Dents in rubber seal on new MacBook Pro

[WuTheLotus]

Hi all,

I’ve done extensive research before posting this and I couldn’t find any mention of a similar issue, hence my decision to post.

I’ve had my MacBook Pro 14” for less than two months, and I’ve been treating it with potentially more care than one would a newborn (obvious exaggeration to prove a point). It’s something I do with all of my devices, and I can honestly say that everything I’ve ever owned looked pretty much pristine at the end of many years of use.

Well, I’ve made the mistake of checking out my laptop with a flashlight to better see some greasy spots on the display, and I’ve come across a few dents in the rubber seal around the screen. They are definitely dents, I can feel them with my finger. I’ve attached some pictures so you can see what I mean.

The thing is, I have no idea what could have caused this. I work from home, so the laptop has barely even left the room. I’ve kept it safe from dust with a soft microfiber cloth, applying almost no pressure at all and giving it a slightly deeper clean just once with 100% distilled water. While I can be a bit obsessive about my stuff, particularly very expensive stuff, and while I understand that rubber degrades over time, having this happen after less than two months of very careful use is kind of a bummer. My boyfriend's 16" was purchased at the exact same time and it doesn't have this problem.

I guess I’m trying to find out if anyone else has had this issue with a new MacBook, in which case it would mean the rubber is just that sensitive, or mine has some sort of flaw. It could also be a preexisting issue that I haven’t noticed because I never took the flashlight to it until now.

Has this happened to anyone else? What did you/would you do about it, if anything?

Thanks!

 

[88Keys]

Mine is only a week old, but I do not have this. While the QC of these new M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pros have been a bit dodgy, I think its to be expected when introducing a new form factor and the manufacturing process lacks mature refinement. While not excusable, these new units carry an early adopter's tax of heavier QC issues. TBH, this is pretty excessive to nitpick about. There are far more worse issues to stress over with these new machines. This is not the battle I'd want to fight IMO. If it becomes a problem that impacts the performance of the machine then have it looked at by Apple.

 

[barkomatic]

That looks like a factory variance to me and not caused by decay or damage. If your machine is otherwise perfect I'd try to live with it. If that rubber ring were really damaged it would be an issue because it keeps the screen out of contact with the metal body. However, those just look like marks. Maybe try to rub it with your finger? It might some type of residue also.

 

[synergize]

My seal rubber around the edge is different, it has a "step" in it, so some MPB 14" used a different seal.

 

[rgarjr]

i hate those rubber seals cause they tend too deteriorate after a while. Of course the section that gets more wear is top center where you lift up the panel to open the laptop.

 

[Sanpete]

Doesn't look like it will affect functionality, so it's just an aesthetic thing you'll have to decide about.

 

[Sterkenburg]

As others said, the explanation might be as simple as a small cosmetic defect that slipped past QA, and you just happened not to notice until now. You have my sympathy as I also tend to be a bit obsessive about keeping stuff in mint condition, but not sure there's much you can do. Since you are past the return window and it's barely noticeable, I'd just try to live with it.