I purchased a Macbook Air in April 2022. In August the screen cracked for no apparent reason and I had to pay £450 for a replacement. Screen cracked again in October and I have been told again it is accidental damage and therefore another £450 to repair. I have been extra-careful handling my laptop since the last cracked screen and this second one just suddenly appeared with no cause I am aware of . I have had Macbook Pro's for 15 years and never had a problem with screen damage. Despite so much on this online, Apple apparently are not taking any responsibility for it being a design issue. I am thoroughly disillusioned. I was denied being able to purchase the extra cover after the first damage and now have a laptop I am almost afraid to use as it is apparently so delicate and vulnerable to damage.
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Macbook Air cracked screen
- Thread starter bluebell4444
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Where specifically the screen cracked? It could be caused by too tight hinges. Don't you feel the hinges are too tight?
I have here M1 Air with hinges obviously too tight. I have to use two hands to open it, because the hinges lift the base not only on initial move (to split the magnets) but even when I continue opening it... I never experienced such issue on my Air 2019, even when it was brand new. Some says, the tight hinges will loose over time, but I don't think so, maybe, but it's unlikely in my opinion. They have to be loosened in the service (or by yourself of course, if u have tools).
I have here M1 Air with hinges obviously too tight. I have to use two hands to open it, because the hinges lift the base not only on initial move (to split the magnets) but even when I continue opening it... I never experienced such issue on my Air 2019, even when it was brand new. Some says, the tight hinges will loose over time, but I don't think so, maybe, but it's unlikely in my opinion. They have to be loosened in the service (or by yourself of course, if u have tools).
I find this particularly concerning as I’m about to move and I’ll be bringing my new M1 Air with. I did get a nice protective case but I’m flying and don’t trust it being packed next to anything hard. 
I did get AppleCare, though, in case anything happens. Did you have AppleCare or no @bluebell4444?
I did get AppleCare, though, in case anything happens. Did you have AppleCare or no @bluebell4444?
sadly not as I have never had problems with previous Macbooks going back 15 years. And Apple will not allow me to take out AppleCare retrospectivelyI find this particularly concerning as I’m about to move and I’ll be bringing my new M1 Air with. I did get a nice protective case but I’m flying and don’t trust it being packed next to anything hard.
I did get AppleCare, though, in case anything happens. Did you have AppleCare or no @bluebell4444?
Sure you will be fine now you are aware of the dangers!My hinges seem fine and always have done. On both occasions, the crack was along the top of the screen left to right where it is at it's thinnest part.
Buy one of those hard, form fitting cases for your MacBook for $10 or $15. Those cases protect the most vulnerable points of the LCD, the four corners. They also prevent the display from slamming down onto the palm rest area because it has a raised lip. The display cover will simply hit the bottom cover.
I've had the same issue with a MacBook Air M1 recently. Apple said it was not repairable under warranty. Happily I was able to claim against the gadget insurance I have with my bank. However, while I was looking for information about the issue I did find lots of posts of people complaining of the same problem - cracked screens that "just appear" with no sign of trauma to the device. I am concerned it is going to be a repeating issue with this model.
Thanks for the tip - Im going to see if I'm covered by my bank account insurance. Sooo disillusioned with Apple at the moment.
Apple seem to advise not to use covers with this model because the covers themselves can cause cracks apparently!) Think I literally need to wrap it in cotton wool !!
Welcome to the club.
Did you find a cracked screen after opening the lid?
If it has anything to do with the screen cracking due to pressure against the base, I would consider to put microfiber cloth between the screen and the keyboard, every time you close it. The cloth should be very thin not to put additional pressure to the screen.
I personally used my polishing cloth from iMac (but I would recommended something even thinner) and it was a solution for my MBA 2019. Not to prevent cracking, but on this machine, due to bad Apple design (what most people will convincing you it's perfect), the screen was touching the keyboard (even just sitting on the desk, no pressure on the lid needed) and was constantly creating marks on the antireflective layer. The cloth prevents this.
Ofc, if you're closing/opening your laptop all the time, it can be annoying... I rarely had to close it, so it didn't bother me too much.
Haven't seen that. In fact, Apple sells hardshell covers.
