Apple Replacing Stained Macbooks?
After many complaints from disappointed Macbook Users, who bought brand new macbooks and found– to their dismay– that their brand new macbooks had begun discolouring at an alarming rate (within 1-3 weeks), it appears that Apple is beginning to replace stained/discoloured macbook top cases (the plastic covering of the area around the keyboard). You can see some photos of discolouration below. The discolouration ranges in colour (it has been reported normally grey or orange, but sometimes can be pink or even blue). There are several theories to the cause of discolouration, including: “Porous plastics used in the MacBook allow tiny skin cells and sweat to accumulate within the microscopic openings, Skin melanin rubbing off and staining surface plastics, Acidic sweat damaging the plastic, or even Chemical reaction between the polymer and skin oils.”
A group of Macbook users, who all had discoloured laptops, started a web site called Stained Macbook. As their purpose, they state, “This site was born as a way to give pressure to Apple regarding recent QA issues with the new white MacBook. Many people all over the world are complaining about stains appearing in their newly acquired piece of Apple hardware.” The site includes a list of customers with problems, and these customers serial numbers. It is interesting to note that the last member with this problem recieved her laptop on June 12th. A forum at Apple’s discussion boards hypothesizes that the newer Macbooks are being made with a different type of plastic (they are “smoother” in texture than the older ones, which are compartively “rough”). This leads me to believe that Apple has fixed the plastic problem in their assembly lines, and I strongly hope (as my white Macbook is arriving June 30th) that this problem will no longer occur.
However, for those of you white Macbook owners with discolouration, it appears that Apple is now recognizing the this as a manufactuaring problem, and not a “cosmetic problem” (caused by the owner through ie dirty hands/negligence, and thus not covered under the Apple Care warranty). According to the Stained Macbook blog, two members have sucessfully contacted Apple, and the Apple representative said they were now authorized to replace the discoloured/damaged areas of plastic of the top case. A member stated: “I just called up Applecare and informed them of my stain problem. The rep told me that they were aware of the problem and provided me with a case number for a replacement top case. Hopefully the new one won’t have the same issues =/”. While this appears to only affect a small percentage of Macbook owners, it is good to know Apple’s on top of the issue now. If you like the article, feel free to digg it!
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 28th, 2006 at 6:40 pm and is tagged with new macbooks, porous plastics, different type of plastic, qa issues, skin cells, discolouration, skin oils, apple hardware, assembly lines, melanin, alarming rate, chemical reaction, dismay, serial numbers, stains, polymer, discussion boards, laptops, sweat, texture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback.
9 Responses to 'Apple Replacing Stained Macbooks?'
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on July 1st, 2006 at 9:52 pm
[…] **Some Final Notes: There have been some complaints about the Macbooks “running hot”. While it is true they are a bit toasty, it’s nothing too severe. The heat is mainly towards the back of the keyboard, not at the palmrests. [If it really bothers you, buy a laptop cooler for about $20]. Also, about the infamous staining on the White Macbooks: firstly, this only affects a very small percentage of Macbook owners. Secondly, it is now covered under the magnificent Applecare (reason #3). […]
on October 13th, 2006 at 12:31 am
I called Applecare about my Macbook, purchased in May and now very stained. Their suggestion was to use a Mr Clean Magic Eraser on it. It didn’t help at all. Now they are replacing the cover. They have been very cooperative and friendly about it. And they did admit that there was a problem with some Macbooks.
on October 17th, 2006 at 8:22 pm
I believe I do not have the same laptop stain problem that I have found here. I do, however, seem to find it difficult to keep my laptop clean. I’m often at a chalkboard and have yellow chalk that I cannot always clean from my fingers. And, I am also sometimes in production manufacturing environments where the environment is not always as clean. How do I properly clean my laptop after such a visit?
I am normally in extremely clean corporate environments (and can frequently wash my hands) otherwise. I need directed to Apple’s cleaning and care directions.
I find the very rubbery mousebad and mousebad button are the hardest to properly clean. It seems the porous material collects dirt - although the laptop case is not porous and works fine.
I would happily buy protective barriers of some sort to keep my laptop shiny and clean if such a barrier were available.
Thanks
G
on November 8th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
[…] 2. Dirt. I have a white laptop. I have hands that are sometimes not superduper sparkly clean. I started getting smudges on the surface where my hands rest. I read awhile ago that some white MacBooks got stained from this handgrime and that I may need to actually replace the top piece. While it should be covered by my applecare, that sounded like a pain in the ass and I would like to avoid it. Thankfully, the site recommended trying Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - and it worked! Although I am not totally sold on Mr. Eraser for much outside of MacBook and shower floor cleanliness, it certainly was helpful in this situation. Such a relief not to have to monkey with applecare. […]
on May 10th, 2007 at 2:16 am
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on June 8th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
if your laptop is staining… try washing your damn hands.
on June 22nd, 2007 at 7:06 pm
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