Applied Pressure to Lid Causes Cracked Screen in Touchbar Macbook Pro?

[theprocess21]

I recently purchased a brand new 15in Macbook Pro with touchbar for a king's ransom and it turned out to be one of my favorite pieces of hardware I've ever owned. I've been a loyal Apple customer since college, but at this point I have to question the quality of their hardware after my latest experience with their newest product.



I usually carry my laptop in a backpack when traveling to and from work. The sleeve has significant padding and has been very protective of my previous macbook (late 2012 13in MBP). I carry with me some disposable tupperware, and a sweatshirt/gym clothes as well. A few days ago I arrived at work and opened my laptop, but the screen didn't immediately come to life. I must have turned the laptop off prior to leaving home, so I pressed the touch ID button, but couldn't wake it. Suddenly I noticed some light emitting from the corner of the screen and my heart sank. The screen was completely cracked and remained blank.



I've never had an issue with Apple's quality quite like this, but I find it completely outrageous that this product could be so fragile as to be rendered completely useless after being packed snuggly into my backpack. There was never a point where any heavy blunt object crashed into the lid, so I'm completely at a loss as to how Apple could sell this product where slight pressure on the lid could cause the entire screen to break.



Has anyone experienced this yet?



I've tried bringing this to my local Apple store, however the "Geniuses" deemed this accidental damage and refuse the cover the repair. This whole experience has made me question continuing to support their product line because honestly, how could I ever feel comfortable replacing the screen (for an exorbitant sum) with no guarantee that this won't happen again. The product is so fragile that a little bit of pressure from a tightly packed bag of soft clothes would render the product completely useless.



Apple used to stand by their products and this was a major factor in my continued support, but now I'm honestly afraid to ever purchase their products again for fear of ever leaving the house with a device unless it's wrapped in a kevlar vest.



SAD!

 

[cyclingplatypus]

Can you post an image of it?

 

[theprocess21]

Can you post an image of it?

 

[Sanpete]

Sad indeed! Hard to look at that. How much is a repair?

Not something I've read of here happening in the last few months, so probably not common, but I can see how pressure on one spot could cause that. Even pressure across the lid should be OK. (There was another cracked screen the owner said was due to something being under the screen when it was closed.)

 

[theprocess21]

Sad indeed! Hard to look at that. How much is a repair?

Not something I've read of here happening in the last few months, so probably not common, but I can see how pressure on one spot could cause that. Even pressure across the lid should be OK. (There was another cracked screen the owner said was due to something being under the screen when it was closed.)

Sanpete - that's what they said in store was the cause (something between the screen and body when closed), and I really wish that was the case since that is a bit more understandable (despite the fact that my previous model would have withstood that sort of abuse).

They quoted me at $680 which is essentially a 3rd of the cost of the whole laptop. I really thought they would cover it under the warranty, but it seems that Apple is no longer interested in customer satisfaction like they once were.

I had a 2007 MBP where the logic board died and they were so gracious as to cover that $1000 repair no questions asked even though it was years out of warrenty. Really wish they were still that decent.

 

[NT1440]

That's an impact crack. No amount of force on the lid is going to cause a localized cracking pattern like that. Someone hit your screen or closed the lid on it.

 

[DaveOP]

That's an impact crack. No amount of force on the lid is going to cause a localized cracking pattern like that. Someone hit your screen or closed the lid on it.

Exactly this. Most like something small made it's way onto the keyboard, and cracked it when you closed the lid. Pressure cracks from the back result in LCD damage, but almost never glass damage.

 

[theprocess21]

That's an impact crack. No amount of force on the lid is going to cause a localized cracking pattern like that. Someone hit your screen or closed the lid on it.

ah I'm just not sure how something got between the lid and body in transit though. I'm also a bit surprised that the whole display renders blank as opposed to just the area of the crack. I could potentially deal with the crack if the display rendered outside of that area.

 

[RichardC300]

I had a 2007 MBP where the logic board died and they were so gracious as to cover that $1000 repair no questions asked even though it was years out of warrenty. Really wish they were still that decent.

Hardware failure and accidental damage are very different. I wouldn't ever expect Apple to fix something that I broke myself.

 

[theprocess21]

Exactly this. Most like something small made it's way onto the keyboard, and cracked it when you closed the lid. Pressure cracks from the back result in LCD damage, but almost never glass damage.

It's not actually the glass tho, its the panel beneath the glass that is cracked. That's why I thought it would have to be due to pressure from the top of the lid.

 

[Arran]

Sad indeed! Hard to look at that. How much is a repair?

Not something I've read of here happening in the last few months, so probably not common, but I can see how pressure on one spot could cause that. Even pressure across the lid should be OK. (There was another cracked screen the owner said was due to something being under the screen when it was closed.)

This one looks like it could be the same cause. A small bit of gravel or something similar between the keyboard and screen?

Closing it and putting it in a backpack like that would be fine, but as soon as external pressure was applied to the backpack, the lid and keyboard would be squeezed together and the gravel would concentrate the force on a tiny area of the screen. And you wouldn't hear it crack, because the padded backpack would muffle the sound.

 

[DaveOP]

It's not actually the glass tho, its the panel beneath the glass that is cracked. That's why I thought it would have to be due to pressure from the top of the lid.

It looks a lot more like glass crack. When the LCD is cracked, you generally cannot see it unless the machine is on. Interesting either way. I get why you're upset that a warranty won't cover this, but there is no way accidental damage could be a part of their warranty and still be cost effective for them.

