macbook pro mid 2019 anti-reflection coating issues?

[rvleurin]

I just got my 13" macbook pro for a week when during wiping the anti-reflection coating came off. I remembered reading about it for earlier macbooks, but since the repair program ended I assumed it would be fixed. Will try to return it to apple, but not sure if they will charge for 'damage'.

Anyone else still having the issue with newer models?

 

[alias99]

What did you wipe it with?

 

[rvleurin]

I used paper towel with some water, it seems the prints of my fingers had already dissolved the coating. But I've been using it for not even a week. Seems really bad to me. Not even sure I want to have it replace if I get a refund.

 

[VineRider]

Paper towels are not good for cleaning screens.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172

See link for recommended procedure

 

[rvleurin]

I see, but the stain was already there anyway. Also would be very bad excuse for a 1600 EUR laptop.

 

[0906742]

Is OP referring to entry Pro 2019 model?

I haven't seen AR coating issues yet but I haven't cleaned the screen with other than wiping off the dust with microfibre cloth and used my breath for one fingerprint I managed to make lower left corner.

Anyways is surface of the screen very soft? I noticed that there are two short hairline scratches on my screen. I'm pretty sure they weren't there from the factory but I could be wrong. I inspected the screen pretty carefully when I got my machine and I did not notice them then. However couple days ago I noticed first small only about 1/3" long hairline scratch on screen. Then maybe day later I noticed about the same size hairline scratch about identical position at the opposite side of the screen. My cleaning method has been that I have been just lightly swabbing the dust off the screen maybe once a day. I do not rub the screen hard with microfibre cloth, I just fold it to about half of a postcard size and then hold on the edge and use it like a spatula to wipe the screen very lightly.

I was wondering if that would be enough to scratch the screen? I have used that method to my other laptop screens, TV's and I have cleaned my iPad screen also by rubbing harder sometimes to clean some stubborn stains off the screen and none of them have any scratch from that. Is coating on the MBP so soft that this could cause scratches or were those scratches there from the factory but I just did not see them until now? Because strokes I made during wiping off the dust were much longer and always all the way to the edge of the screen but these scratches did not reach the edge, so I wonder if that would be even possible. Anyway I have experienced with my previous iPhone 7 that screen coating was so soft that it would scratch from just wiping it with microfibre cloth, even when there was no dirt on the screen (I pulled off protective film before installing the tempered glass screen protector and I noticed that wiping the screen with microfibre cloth caused hairline scratches I was wondering if the new MBP screen is like that too).

They are not very obvious and can be seen with light coming from certain angles, so there is a possibility I did not just notice them until now, but now when I know where they are I find them easily. They do not show up in normal use, so not a big thing but I want to make sure I don't get more. Would it be wiser to avoid wiping the screen and use compressed air or similar to clean the screen without actually touching it with anything? Also does the surface of the screen touch keyboard or upper case parts when lid is closed? I do not carry my MBP with me so I don't have any additional pressure on the lid when it is closed. Or would it be better to let some dust remain on the screen? I thought if there is not much clearance between the screen and chassis when lid is closed the dust on the screen surface would rub the screen causing the possible marks. But if that is not possible then I guess I should not bother to clean it so often anyways.

 

[jerryk]

Paper towels are not good for cleaning screens.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172

See link for recommended procedure

Definitely. A paper towel is highly abrasive. It is wood fiber. Like wiping with sand paper. Creates little scratches that you try to wipe away and create more scratches, that you try to wipe those away, ......

Apple will be able to see the scratches in a bright light. I hope the OP gets luck and they cover it. And gets used to living with a few smudges.

 

[collin_]

Is OP referring to entry Pro 2019 model?

I haven't seen AR coating issues yet but I haven't cleaned the screen with other than wiping off the dust with microfibre cloth and used my breath for one fingerprint I managed to make lower left corner.

Anyways is surface of the screen very soft? I noticed that there are two short hairline scratches on my screen. I'm pretty sure they weren't there from the factory but I could be wrong. I inspected the screen pretty carefully when I got my machine and I did not notice them then. However couple days ago I noticed first small only about 1/3" long hairline scratch on screen. Then maybe day later I noticed about the same size hairline scratch about identical position at the opposite side of the screen. My cleaning method has been that I have been just lightly swabbing the dust off the screen maybe once a day. I do not rub the screen hard with microfibre cloth, I just fold it to about half of a postcard size and then hold on the edge and use it like a spatula to wipe the screen very lightly.

I was wondering if that would be enough to scratch the screen? I have used that method to my other laptop screens, TV's and I have cleaned my iPad screen also by rubbing harder sometimes to clean some stubborn stains off the screen and none of them have any scratch from that. Is coating on the MBP so soft that this could cause scratches or were those scratches there from the factory but I just did not see them until now? Because strokes I made during wiping off the dust were much longer and always all the way to the edge of the screen but these scratches did not reach the edge, so I wonder if that would be even possible. Anyway I have experienced with my previous iPhone 7 that screen coating was so soft that it would scratch from just wiping it with microfibre cloth, even when there was no dirt on the screen (I pulled off protective film before installing the tempered glass screen protector and I noticed that wiping the screen with microfibre cloth caused hairline scratches I was wondering if the new MBP screen is like that too).

They are not very obvious and can be seen with light coming from certain angles, so there is a possibility I did not just notice them until now, but now when I know where they are I find them easily. They do not show up in normal use, so not a big thing but I want to make sure I don't get more. Would it be wiser to avoid wiping the screen and use compressed air or similar to clean the screen without actually touching it with anything? Also does the surface of the screen touch keyboard or upper case parts when lid is closed? I do not carry my MBP with me so I don't have any additional pressure on the lid when it is closed. Or would it be better to let some dust remain on the screen? I thought if there is not much clearance between the screen and chassis when lid is closed the dust on the screen surface would rub the screen causing the possible marks. But if that is not possible then I guess I should not bother to clean it so often anyways.

