…I have a MacBook and have been using it set on top of a notebook (with a piece of that spongey plastic shelf liner stuff to hold it steady). I then was given a Belkin holder with a fan built in, which lasted about 2 weeks and quit. I returned it. Now I am wondering what would be a better model to get (that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg). Should I try another Belkin? Does the thing NEED a fan? I’m told both things - “oh, you need a fan to keep it from overheating”. “Oh, you just need a stand to hold it off your lap or a hard surface, I’ll make you one 
”. Please, someone, tell me what to do to keep the magic white box from melting down. Or me.
We use a fan for our Macbook too, it sure heats up HOT, especially if we are downloading a lot of stuff or if we are watching a movie. Our fan is a Vantec Lap Cool Pro, and we’ve had it for almost a year and half with no problems.
I’ve been using a Belkin for the last six months without problem. It’s getting a bit noisy, so perhaps it’s about ready to eat its own lunch.
This I’ve had for years.
It stops my ancient green alienware laptop from bluescreening. Basically, no fan = bluescreen within half an hour. Fan = bluescreen after about 3-4 hours.
The fan still works, if anything it’s the computer that is ready for the great big museum in the sky.
Laptops shouldn’t need extra cooling to work at a basic level.
If you are having cooling issues, it could be related to a dirty/clogged heatsink, poor ventilation, inadvertently blocking the vents, or power settings.
The #1 issue I see in laptop overheating is blocking the vents. People put it too close to the wall, or block the intake vent with their leg.
This is probably true of fairly new laptops. but old laptops (especially high-end ones like mine) probably do need extra help with cooling.
I’ve heard good things (online) about the Antec, maybe I’ll just stop by the Apple store and see what they recommend. Thanks.
We have an old Dell Inspiron 5100 that would overheat and turn itself off regularly, so I bought a Targus laptop cooler with two fans. It lasted about a month before one of the fans started making a really annoying noise. Then the fan self-destructed; Some of the blades physically fell off and it stopped turning altogether. Then the other fan started making the same noise. I tossed it and bought this Logitech cooler pad last month. It’s very quiet, and the Dell doesn’t turn itself off anymore. So far so good.
Laptop cooling fans are a good idea. Not a scam.
YMMV