 

[NT1440]

It's not actually the glass tho, its the panel beneath the glass that is cracked. That's why I thought it would have to be due to pressure from the top of the lid.

If you look at the nature of the crack, seeing as it all spreads from one small area and radiates in all directions that's some type of impact to the screen. If you were to have an LCD crack from pressure on the lid you'd be seeing more of a large crack, but not the "bullseye" pattern.

 

[theprocess21]

It looks a lot more like glass crack. When the LCD is cracked, you generally cannot see it unless the machine is on. Interesting either way. I get why you're upset that a warranty won't cover this, but there is no way accidental damage could be a part of their warranty and still be cost effective for them.

The machine is on in that picture. I took it at the Apple store when I was showing them the damage. Definitely an LCD panel crack. The glass has absolutely no damage, or scratch. It just seems like the displays are extra fragile in this line of the pro models.

 

[DaveOP]

The machine is on in that picture. I took it at the Apple store when I was showing them the damage. Definitely an LCD panel crack. The glass has absolutely no damage, or scratch. It just seems like the displays are extra fragile in this line of the pro models.

Nah, this happens to all the models. When I worked there, I saw it in the Macbook Air, Macbook, etc. It happens with Lenovo machines as well, where I work now. It's the nature of glass and a thin display.

For what it's worth, a LCD crack generally results in a color stripe and pattern. If that's an LCD crack, it's extremely abnormal.

I dont know if it will let me post links, but this is what a LCD crack typically looks like

http://www.macscreenrepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IMG_2379.jpg

 

[NT1440]

The machine is on in that picture. I took it at the Apple store when I was showing them the damage. Definitely an LCD panel crack. The glass has absolutely no damage, or scratch. It just seems like the displays are extra fragile in this line of the pro models.

I've seen many cracked LCD's here at work, the display glass is so flexible that you often have the LCD cracked but the glass looks pristine.

They're not more fragile, something happened to your computer. It's not good news, but that's what happened.

 

[theprocess21]

For what it's worth, a LCD crack generally results in a color stripe and pattern. If that's an LCD crack, it's extremely abnormal.

I'll post a close up later, but the outer glass is totally smooth. Definitely damage underneath the glass.

[doublepost=1487880268][/doublepost]

Hardware failure and accidental damage are very different. I wouldn't ever expect Apple to fix something that I broke myself.

Yeah I get that. Just unfortunate I suppose. Would rather get it repaired, but its a bit too expensive. Might just sell it for parts at this point. It's a shame that they're not more durable. Definitely going to look outside of Apple moving forward.

 

[DaveOP]

[doublepost=1487880268][/doublepost]

Definitely going to look outside of Apple moving forward.

That's fine to do, just realize that any LCD is equally susceptible to this damage. Surface products even more-so. Make sure you're doing it for the right reasons, and not out of spite for one bad accident.

 

[DeltaMac]

There are multiple layers of glass inside the LCD screen. If you are ever in a service shop, it's common to see pressure cracks on those layers inside the panel. There's different rainbow effects, or just a web of cracks. Sometimes the physical crack is not very noticeable, but the color effects of the various layers still show where the crack is located.
In your case, sure, the cover glass might not even break, but the underneath layers can be quite fragile to pressure.
As someone else mentioned, Apple's displays are not more fragile than other manufacturers'.
Sometimes, it is just bad luck. Expensive, but not Apple's fault.

 

[SDColorado]

I had a Dell laptop in my car and had to run from Denver to Vail one winter to meet with a contractor. When I got back home and opened the laptop, the screen was obliterated. Spider webbed everywhere. Dell said it was either from the cold, the altitude changes, or a combination of the two. Regardless, I learned never to leave my laptop in the car, even for an hour or so. Expensive lesson. I don't think Apples displays are any more or less durable, there are only a few companies making panels, regardless of brand

 

[CaptRB]

I sympathize, but that crack is not Apple's fault. It took pinpoint pressure to create damage like that. My buddy spilled a few drops of wine on his new 13" tMBP and it's the same deal. 750.00 to fix. You really can't blame Apple.
Sorry. It certainly sucks, but not the end of the world. Get it fixed.

Consider a 20 dollar sleeve. I have a leather one and I always slip my laptops in one of the sleeves prior to putting it into a larger bag of backpack.


R.

 

[Sanpete]

They quoted me at $680 which is essentially a 3rd of the cost of the whole laptop. I really thought they would cover it under the warranty, but it seems that Apple is no longer interested in customer satisfaction like they once were.

I don't think Apple (or others) has ever covered accidents. Looks like your best option is to get the repair, as it's a lot cheaper than getting another laptop of similar performance and quality. This kind of thing really is very unusual; I don't think you'll have the problem again. Best of luck whatever you decide.

 

[Marshall73]

Claim on your home insurance.

 

[jerryk]

I did that once. I closed the lid on my headphone cord and the mic on the cord cracked the screen. Was on a 2010 Macbook pro.

My daughter broke here 2011 mac book pro screen by throwing a water bottle to a friend. It it hit the back of the screen and slammed the lid down. Spiderwebed the whole thing.

 

[Zadillo]

I don't think Apple (or others) has ever covered accidents. Looks like your best option is to get the repair, as it's a lot cheaper than getting another laptop of similar performance and quality. This kind of thing really is very unusual; I don't think you'll have the problem again. Best of luck whatever you decide.

Some companies offer Accidental Damage Protection as an additional option....Dell especially does. I think Microsoft Complete might also include accidental damage protection