Black MacBook problem

[roddenshaw]

I'm certain that there have been threads regarding this before, however I'm not sure where they are...

My MacBook is 4 months old, and I have noticed a couple of spots where the matte finish is wearing off, to reveal shiny black plastic. The spots are quite small at present, but it's worrying since I plan to keep the notebook for two years before my next upgrade.

The machine has always been kept in a sleeve when being transported, and has not been abused in any way...

Has anyone else experienced this problem, and if so, what was the resolution (if there was one)?

 

[matticus008]

Well, what you describe is inevitable wear (look at PC keyboards or the palmrests of white iBooks or silver Dells), but it really depends on where these patches are in order to give tips on how to slow down the wear.

Some of it will inevitably boil down to your body chemistry, which might just place you in that unlucky bunch which has to take extra precautions.

 

[roddenshaw]

Flaking finish

Well, what you describe is inevitable wear (look at PC keyboards or the palmrests of white iBooks or silver Dells), but it really depends on where these patches are in order to give tips on how to slow down the wear.

Some of it will inevitably boil down to your body chemistry, which might just place you in that unlucky bunch which has to take extra precautions.

There are two areas where the finish has started to flake. One small patch is to the left of the touch pad (where my wrist rubs against the machine), and the other is on the front right corner of the base (where there is very little friction to speak of)

 

[matticus008]

Well obviously an add-on palm/wrist rest would be a sound investment (I'm sure there are threads with recommendations around here), but the front right corner is a bit more odd.

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is that it is a scuff of some kind, but it's a little unusual for that to be spot-shaped. You mention flaking, though...by that, do you mean you've seen the finish flake off or am I reading too much into your verb choice?

 

[roddenshaw]

"Flaking" may be a poor choice of words, however the fact that there is not transitional area between the shiny plastic and the matte finish would suggest to me that it has been "flaking".

 

[PDE]

"Flaking" may be a poor choice of words, however the fact that there is not transitional area between the shiny plastic and the matte finish would suggest to me that it has been "flaking".

I had a black macbook that 'peeled' or flaked like that. It's probably going to happen to all of them sooner or later since the outer layer is very thin and will wear down over time. I'd just get a marware palmrest protection - or take it to Apple to see if they'll replace the top. 4months is not a long time and the laptop shouldn't wear down so quickly.

 

[KipCoon]

Well obviously an add-on palm/wrist rest would be a sound investment (I'm sure there are threads with recommendations around here), but the front right corner is a bit more odd.

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is that it is a scuff of some kind, but it's a little unusual for that to be spot-shaped. You mention flaking, though...by that, do you mean you've seen the finish flake off or am I reading too much into your verb choice?

Yeup, about $15 I believe for the 3M pleather palm cover for the black macbook. Should prevent further wear and they are cheap enough to replace after 6-12 months of use.

Oh, and Kudos on you're Avatar Matticus

 

[animenick65]

Im on the verge of buying a black macbook and this is one of my concerns

 

[Unspeaked]

I've got to say, when I read threads like this, I envy PC users just a tiny little bit, because you never hear them saying stuff like "Well, the cheap plastic band around my crappy HP notebook is a little scuffed on one side..." or "My Dell laptop's ugly, rubber-like molding is getting worn down at the corners..."

It's hard work keeping our Macs beautiful!

 

[KipCoon]

I've got to say, when I read threads like this, I envy PC users just a tiny little bit, because you never hear them saying stuff like "Well, the cheap plastic band around my crappy HP notebook is a little scuffed on one side..." or "My Dell laptop's ugly, rubber-like molding is getting worn down at the corners..."

It's hard work keeping our Macs beautiful!

As odd as it sounds (or maybe not) I think, due to the "image" owning an Apple creates, we all want to preserve the looks of our purchases and keep them as mint as possible, but obviously it's a impossible thing to do. Apple sells itself on being different, in style and the way it operates, and thats what creates this, anal attention to every detail.

Not saying the flaking wouldn't piss me off, it would, but I agree, most PC laptops look the same, ugly and bland. So no one complains.

 

[PDE]

I've got to say, when I read threads like this, I envy PC users just a tiny little bit, because you never hear them saying stuff like "Well, the cheap plastic band around my crappy HP notebook is a little scuffed on one side..." or "My Dell laptop's ugly, rubber-like molding is getting worn down at the corners..."

It's hard work keeping our Macs beautiful!

It's true. You also don't hear thinkpad users say it because their laptops (which are prices higher because of the superior quality) are made of great, scratch resistant, non-peeling materials that can actually withstand a normal mobile life and still look great after long-term use. I love the black macbook, but Apple made a stupid choice to cover it in a thin rubb(er)ish coating, especially since they have the nerve to charge extra for it!

