Chill Mat for the Mac
Those that use a laptop for most of the day realize how hot it becomes. Not only is it uncomfortable to feel your laptop heat up – it is also uncomfortable to feel your lap heat up. Laptop cooler mats and stands help to solve this problem.
The Targus Chill Mat for the Mac can be used with any laptop but it is specifically designed for Mac laptops. Internal fans are strategically placed to cool the important areas of a Mac laptop including the 17” MacBook Pro. The fans run on power provided by the laptop via a USB connection. Yes, they do deplete the laptop battery a bit quicker than would happen otherwise, but not so quick that would cause you not to use it. The Chill Mat would still provide some relief from the heat generated by the laptop with the fans turned off.
You may worry that the Chill Mat fans would make enough noise to be distracting. They do not – but even if they did all you need to do is switch them off with the switch on the back. I like this feature because of the control you have over the power consumption. Switch the fans off until the heat starts to build and switch them back on to get rid of it.
Anyone that appreciates the Mac’s good looks will also appreciate the good looks of the Chill Mat. Its metal mesh design is modern yet minimal. The ergonomic tilt makes it easier and more comfortable to use the laptop’s keyboard. Overall the Chill Mat is designed to function as a laptop cooler and as a solid surface for the laptop.
Even a perfect design can have drawbacks. The smooth surface, the tilt and the lack of built in skid proof surfaces combine to make a precarious situation. The laptop can slide easily which can cause a disastrous outcome.
Heat inside of a laptop could easily shorten its life, so in the end it is best to do what you can to eliminate it.
The benefits (a cooler laptop, a cooler lap and the ergonomic design) outweighs the downsides (slippery and causes battery consumption). In my opinion it is better to use a Chill Mat than not.
