I have a MacBook Pro 17" that I use on my lap, even on bare legs when wearing shorts without any cushion or barrier of any kind. I just spread my knees apart a bit so the laptop's outer 3 inches on either side sit on my legs. The heat is generated near the middle of the computer, so it never reaches my legs. This is such a simple solution, I don't know why laptop pads have become such a big thing. The position isn't uncomfortable, as it's about the natural spread of my legs when I'm sitting down.

So for $50, why no USB hub. At least a one port hub to replace the port this plugs into.

I am interested in a product like this for my Time Capsule. I have my TC on the top of a wood file cabinet. It is completely open and gets airflow, however the cabinet surface is warm to the touch. I know it is normal for TC to be warm, but I don't like that it heats up the surface it is resting on!

I had my 17" get really hot when playing some games - WOW is a prime example. The internal fans would turn on almost right away. I bought a Antec cooler and met the hidden problem most 17" owners will encounter. The coolers are almos all too small for the laptop. The laptop fan would still sometimes come though not all the time as before. First I felt on my laptop where the hottest spot was and cut a rubber mat to channel the airflow to the fans (they pull the air away from the laptop on the Antec unit I have) from the hottest regions. That helped a ton but the single most effective solution I have found is to remove the battery. This works every time. The hottest part of my MacBook Pro is by the power connector when the battery is also installed. When the battery is out it runs much cooler. Also the fans on the Antec are almost perfectly centered on the vacant battery hole and sucks air through the computer cooling it even more.

I have to agree with nweb. It works "just great"? Why? Because it keeps your legs from getting hot? I can just put a piece of plywood between my MBP and my legs and get the same result. What does the Chill Mat actually do for your laptop?

For me the the "Works Great" is because without it when playing WOW (or other CPU intensive task like rendering) my MBP's internal fans switch on and a blasting away like mad trying to cool the processor down. With the cooler on the internal fans don't come on at all. I can assume this is because the cooler has "worked great" in reducing the MBP's internal operating temperature enough that the CPU doesn't turn on it's internal fan. As a by product it does keep my legs from getting fried. As many may have noticed these machines are no longer referred to as Laptops by Apple because they get too hot for your lap, they are now Notebook Computers.