Incase 13" Hardshell Case for MacBook Air W/Retina Display Dots 2020 - Clear
Protect and personalize your 13" MacBook Air with Incase's lightweight, form-fitting Hardshell Case. Buy online now at apple.com.
www.apple.com
same case off ebay or amazon can be had for 10 bucks 😂Haven't seen that. In fact, Apple sells hardshell covers.
Incase 13" Hardshell Case for MacBook Air W/Retina Display Dots 2020 - Clear
Protect and personalize your 13" MacBook Air with Incase's lightweight, form-fitting Hardshell Case. Buy online now at apple.com.www.apple.com
Even cheaper from AliExpress. That's why I suggested buying one for $10-15 above.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but to be honest, I'm not sure like this case could keep the lid from being stressed. It would have to be a titanium plate, but it's just plastic, it's flexible + the footprint of the cover is too big not being stressed under the pressure as well pretty easily and prevent anything else but scratches (for what this is probably designed anyway).
A hardshell case is very rigid and helps distribute impact across the case. If you look at the crack photo above, it's likely there was an impact somewhere along the top edge.
A hardshell case also helps mitigate cracks caused by closing the display. The case has a raised lip for the top case to close on. This means the display doesn't fully close. Any small debris trapped between the display and keyboard/palm rest won't get caught and crack the glass.
I don't want to deny it, I'm not using this covers, but I have the personal experience with the Incase above on my friend's MacBook and I would't call it "rigid" in terms to be useful to prevent OP's issue.
Also I didn't saw any actual "lift" of the lid when it was closed. It's because those clips on the edge you pointed on the picture are not higher than the distance created by rubber around the display (on Incase). And I think they actually can't be higher, because if they would create any significant gap, it could lead to damage of the display, as these clips 1) would create pressure at specific points 2) are not just aroud the plamrest area, but also close to hinges(!). Just makes no sense to me this should create some gap by design of the case.
Although I'm going to assume that there's some case which can create a gap, this gap itself actually can even cause a screen damage, because the lid still can be pressurised against keaboard (the plastic cover can't prevent this at all) and the gap can allow more lid deflection.
Also I didn't saw any actual "lift" of the lid when it was closed. It's because those clips on the edge you pointed on the picture are not higher than the distance created by rubber around the display (on Incase). And I think they actually can't be higher, because if they would create any significant gap, it could lead to damage of the display, as these clips 1) would create pressure at specific points 2) are not just aroud the plamrest area, but also close to hinges(!). Just makes no sense to me this should create some gap by design of the case.
Although I'm going to assume that there's some case which can create a gap, this gap itself actually can even cause a screen damage, because the lid still can be pressurised against keaboard (the plastic cover can't prevent this at all) and the gap can allow more lid deflection.
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I don't use the Incase product above (no way I'm paying more than $10 for two pieces of clear acrylic), but there are probably different qualities of cases. I buy a generic product from AliExpress or Amazon. Perhaps those generic cases are different from Incase.
Based on my experience with these "cheap" cases, they are all designed to create a slight display gap. A situation like a paper clip sitting flat on the palm rest, which would normally crack the display, is avoided. The case has top and bottom notches around the perimeter. This means when you close the display, it's never fully closed. Instead, those acrylic notches hit each other.
Here are some shots from YouTube.
Are two pieces of acrylic going to stop all types of pressure and damage? No, but it's better than having none and directly impacting the aluminum chassis.
I certainly would't pay for Incase either, but it was not mine. And sure, the cases can be different.
I understand that if the case can create a slight gap it may prevent some problems. But I also think it may cause other problems. So I guess it's about the point of view... Personally, I would be most worried about the pressure that can be created at the specific areas (at the points of those "acrylic notches"), because when the laptop is stressed in the bag or someone grabs a closed laptop, the pressure is not distributed along the edge of the display by the rubber, but increases at the notches areas, and in my opinion, this may cause additional stress to the display right on these vunerable edges.
Just saying I wouldn't use it personally, but I can see the reasons why you would.
I understand that if the case can create a slight gap it may prevent some problems. But I also think it may cause other problems. So I guess it's about the point of view... Personally, I would be most worried about the pressure that can be created at the specific areas (at the points of those "acrylic notches"), because when the laptop is stressed in the bag or someone grabs a closed laptop, the pressure is not distributed along the edge of the display by the rubber, but increases at the notches areas, and in my opinion, this may cause additional stress to the display right on these vunerable edges.
Just saying I wouldn't use it personally, but I can see the reasons why you would.