Comment by bhauer | Hacker News Reader

Comment by bhauer | Hacker News Reader

> The bevel is back, baby. – one of the best things about this machine is the nice slope that doesn’t hurt my wrists while typing. This was one of the biggest things I noticed when I switched from my original MacBook Air to a MacBook Pro, and I’m happy to return to a comfortable typing environment.

I don't own a Macbook Pro, but when I use one for testing or use a friend's, this is one of my chief complaints. It seems idiosyncratic—why aren't more Mac users complaining about the sharp deck edge against their wrists? Presumably not many people actually rest their wrists on the surface. It's probably bad ergonomics to rest your hands in such a way. But I do, and it hurts on the Mac.

Compare the following decks:

A. The deck of the Macbook Air that Brad is discussing appears subtly chamfered for the entire width of its front edge and then chamfered further for a notch in front of the touchpad: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13390447/v...

B. By comparison the MacBook Pro's deck is chamfered for only a narrow bit in front of the touchpad: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60364845/...

C. Microsoft uses a chamfered edge and Alcantara on the Surface Laptop: https://img-prod-cms-rt-microsoft-com.akamaized.net/cms/api/...

D. On larger decks, Microsoft (and others) usually at least chamfer the entire width of the touch pad, as is seen on the Surface Book: https://img-prod-cms-rt-microsoft-com.akamaized.net/cms/api/...

If your wrists are digging into the edge of the case, you are setting yourself up for repetitive stain injury, irrespective of the case edge shape.

You should be orienting your keyboard/body in such a way that your forearms are approximately parallel to the keyboard surface, and most importantly so that your wrists are as straight as possible. If your wrists are more than slightly flexed (or extended for that matter) injury is waiting just around the corner, and finger strength and speed is undermined. Look at any expert tool user, especially tools requiring finger motion (e.g. musical instruments), and you will see they largely keep their wrists quite straight.

Ideally wrists/palms should be “floating” freely above the keyboard, held up by your arm muscles or possibly light fingertip pressure on the keys, with your upper arms roughly parallel to your body and your shoulders relaxed. But if you lightly rest your palms on the laptop surface that probably isn’t the end of the world, as long as your wrists remain straight.

Typical desk/table and chair heights are poorly adapted to typing on a flat keyboard. A table which is the right height for handwriting or eating is generally too tall for typing. To compensate (assuming you aren’t willing to get a lower desk or taller chair or put the keyboard on your lap or a low tray) I recommend tilting the back end of your keyboard up (e.g. by piling something underneath) until the keyboard surface is parallel to your forearms when you place your fingers on the keys. For inspiration, look at the slope between keytops of mid 20th century typewriter keyboards, which are built to fit in with typical office furniture.

Once you get your body/tools into a more appropriate pose, your typing will be faster and more comfortable.

Great advice. I got RSI from poor wrist position on a laptop, using a desk that was too high for me.

One element to fixing the wrist angle was actually a sit-stand desk. Most desks were too tall for me, the sit stand let me lower the surface to a good height. And I can use another programmed height for eating and writing.

You are not alone. Mostly an issue when using laptop in lazy mode on couch or bed. In that regard I miss the old laptop designs with rounded edges on both front and sides like my old Dell D400.

Yeah I can’t stand how much it pokes my wrists. Only reason I’m okay with it is because I’m usually plugged in to an external keyboard.

> why aren't more Mac users complaining about the sharp deck edge against their wrists?

Probably because for many people it isn’t as much of an issue as it is for you. Personally, it doesn’t really bother me. I understand how it could bother others though.

The edge was worse on the older MBP because it was taller. The current ones aren’t so bad.

> why aren't more Mac users complaining about the sharp deck edge against their wrists?

Probably the same reason pianists don't complain about the sharp wooden piano edge below the keys: hanging wrists expedite RSI and reduce dexterity.

I definitely know what you're talking about, but it's not the hill I'll die on because it's not the best habit.

stop using the word chamfered! For a second there, I thought this account was held by john ivy

Sorry, but that is the word we use for, um, chamfered edges in the English language. I don't know any synonyms. Bevel is imprecise and can refer to flat edges.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamfer

It's Jony Ive, by the way.

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