iPad Pro "Dust particles cause scratching on the side of iPad"

[ace98]

UPDATE: I was called today and was told that ONLY my apple pencil will be replaced to prevent further damage.

I am not really satisfied, because they basically agree that the pencil is defect and causes the scratching but won't replace my iPad... hmmm

 

[ace98]

I have an appointment tomorrow, and will post updates.

 

[Jvaughn]

Yeah I've seen comments like yours on a lot of these kind of threads boasting about how well you treat your iPads.
Let me tell you that I'm sure I have used my stuff at least as good and careful as you did and this still happened. And don't tell me that I'm not attaching the pencil right or doing tricks with it because that is not the case! The apple pencil and iPad should not get into this kind of condition with normal use.

Also as you can read above the problem is not in the way I've used the iPad. As apple has not stated the causes of this damage to be that. They stated that dust particles are the cause of this damage. Basically saying that even with appropriate use, these dust particles may cause this scratching. And that is not a sufficient explanation to me.

Now please enlighten me on the right ways to use an iPad without having dust particles scratch it??

How can dust particles scratch glass? I believe the new screens are plastic. My old screen never got a single scratch, whereas the new iPad screen was covered in scratches a few weeks after purchase.

 

[symphony]

Totally not normal. Not sure why you’re getting fack for it.

 

[ebika]

It’s not scratching. The magnets and inductive charging are reacting/pulling off the plating from the iPad. It’s doing it on my iPad too.

 

[itsmehuey]

So I’ve had my iPad Pro 11” (2021) for just under two months and mine has started developing these kind of scuff/scratches on the actual magnetic part of where the Apple Pencil docks (Different to what yours looks like). I’ve asked on Reddit and seems they are mostly saying it’s caused by the reaction of the magnets but I cannot tell for sure. Anyone else have these particular markings on their iPads?

 

[ericwn]

I have an appointment tomorrow, and will post updates.

How did the appointment go?

 

[MiamiBeach]

Does this affect the silver iPads as well? I’m thinking of getting a silver finish one as it appears under the gray coating is silver.

 

[mrLucas]

Because of your use the last 3 weeks, the coating on the pencil has come off in that one spot where it connects / and rubs against the iPad from your use. That is considered normal wear and tear. I have had my iPad Pro almost 7 months now and don't have that problem with my pencil, because my usage is different than you.

Those faint markings haven't prevented the iPad from working like it should. AC+ does not cover cosmetic wear and tear, nor does the standard 1 year warranty. Time for you to accept you inadvertently caused the damage and move forward using the iPad.

are you trolling? please say yes

 

[mrLucas]

Look, this is all down to usage and handling. Some people get their devices scratched within a few days and some don’t get for years. You can’t compare your usage with others unless you do exactly the same thing the other person does.

I don’t know what you’re expecting but that kind of scratch will be considered as normal wear and tear. You can keep hammering Apple about the same thing and see if you get lucky or just move on. I don’t see anything else you could do regarding this to be honest.

what is “normal” about it?

 

[mrLucas]

Are you people really accepting this as normal? Theres nothing normal about this… !?? How low are your standards come on?!! you buy the worlds most expensive pen for 200€ and are like - yeah its destoryed asterhically after three weeks - thats normal. what the hell? I am completely stunned, please say you re trolling…

 

[ace98]

I totally forgot updating this but maybe it will help others in the future:

My iPad and pencil were replaced at the apple store.

If you have this problem don't waste your time on phone calls, chat bots or authenticated repair centers.
Go directly to the Apple Store and let them know how disappointed you are by the quality. They will act like they never heard of this problem and offer you to repair the pencil only. This is a good thing because they are basically admitting that the pencil is at fault. You can use this as an argument and say that a faulty pencil has caused this scratching. Don't accept the pencil only and ask for a new iPad too.

In the end they exchanged it for me. Don't give up. I've seen on many posts that they also got their iPads replaced because they made an "exception". That is an excuse because they are not allowed to admit technical problems like this.

 

[itsmehuey]

I just went through an Express Replacement service using my AC+. The person chatting to me was a bit misinformed about me having to pay a fee on top of the temporary security hold, but eventually I talked some sense into them and corrected them, that the fee was only applicable to damage caused by the user. After that bath and forth, they were more than happy to oblige with the express mail in replacement.

 

[DeepSix]

Has this ipad ever been thrown down the stairs like a frisbee? I would just put touch up paint over the dust and call it a day.

 

[TiggrToo]

Has this ipad ever been thrown down the stairs like a frisbee? I would just put touch up paint over the dust and call it a day.

That was a pretty crass reply.

I don't have this issue myself, but I'd understand folk who do, wanting it resolved correctly.

 

[itsmehuey]

Has this ipad ever been thrown down the stairs like a frisbee? I would just put touch up paint over the dust and call it a day.

Each to their own. Some people would rather have the issue resolved properly rather than sticking a Band-Aid over it. Especially considering how much we paid for our devices.

