How is your Space Black MacBook Pro after a year of use?

[navaira]

I've had my space black MBP 14" for about 3 weeks and I can see shininess from oil from my fingers. It's around the sides of the case where I hold it when carrying it, and on the touchpad. I gave part of the lid a wipe with a microfibre cloth and the oil/residue seemed to wipe off OK. I should give it a more careful and thorough wipe, but will have to wait until I'm a bit more motivated.

As others have said, it doesn't seem any worse than I get on my old silver MBP.

Weirdly, I could REALLY see the staining for the first 2-3 weeks… and now, four weeks in, I can’t. As if there was an extra residue-prone layer that rubbed off. Now, the keys… you can definitely tell I hit the space bar with my right thumb :/

 

[edubfromktown]

I sniped a 6-ish month old used Space Black M3 Pro 14"at 40+% discount (that already had 3 year AC too).

No one else was interested because it did not look well cared for with minor cosmetic dings in multiple places.

Can't say I'm regretting that move at all. I would 100% purchase a silver model if I were plunking down hard earned bucks for a new MBP.

 

[mbsdf9345992]

Weirdly, I could REALLY see the staining for the first 2-3 weeks… and now, four weeks in, I can’t. As if there was an extra residue-prone layer that rubbed off. Now, the keys… you can definitely tell I hit the space bar with my right thumb :/

Perhaps more likely there's now an even coating of residue from your fingers? (Please don't take that as a comment on your cleanliness, my wife will tell you I shouldn't throw stones in that direction!)

 

[Superrenz]

Mine still looks brand new. I got the M3 a few days after release... I use it and carry it around with no case... and am guilty of using it while eating and having greasy hands sometimes when I am on the run...... So far no discoloration, no scratches, no fading.... Looks absolutely flawless.

What about your screen? Did you get key imprints while the lid was closed?

 

[bigjnyc]

What about your screen? Did you get key imprints while the lid was closed?

Nope, I haven't noticed that at all. just some smudges and dust but that can easily wipe off.

 

[gshocked]

Hi all,

I just purchased a new MacBook Pro M4 Pro for work. I'm two minds about keeping it, as reading the posts about scratches is in the back of my mind. However, there are only a handful of posts about this. I'm not too worried about the fingerprints., as I've just been wiping them off.

How is your M4 Space Black MacBook holding up?

Please let me know how long you've had your M4 and how it has held up.
Please post images if you can.

Thank you!

 

[navaira]

Perhaps more likely there's now an even coating of residue from your fingers? (Please don't take that as a comment on your cleanliness, my wife will tell you I shouldn't throw stones in that direction!)

I’m pretty sure that is the case, yes! I use the palmrests to, well, rest my palms. The trackpad is somewhat smeared with the finger residue, the case is almost completely clean from fingerprints.

Also, the M1 Air screen needed VERY regular cleaning. This one somehow doesn’t. And, finally, no key prints on it.

I should clean the keyboard itself daily, though, judging by how oily THAT somehow gets… and yes, I do wash my hands occasionally

 

[Flyview]

Don't worry about discoloration at all. There's no "paint", it's real anodized metal. The darker color comes from an etching process, that's the actual surface of the device.

I seem to be cursed with oily wrists, I have to clean the space around my trackpad once a week or so… but it's no worse than the Space Grey or Silver models.

Dust around the speaker grills is maybe a little more visible. I've come to hate those faux holes (they're not real except for a dime-sized space at the bottom, just for looks).

I put it in a bag that had a steel zipper inside once and thought "I should be careful about this, that could scratch," and there was indeed a visible scratch as soon as I took it out >_<

but basically it's gorgeous and such a nice change, just get one.

According to this ifixit article that goes into detail about how they create the colors, it's a combination of anodizing, etching and dyes:

The Space Black Macbook Pro Is Darker Than Ever

Space Black, the new color available on Apple’s latest round of MacBook Pros, is as buzzy as it is beautiful. But is it worth the upgrade?

www.ifixit.com

I'm trying to learn about this because I just purchased a super mint like new space gray 16" M1 Max MBP 64GB 4TB 94% battery capacity, and don't want the grey to stain or get wear marks. I would have preferred the silver both for looks and for this concern but this deal was too good to pass up ($1400 USD). I might still sell this one after I find a good deal on a silver...

Here's a video of a lady who's space gray faded where her case had vents:

And here's someone on reddit who got a huge stain from an SD card sitting on the palm rest for a couple of days!?

https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/1bqwuvx/discoloration_in_the_shape_of_an_sd_card