Do you cover your keyboard keys when closing the lid?

[Fred Zed]

I use a keyboard rubber cover, but never fully close the lid when its on the keyboard. For Schnits and giggles I closed the lid once. and with a flashlight I could make out a few temporary left marks on the display. In essence proof that it touches the screen.

 

[jz0309]

Never done this on any laptop I ever owned, work or private and not a problem in over 30 years

 

[Reggaenald]

Never did that.

Such expensive products should really be designed to remain unharmed when using them normally.

Should, but may I remind you about the Butterfly keyboard, or touch issues on iPhones? They shouldn’t, but do.

 

[Reggaenald]

I don't place anything in between the screen and the keys as I think that would do more harm than good.

What's odd is that there are these greasy tiny spots that show up on my screen every few weeks. I don't eat in front of my Mac ever so it's not splatter from food. My only guess is that it's air pollution but regardless, they come off easy enough when I spray a paper towel with water and gently wipe the screen.

It’s saliva. Don’t talk, Siri could listen.

 

[James Godfrey]

After looking around online I have come to the conclusion not to bother using anything and hope for the best…

I have contemplated using the sheet the comes with the MBP, but I doubt that will last an awfully long time, and having to replace it all the time seems a bit of a pain… plus as it’s technically wood, I am pretty sure over time that could cause some damage to the display, same applies for a sheet of paper.

I also contemplated using a thin microfibre cloth, but again a bit of debris stuck to that with the decreased distance between the screen and the microfibre cloth it’s probably more likely to scratch it in the long term.

Also looked at a screen protector as an option but after watching this video

that has put me right off that idea ?

So overall I am feeling the best option is to use it as nature intended and not put anything between the screen and keys, but just make sure I wipe over the keyboard after each use with a microfibre cloth and also not to put anything on top of the lid or pack it tightly with other items in a bag so not create any unnecessary pressure on the top lid….

I am just wondering though if I was to literally do as above and say in 3-6 months the keyboard was scratching the screen etc… would this be covered under Apples warranty… as I would assume this would be a manufacturing issue…

 

[FHoff]

Never did that.

Such expensive products should really be designed to remain unharmed when using them normally.

Nor have I.

I agree they should and most users probably don’t have issues. But the users here are a always more concerned with keeping things pristine so they can gain that extra 5 bucks in resale.

 

[Jim Lahey]

I’m in camp Clean Your Keyboard.
I also generally wash my hands before using my keyboards to try and minimize how oily my fingers are. Mostly because I don’t like the keys getting shiny but you can’t prevent that in the long run.

Shiny key caps is my pet hate. Clean hands makes no difference in my experience. No matter what you do you're going to have a tattered old keyboard in no time at all. You'd think a company like Apple would be using an alternative material by now that doesn't polish smooth so easily with use. Perhaps some kind of satin glass or ceramic coating. Extravagant, but they charge enough...

 

[ken ledger]

May I ask what area of the screen the mark was showing up? Was it towards the top bezel, in the center, or near the bottom?

I placed the cloth over the kys and the corresponding of the screen showed a mark, Can't remember what mark but as there was no marks from the keys i stopped using the the cloth.

 

[James Godfrey]

I placed the cloth over the kys and the corresponding of the screen showed a mark, Can't remember what mark but as there was no marks from the keys i stopped using the the cloth.

Yeah I presume using a thin microfibre cloth would eventually show marks regardless unless it’s replaced or cleaned quite regular, microfibre by design, picks up dust a lint rather than moving it around, so I presume this would accumulate over time on the cloth when removing it and replacing it, which in turn could potentially cause the screen to get marks or scratches, potentially even worse than not using one as the clearance between the screen and the cloth would be less than the clearance between the keys and screen.

I think my best option is to just not worry about it and just wipe over the keyboard regular to ensure there is no build up of debris, dust and lint etc… and as another poster has stated, these things should not be required to do with such an expensive laptop with normal usage.

If the screen does eventually get scratched up it will be a lesson learnt at the end of the day.

 

[briko]

Yeah I presume using a thin microfibre cloth would eventually show marks regardless unless it’s replaced or cleaned quite regular, microfibre by design, picks up dust a lint rather than moving it around, so I presume this would accumulate over time on the cloth when removing it and replacing it, which in turn could potentially cause the screen to get marks or scratches, potentially even worse than not using one as the clearance between the screen and the cloth would be less than the clearance between the keys and screen.

I think my best option is to just not worry about it and just wipe over the keyboard regular to ensure there is no build up of debris, dust and lint etc… and as another poster has stated, these things should not be required to do with such an expensive laptop with normal usage.

If the screen does eventually get scratched up it will be a lesson learnt at the end of the day.

I’ve been using the same microfiber on my retina 15-inch for years, and the screen is pristine. It was showing indents from the keyboard beforehand, and I was worried about screen delamination. I think the microfiber was a good solution for my old MacBook Pro, but it sounds like it isn’t a viable option for these newer MacBooks. I’ll just have to trust that everything will be fine without it.

 

[Reggaenald]

Well, I have a butterfly MBP and am using a keyboard cover, so I guess I don’t need a screen cover, too.

