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cosmetic issues on blackbook?

R

recentgrad

macrumors member
Original poster
May 25, 2006
38
0
just wanted to make sure that the blackbook had none of the staining issues affecting the white models. i think i'm ready to make the plunge pretty soon.

besides some scattered incidences of blackbooks chipping, there aren't any dramatic cosmetic problems on these models rite?
 
None of the black MacBooks chip. They are made from black plastic, they aren't painted. The whole chipping thing wasn't real.
 
someone did say they tend to gather fingerprints. maybe you should refrain from getting one. :) or buy me one and I will test it. I am a giver you know.
 
I don't have one but I have been to my apple store about 10 times to play with the macbook and I have noticed a few things...
1. the black macbooks collect oil and finger prints a lot
2. the employees i have talked to said they would likely get shinier over time from collected skin oils
3. the white macbooks have stains on them, some lighter, darker, and one red streak that looked like it was cleaned but didn't come off.
4. the employees I have talked to said the white ones are bound to get dirtier over time and degrage in appearance so the staining we all hear about is not alarming to any of them.
 
I've had my Black MacBook since the 2nd day they were out. I've had no problems whatsoever. I tend to wipe mine down once a day with a spray by Monster. I think it's iClean or somethign like that. I originally bought it for use with my iPod. It works great on my MacBook.

Take the plunge, you won't be dissapointed.
 
awesome guys. one question, do the fingerprints come off easily with a damp cloth or something of the sort?
 
one cometic issue i had with the first macbook i had (first one had a sticky key which i exchanged) had a small blotch of paint on the wrist pad. It was as if a small drip of paint fell on it. It wasnt much of an issue, if you even consider it an issue. It was no bigger that 1mm
 
i haven't had any problems with mine, i just use iKlear once a week and it stays nice, smooth, and anti-static'd.
:)
 
the shiny key and trackpad is a feature. out of the box it isnt. overtime it becomes shiny ;)



and you dont really need to be at an angel to see it glisten :D
 
it5five said:
None of the black MacBooks chip. They are made from black plastic, they aren't painted. The whole chipping thing wasn't real.
Click to expand...


I'm sorry, but that is not true. I wanted to believe that the whole peeling/flaking thing wasn't true too, but my blackbook started peeling above the isight the other day. I called Apple and they immediately offered to replace it despite the fact that I purchased it from Amazon - that says a lot. They said they were capturing these units for engineering review and although they didn't say it, it sounded like there had been some kind of internal memo about this issue.

It started peeling at the thin sharp edge of the top case right above the isight camera - the place where your fingers need to be in order to open the latchless display. The outer layer of whatever it is probably doesn't stick that well to the glossy surface that is underneath so that when your fingers rub against it and the cross-section edge, it starts peeling. with each opening of the display it got a little worse. At first I wasn't sure what it was - it just looked like white residue - so I wiped it off and was surprised to find the shiny surface underneath. The finish seems very durable straight one, but once it starts peeling at the edge, it's hard to predict how it will develop.

While the plastic underneath is black too, it is shiny rather than matte. Here are two pictures I took that show how it peeled. I couldn't capture the shiny surface underneath, but it looked like a shiny black remote or something like that.


http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h44/NYCMBP/


Given that there are only a few reports of this, I suspect it is a manufacturing defect. However, ALL macbooks have this layer that makes it matte and covers the shiny black plastic underneath, and thus all macbook are suceptible to the same kind of issue. Time will tell how they hold up.
 
I LOVE the blackbook! It looks SO cool! The only thing that kept me from getting one was how oily they looked, and how full of fingerprints they got after only a couple of people used them in the store.
 
Totally agree - it looks great and super cool. But, Apple, as is often the case, spent too much time looking at it and too little time actually using it. There are materials that are black that don't absorb fingerprints the way the blackbook does and there are matte surfaces that are much more durable - look at the thinkpads for materials and most people would happy. Other than the easy smudging and potential peeling, it's a fantastic notebook.
 
does iklear leave any residue?

oh and also, i read somewhere that people just used a damp paper towel to clean it off...can someone try this?

the reason i ask is that i dunno if the grease is "entrenched" into the plastic like the pre-updated white macbooks or if it is merely on the surface
 
Doctorsti said:
1. the black macbooks collect oil and finger prints a lot
2. the employees i have talked to said they would likely get shinier over time from collected skin oils
Click to expand...

wow. never would have guessed that gloss black plastic would show fingerprints. thank you captain obvious.


this is why i HATE black plastic (especially glossy). it shows every little mark and oil.
 
recentgrad said:
does iklear leave any residue?

oh and also, i read somewhere that people just used a damp paper towel to clean it off...can someone try this?

the reason i ask is that i dunno if the grease is "entrenched" into the plastic like the pre-updated white macbooks or if it is merely on the surface
Click to expand...




HOLY CRAP! NOT A PAPER TOWEL. I guess you could for the case, but for the screen you better use a fine cloth to clean it. Thats what I use for cleaning anything on my MacBook.

But pretty much yes, a damp towel will take away finger prints or any other residue.
 
haha...yesyes, i meant towel, not paper towel.

kk, glad to hear that the fingerprints are so easy to clean off. just a little damp towel and everything is all good. so whats the fuss about the fingerprints?
 
LBmacman said:
so from what i'm hearing, the blackbooks have a similar surface to the black RAZR phones
Click to expand...



NO... i happen to have both, black macbook and a black RAZR.


The macbook picks up fingerprints and shows them much better than the RAZR because it makes the case shiny. The black razr shows fingerprints but it doesnt make it shiny. You just sort of see it, but not quite.
 
it5five said:
None of the black MacBooks chip. They are made from black plastic, they aren't painted. The whole chipping thing wasn't real.
Click to expand...

hmm... how do you know? anyway, the plastic, which is applied to black one, is treated by special paint skill in factory. but $200 is not still unreasonable.

if black shell will take enough time by tearing down, wearing out, it will start to show flaking off on surface. if you don't believe me, just google it for special paint of macbook.
 
wako said:
NO... i happen to have both, black macbook and a black RAZR.


The macbook picks up fingerprints and shows them much better than the RAZR because it makes the case shiny. The black razr shows fingerprints but it doesnt make it shiny. You just sort of see it, but not quite.
Click to expand...


It would be wonderful if the blackbook had the same surface. Unfortunately, the razr is anodized aluminum and the blackbook is carbon fiber with a thin layer of something to give it the matte surface.
 
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