This is not normal wear and tear. My 7-year old powerbook G3 plastics look almost new.

 

[PDE]

As odd as it sounds (or maybe not) I think, due to the "image" owning an Apple creates, we all want to preserve the looks of our purchases and keep them as mint as possible, but obviously it's a impossible thing to do. Apple sells itself on being different, in style and the way it operates, and thats what creates this, anal attention to every detail.

Not saying the flaking wouldn't piss me off, it would, but I agree, most PC laptops look the same, ugly and bland. So no one complains.

Apple also sells its products through their design and looks. What's the point of great looks and design if they look completely beaten up after a few months of moderate use? There are materials that can withstand daily use in varied environments and still look good. apple chooses not to use them and are short-sighted enough to only care about how they look out of the box. Ironically, a shining beautiful apple on a nasty looking laptop is the worst advertisement long-term.

 

[kentrox99]

Mine is just over 5 months old and the only place I see any wearing is the track pad. But that started like the second week I had it. Mine has not flaked or peeled and I use it daily. Maybe there were different materials used for the top cases like the white macbooks.

 

[KipCoon]

Mine is just over 5 months old and the only place I see any wearing is the track pad. But that started like the second week I had it. Mine has not flaked or peeled and I use it daily. Maybe there were different materials used for the top cases like the white macbooks.

Could be, Im curious how the white ones are holding up? I know the palm rest and whatnot was known to discolor (which Apple apparently will replace), but the rest of the shell?

Hrmm.

 

[kentrox99]

Could be, Im curious how the white ones are holding up? I know the palm rest and whatnot was known to discolor (which Apple apparently will replace), but the rest of the shell?

Hrmm.

My g/f got a white one at the same time. It started to discolor about 2 months in. Took it to apple and they replaced the top case. I havent seen any signs of dicoloration since. I've been watching it closely.

 

[Unspeaked]

This is not normal wear and tear. My 7-year old powerbook G3 plastics look almost new.

I don't know, I can't think of the last generation of Apple laptops that didn't have cosmetic issues.

MacBook Black - Flaking
MacBook White - Stains
MacBook Pro - Scratches
Powerbook Alumnium - Same body as MacBook Pro
iBook G3/g4 White - Scratching, staining, stinky keyboards
Powerbook Ti - So many scratches, it's not even funny. Weak hinges.
Powerbook G3 (Wallstreet, Lombard, Pismo) - Rubber on top and button case very thin, often scuffed so deep it revealed the metal underneath.
Pre-G3 laptops: Mostly made of identical, hard to scratch plastic.

So yeah, it was probably the Powerbook 1400 era that was last released with no cosmetic issues!

 

[PDE]

I don't know, I can't think of the last generation of Apple laptops that didn't have cosmetic issues.

MacBook Black - Flaking
MacBook White - Stains
MacBook Pro - Scratches
Powerbook Alumnium - Same body as MacBook Pro
iBook G3/g4 White - Scratching, staining, stinky keyboards
Powerbook Ti - So many scratches, it's not even funny. Weak hinges.
Powerbook G3 (Wallstreet, Lombard, Pismo) - Rubber on top and button case very thin, often scuffed so deep it revealed the metal underneath.
Pre-G3 laptops: Mostly made of identical, hard to scratch plastic.

So yeah, it was probably the Powerbook 1400 era that was last released with no cosmetic issues!

I've had powerbooks since the 540c and I agree with you (actually, it's not about agreeing since all those issues were objective problems) except that the pismo and lombard were not the same as the wallstreet in terms of the rubber. i had a wallstreet and I remember the first report of some poor person who opened it up on an airplane and the seat belt scraped through the rubber,revealing the metal underneath. However, Apple changed that with the lombard and pismo by putting some much harder more plastic-like layer on top of the rubber. It didn't feel as good to the touch, but it's very resliant and has lasted on mine for many many years.

Tibooks - what a disaster in terms of materials. I still can't believe tht Apple decided it was a good idea to pain the frame white. And, to make it much worse, they didn't learn from that mistake at all and decided that they should coat the black macbooks too - and charge extra for the pleasure.

Only Apple can get away with all this and still have such a fan club!

 

[Juicebar992]

Shinny effect is common for all laptops

As you use your mac every day, the areas where your palms rest would be naturally worn off...Probably a metal cover like Macbook pro shows more resisting for this problem, but for macbook, i would say its natural...Just consider some protection which would slow down the change. Some 3rd party products available on ebay. Or pop into a Apple store and look for it. I'm using Marware although dislike its printed logo and missing coverage of the touch pad....