 

[solouki]

I don't place anything in between the screen and the keys as I think that would do more harm than good.

What's odd is that there are these greasy tiny spots that show up on my screen every few weeks. I don't eat in front of my Mac ever so it's not splatter from food. My only guess is that it's air pollution but regardless, they come off easy enough when I spray a paper towel with water and gently wipe the screen.

Hi barkomatic, I'm sure you know this already, but I'll mention it anyway. One needs to be careful when using paper towels to wipe a display -- the reason being that some paper towels, or perhaps even reformulated (because of CoVID-19) paper towels, can have small hard particles imbedded in the paper. Sometimes these particles are hard enough to scratch glass. There are special "paper towels", ones usually employed for optics, that never scratch glass, but I have seen glass scratches from regular kitchen paper towels. With many items being reformulated during CoVID times, I'd be especially careful of which paper towels I'm using to clean a display screen. ... just an observation.

 

[Fred Zed]

After looking around online I have come to the conclusion not to bother using anything and hope for the best…

I have contemplated using the sheet the comes with the MBP, but I doubt that will last an awfully long time, and having to replace it all the time seems a bit of a pain… plus as it’s technically wood, I am pretty sure over time that could cause some damage to the display, same applies for a sheet of paper.

I also contemplated using a thin microfibre cloth, but again a bit of debris stuck to that with the decreased distance between the screen and the microfibre cloth it’s probably more likely to scratch it in the long term.

Also looked at a screen protector as an option but after watching this video

that has put me right off that idea 😂

So overall I am feeling the best option is to use it as nature intended and not put anything between the screen and keys, but just make sure I wipe over the keyboard after each use with a microfibre cloth and also not to put anything on top of the lid or pack it tightly with other items in a bag so not create any unnecessary pressure on the top lid….

I am just wondering though if I was to literally do as above and say in 3-6 months the keyboard was scratching the screen etc… would this be covered under Apples warranty… as I would assume this would be a manufacturing issue…

That video looks like a fake.

 

[James Godfrey]

That video looks like a fake.

No I think it’s genuine it’s something to do with the screen polariser or something,.. apparently this can happen… there are also comments on that video saying that the exact same happened to them too… so not so sure this is a fake video in all honesty

 

[transpo1]

I just use the thin paper sheet that comes with the Mac as long as it lasts.

I don't have a 14" etc. Mac but, I always put something between the keys and screen. I use the thin paper that came with the Mac. I have done that for all my Macs and never had any screen imprints.

So hilarious— I do this, too! I didn’t realize other people did it and always thought I was the weird one. On my 2018 15” MBP, a family member saw the sheet laying around and threw it out. Still using the one that came with my M1 Max 16”. Thanks for letting me know I’m not the only crazy one

 

[Sterkenburg]

So hilarious— I do this, too! I didn’t realize other people did it and always thought I was the weird one. On my 2018 15” MBP, a family member saw the sheet laying around and threw it out. Still using the one that came with my M1 Max 16”. Thanks for letting me know I’m not the only crazy one

It's free, it works and since Apple put it in it's safe to assume that it's compatible with the gap tolerance of the machine. So... why not? My only gripe is that the current version of it is so thin that one has to be very careful not to crumple it. The old sheet that came with my 2009 MBP had a "spongier" texture and was quite durable (although after 7 years it had become so dirty it defeated the purpose lol). It's possible that they have to make it ultra thin for the current screens.

 

[James Godfrey]

It's free, it works and since Apple put it in it's safe to assume that it's compatible with the gap tolerance of the machine. So... why not? My only gripe is that the current version of it is so thin that one has to be very careful not to crumple it. The old sheet that came with my 2009 MBP had a "spongier" texture and was quite durable (although after 7 years it had become so dirty it defeated the purpose lol). It's possible that they have to make it ultra thin for the current screens.

Next MBP Keynote…

Tim Apple
‘In order to help the environment, this years MacBook Pro’s will no longer come with that super thin paper between the screen and keys, this reduces our packaging by 0.001% but we feel this is a step in the right direction for the environment’

Everyone
Noooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Tim Apple
‘However, today we are proud to announce the new ‘Tissue Paper Ultra-Thin’ for only $99 per sheet, pre-orders will begin today, and we know your going to love it’

Everyone
When do they ship?

 

[irideti]

I put a piece of delicate task wipe ("Kimwipe") over the space bar for my 14 inch before I close the lid. The space bar will touch the screen leaving a slight imprint otherwise.

I'm also noticing the space bar touches the screen and leaves a slight imprint. I'm still contemplating about taking it to Apple Store for permanent solution. Anyone else is having same issue with M1 Pro 14?

 

[spiderman0616]

I just can't imagine taking the time to do this. My MacBooks have all been tanks, and I've never had a problem with keys damaging the screen. I do know the keyboard covers my wife has used in the past have made marks on her screen, which caused her to stop using them.

Don't eat at your computer's keyboard, keep things clean. Aside from that, a multi-thousand dollar MacBook should be able to handle being closed without damage.