both for its combined utility and shock value and also for doing it on a work computer.

There's a more thorough version of this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSaJAAqSAMw and the end-result doesn't look as tacky

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.

Somebody should offer a service to chuck up Macbooks in a CNC mill and hit them with a chamfer tool

As I'm typing on mine right now, I wonder why they made these so sharp. It hasn't cut me yet, but they are decidedly uncomfortable.

As a bonus the machine looks like crap so it’s far less likely to get stolen.

Fans of My Mechanics on YouTube will chuckle at this.

The channel’s Swiss host is famous for removing sharp edges from metal things.

The author has the same problem as myself; there’s a permanent imprint on the screen that sits right where the screen makes contact with the topside of the touchpad.

It’s quite an annoying flaw, and i’ve only had this problem with the machines since the M1 redesign

Doing this to a work computer seem a bit questionable from the ethical standpoint.

Totally fine to do whatever you want to your personal belongings though.

Sitting in a reclined position on the train, I’ve had a MacBook fly into my face when the car lurched and slice my nose open. Bled all over.

I'm not brave enough to try this on my own, but I applaud the effort. I'm pretty sure I'm developing lasting calluses on the underside of my wrists from all the constant rubbing against the sharp edge of my MBP.

A hero post. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to shave using the edge of iPhone Air 20 or whatever they are coming up with. iPhone Stiletto.

I thought this was going to be on a softwarefix for the appalling inconsistency that are macOS Tahoe window corners. What I found deeply disturbed me, though I must agree, the edges are a bit more sharp then I'd like and a slight curvature could probably prevent them showing wear and tear [0]. Good on op for doing something they like, even if it's really out there and I could see more "pillowy" hardware becoming a thing now, after a few years of sharp edged devices.

Since I mentioned Tahoe, it bears repeating, my spotlight is still broken.

[0] https://ljpuk.net/2025/05/23/how-does-the-space-black-macboo...

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?

> This was on my work computer.

Bold move to do this on your work Macbook. I'd be too worried of getting chased down with a bill when returning the laptop eventually.

Depending on how I'm using the computer, I may definitely have deep marks after working laying down, but if I sit in a wood chair for a while it's the same thing- and my forearm is much tougher than behind my knee.

I suppose I would prefer it nice and rounded and soft on my wrist - but I don't feel like it's quite as extreme as this thread would have you believe lol

One concern with doing this would be when you pack it in a bag and the screen would now flex more than usual, leading to excessive wear of the anti-reflective coating on these screens.

Since the edge has been filed away, the rubber seal on the screen would no longer presses against the edge of the body protecting the screen.

I did this at my last job, it's nice.

OMFG I am so glad to hear I am not the only one! The stupid thing hurt my wrists on the white Macbook generation so I shaved it off so it wasn't so sharp.

Physical objects should be rounded, virtual windows should be square. I will die on this hill.

The sharp and high edges leave a mark in my skin. The older MacBook Air design was lower, so resting your palms wouldn’t give me this

Did the same for my Macbook Pro 15 unibody circa 2010. It was a great QoL improvement.

Yea, that's ugly. I'm sure it could've been done more gracefully with 15 minutes more effort. But judging from the general wear and tear on this poor Mac I guess they don't even consider the resale value.

Maybe it's because I type like one would play the piano (with hands curved, fingers well below the palms), but I've never ran into an issue like this with a laptop before, wrists always clear the edges by a couple inches.

All the same, hell yeah.

At one point due to the way I was using my just above my wrist my skin basically calloused from the edge of the macbook. Now at least the lid is not that sharp but it used to be I recall and I always worried about kids getting hit by it in case of an accident.

I too find the sharp corners incredibly uncomfortable for my weak sensitive baby wrists but I chose to overcome this by wearing a wrist band. Two very different approaches

>it is uncomfortable on my wrists

Are your wrists supposed to be coming into contact with that? I suspect many of us have bad posture and do rest our wrists like that, but if your concern is wrist comfort, you probably want to consider that you're going out of your way to enable harmful posture.

I'm very tempted to try this although I worry that the rubber "seal" around the edges of the screen will no longer have anything to butt up against, meaning there's glass-on-metal contact when it's closed?

External keyboard and mouse too easy?

Unless you fly/train travel alot I guess.

> Don't be scared. Fuck around a bit.

Damn good advice.

I dropped my MBA on concrete and the edges got dinged up and sharp.

A bit of 220 grit sandpaper and all the sharp edges are smooth and it actually looks pretty cool. I was grimacing at first but now I like the feel.

Another thing that multiple generation of MacBook Airs used to do is constantly be running (sometimes quite painful) amounts of electricity through your wrists if they accidentally touched the metal.

Not sure if the Apple Silicon devices have the same issue - but it was consistent through at least 3 different generations.

Love it, this is the ultimate laptop sticker.

On one of my old MacBook Pros, I managed to do this naturally through friction from my wrist moving back and forth on the keyboard for years; good idea to get ahead of it.

It’s not just the edge but the corners where the finger accommodation is for opening the lid.

There’s a sharp corner there is unnecessary.

Sharp edges and an axehead-like profile wear down the bottom of the laptop sleeve in my office-commuter hand luggage. Solved by putting my old MacBook Air in a neoprene pocket case before putting the whole thing, now with the double-thickness :-( p into my sachel.

Brilliant. Love the tech-disrespect and the “right to repair”!

If only they'd round the edges/corners of the body instead of the screen and the UI

Goodbye resale value

The Apple Watch Ultra also has an aggressively sharp screen edge. It's kept me from upgrading from my current watch (Model 8). But maybe I would get use to it?

It was oddly satisfying taking a file to my MacBook when a drop lifted a nasty burr on the edge.

Very minor "you can just do things" collides with the "infallible object" presence that Apple wants for its products - almost feels "wrong", but it's a nice norm to break.

(and I'm not a "Cult of Mac" guy)

A file not a milling machine?

Why is this on HN?

I don't want to do the whole front edge but this has definitely inspired me to take a file to these notch corners

Is it me or is that aluminum already developing some stress cracking?

The sharp points by the track-pad are bad design. Ive made some terrible decisions when he wanted to show off.

Not seriously... I too love the sharp edges but this is scary.. Lol

You don't dock your MacBook for long sesh?

Wish I had the courage to do this too.

I just put a plastic case on my MacBook…

I'm now painfully aware of how uncomfortable the edge of my mac is.

I dealt with sharp edges issue by investing in an Andar leather case. Works just as well.

https://www.andar.com/products/the-helm

anything but admitting the design is bad and frivolous

If instead you sharpen the corners it's a security mechanism.

I hate those sharp edges. I've contemplated taking a router with a carbide roundover to mine many times.

Finally, now I know I'm not the only one! These sharp edges constantly cut into my wrists to the point I was thinking of doing the same, or glueing some kind of kind soft padding to the edges. Great someone did it. I wonder how far can you cut them?

I would remove material from the outside edges of the front, not the center near the trackpad. The blue edges of my M2 air have already become silver and the palm rests have become more silver and glossy like glass from wear. I'm probably going to do something like this.

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

I hate this But I also understand Still I hate this

yay

Apple users always convincing themselves they are still using the best premium most thought after designs of all time.

> Don't be scared. Fuck around a bit.

Bet this person never heard about FAFO

> Don't be scared. Fuck around a bit.

Preach.

One of the many first world problems of this century. /s

Meanwhile a very important object called "Orion CM-003 Integrity" of the Artemis II mission is about to splash-down on Earth in 35 mins.