 

[ericwn]

That was a pretty crass reply.

I don't have this issue myself, but I'd understand folk who do, wanting it resolved correctly.

At times I recommend a look at somebody’s posting history to get the bigger picture. This is one of these moments.

 

[TiggrToo]

At times I recommend a look at somebody’s posting history to get the bigger picture. This is one of these moments.

Oh, you’re right.

Oh dear…

 

[sparksd]

Oh, you’re right.

Oh dear…

Yep, there's history there.

 

[Olivergilles]

Hey everyone,

I wanted to open this thread after some problems with the apple support. My apple pencil has caused scratch marks on the sides of my new iPad Pro 2020 12.9 inches. This problem was discussed in some other threads but I wanted to get advice on the way apple is handling my case specifically, since I saw from a few people that they got their iPads replaced.

So after trying to figure out what is even scratching my iPad I came to the conclusion that it is the pencil. As you can see in the picture there's a black dot on my pencil which is basically the magnet sticking out. In general I think the pencils magnets are causing the scratching.
I contacted the apple support a dozen times and never did they help me always telling me the damage won't be covered by them.

Lastly my case was sent to the apple engineers for assessment and they came to the conclusion:
"Dust particles are getting trapped between iPad and pencil and causes the scratching."

Now this sounds quite stupid to me, because obviously there is metal sticking out of the pencil and also how is it my fault that literally micro particles are causing such big scratching? And why is this then not happening with everyone else's iPads. Dust particles are naturally occurring in our environments. Are they claiming my surroundings are especially dusty??? Also what was I supposed to do? Wipe my freaking pencil every time?

The fact that some people get their iPad replaced because of this same issue while others don't seems quite unfair as well. Any suggestions what I could do next? I don't want to just accept this ridiculous statement by them.

Went through the same and Apple Australia refused to address the issue saying it didn’t affect function.I see that in the USA people got replacement units/pencils…..not ,one is less than 6 moths old and operated in a dust free environment

 

[Olivergilles]

Hey thanks for the reply. When I noticed the scratching my pencil had the space-gray coloring that came off the iPad like on the last picture I attached here. I was able to wipe that off quite easily but the black dot remained. I tried to get it off the pencil with my finger nails but it was still not coming off. I am pretty sure it's not external but protruding from inside like you mentioned. I have seen many threads with this problem and they all had this black dot on their apple pencil in common. One even had a really detailed photograph, shot with a DSL camera, in which you could very clearly see the metal sticking out (attached).

As for traveling. Nope. I bought this iPad for university and I mostly used it at home. Because of the pandemic almost all of my classes were online. I did bring it with me to the library and to class a few times. Also I noticed the dot on the day I noticed the scratching and after that I only attached my pencil for charging.
You're right though. It might have moved in my backpack, but in the end it all comes down to that metal dot causing this. Plus isn't the iPad expected to be carried around with you?

Now that I know about this scratching problem, in retrospect of course I wish that I had used a silicone case for the pencil or a case like it was posted here where the magnetic side of the iPad is covered too. But I used a case were the side is free (like the original apple cases) so I can leave my pencil attached all the time. Isn't that the upgrade to the old airs, anyways? If I get my iPad replaced (even in my dreams) I will take these precautions but still in my opinion all of this shouldn't happen with normal use.

Similar case here …after only 6 month….Apple refuses to help…

 

[itsmehuey]

Went through the same and Apple Australia refused to address the issue saying it didn’t affect function.I see that in the USA people got replacement units/pencils…..not ,one is less than 6 moths old and operated in a dust free environment

Sorry to hear. I have AppleCare + so they were more inclined to replace mine.

 

[MiamiBeach]

Finally got a space gray 11” pro but will not be buying the pencil. I had one for my iPad 6th gen and hardly used it. I take care of my tech and wouldn’t be able to live with it like that. Rather have no pencil than take the risk.

 

[Technerd108]

I really don’t understand why people on this forum feel the need to makes jokes and make light of a defective product. It is clear the OP had a very new unit and didn’t do anything to purposely or negligently cause damage to his device. He paid a lot of money for the iPad and there should be an expectation that when using Apple made and designed accessories for his iPad that it would not damage when using it as intended.

I see these comments all over this forum telling people basically that their complaints are not valid and because it didn’t happen to them the person who had a problem is being unreasonable.

Why even post a comment if you are not going to help the OP?

Why do people feel the need to be @ssholes to other people and excuse obvious design flaws?

Do they work for Apple? Even if they did you would think instead of excusing design flaws they would acknowledge the issue and try to change the design in future devices so that there isn’t a problem with future products.

Just because something hasn’t happened to you or you don’t care about doesn’t invalidate someone else concerns and opinions.

 

[Etienooo]

I have the same issue with my 2018 iPad Pro 12’9 and just discovered this discussion.
It baffles me too but after some poor experience with Apple support I never tried to get the pencil/iPad replaced.
I even remember walking in an Apple Store in December 2018 and all iPad Pro had scratches from the pencil.