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Why is my MacBook zapping me lately?

2 points by pavas ↗ HN
I understand that technology evolves and not everyone is the same, but the last 3 Macbooks I've had, going back to 2020, all zap me for some reason. I.e. when I move my hands over the metal casing I feel some sort of electronic vibration, and something similar happens when I tap the track pad or glide my finger over it.

Maybe it's a matter of whatever works well for 95% of the population, but as someone with more highly attuned senses its a little annoying.

Is there something Apple can do to isolate the charges/currents a bit better, or are there other models on the market that don't have this problem?

I've been a loyal Apple user since like...forever, but it's getting hard to go along with their engineering choices lately.

6 comments

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inhumantsar
do you wear Crocs or some other kind of thick foam shoe/sandal? do you live in a dry climate?
ben_w
I also get this, only happens while charging. To me, it feels like a change in the stickiness of the surface.
robthebrew
Does your charger have 3 pins or 2? It could be a grounding issue (which has gone on forever). Or you have carpets and plastic shoes? You are the problem. It is not dangerous, just annoying to those who sense it.
JSR_FDED
It’s likely to do with grounding. I’ve had it reliably in one location, but then with the same MacBook it doesn’t do it in another location. Probably grounding-related.
pavas
Yes after more investigation this seems to be it--the clue was that it doesn't do it in all locations.
kalleboo
I had this issue with my MacBook Pro in the apartment I lived in back in the early 2010's, but never had the issue since, so I always assumed it was some grounding issue.