Once a day...? My MBP screen needs to be wiped down like every few months. That's extremely frequent and puts you at a much higher risk of scratching it or wearing down the coating. I do get a few specs on my screen each day but I just carefully remove them with my fingernail.

 

[baypharm]

Magic fiber is the best for these types of screens

 

[rvleurin]

Definitely. A paper towel is highly abrasive. It is wood fiber. Like wiping with sand paper. Creates little scratches that you try to wipe away and create more scratches, that you try to wipe those away, ......

Apple will be able to see the scratches in a bright light. I hope the OP gets luck and they cover it. And gets used to living with a few smudges.

I was already during rubbing the fingerprints that I noticed the display looked strange, I expect the print to clear but was making the stain bigger instead. Then I used some paper towel + water and realized there was no stain, it was the coating that was removed. I'll post a picture later.

I'm indeed crossing fingers for a full refund.

 

[0906742]

Once a day...? My MBP screen needs to be wiped down like every few months. That's extremely frequent and puts you at a much higher risk of scratching it or wearing down the coating. I do get a few specs on my screen each day but I just carefully remove them with my fingernail.

I guess I need to stop cleaning dust every day. It just seems kind of a dust magnet and now during hot season AC blowing air there is always some dust in the air. And it does not help having couple cats around, the hair seems to fly everyewhere.

Anyway, is there enough clearance between the screen and laptop lower body so that when the lid is closed, the screen is not touching anything? If not, I guess some dust is not an issue.

Do you think my cleaning method I described would cause scratching? Is the screen scratch prone in MBP?
I'm really not 100% sure I made those scratches or if they were there from the beginning but I inspected the screen very carefully when I got it and I did not notice anything, so I'm puzzled.
[doublepost=1564492625][/doublepost]

I was already during rubbing the fingerprints that I noticed the display looked strange, I expect the print to clear but was making the stain bigger instead. Then I used some paper towel + water and realized there was no stain, it was the coating that was removed. I'll post a picture later.

I'm indeed crossing fingers for a full refund.

Is your unit 1.4GHz entry MBP 2019 or 2.4GHz MBP 2019 model?

 

[The Mercurian]

Is this the same thing as staingate? Because my 2018 MBP has minor but growing screen defects that looks very much like my 2014 one had from staingate..... not done anything about it yet thou.

 

[Fishrrman]

"I used paper towel with some water,"

PAPER TOWELS....?????
EGADS !!!!

Paper towels have wood fiber in them -- an ABRASIVE.

How old is this computer?
Can you still get AppleCare Plus for it?
If you can, CALL AND GET IT TODAY.

Then... take it to an Apple Store and have them look at and possibly replace the display.

YOU'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE TO PAY SOME MONEY.
But it won't be as much as paying without AppleCare.

And for heaven's sake --- LEARN HOW TO TREAT THE DISPLAY to prevent something like this from happening in the future.
(all shouting is intentional)

All MacBook Pro displays have a VERY THIN, sprayed-on anti-glare coating that is VERY fragile.
Just touching the display can begin to wear the coating.
You want to "clean it" as little as possible.
And only with the right kind of material (very soft cloth).
That's "a fact of MacBook Pro life".

 

[rvleurin]

Got the point on paper towel by now. But still, you would expect minor scratches then. I would have learned my lesson and moved on, but this is simply unacceptable.

On the right side I never used the paper towel, also has the scratches.
1) left side where i used the paper towel in the corner, I immediately stopped when I noticed it got worse
2) right side where I never cleaned with anything
[doublepost=1564501867][/doublepost]

I guess I need to stop cleaning dust every day. It just seems kind of a dust magnet and now during hot season AC blowing air there is always some dust in the air. And it does not help having couple cats around, the hair seems to fly everyewhere.

Anyway, is there enough clearance between the screen and laptop lower body so that when the lid is closed, the screen is not touching anything? If not, I guess some dust is not an issue.

Do you think my cleaning method I described would cause scratching? Is the screen scratch prone in MBP?
I'm really not 100% sure I made those scratches or if they were there from the beginning but I inspected the screen very carefully when I got it and I did not notice anything, so I'm puzzled.
[doublepost=1564492625][/doublepost]
Is your unit 1.4GHz entry MBP 2019 or 2.4GHz MBP 2019 model?

It's the 1.4 i5. Off topic: big fan of the touch bar. Read a lot of negative comments but I like it.

 

[0906742]

It's the 1.4 i5.

Is it from Quanta or Foxconn factory (check serial number first character is it C or F)?

What manufacturing date? It shows on serial numbers 4:th and 5:th character.

I was surprised to hear that laptop in this price range has those mickey mouse sprayed on coatings that rub off easily… No wonder I got two small hairline scratches from just slight brush with microfibre cloth to clean dust off the screen. I guess better let it get dust on it and forget about it. It just seem to collect so much dust in just one day.
I had no issues with scratches with my Air 2018 using the same method to lift the dust off the screen. Is there better coating on those ones?

 

[seeforyourself]

Got the point on paper towel by now. But still, you would expect minor scratches then. I would have learned my lesson and moved on, but this is simply unacceptable.

On the right side I never used the paper towel, also has the scratches.
1) left side where i used the paper towel in the corner, I immediately stopped when I noticed it got worse
2) right side where I never cleaned with anything
[doublepost=1564501867][/doublepost]


It's the 1.4 i5. Off topic: big fan of the touch bar. Read a lot of negative comments but I like it.

Since you're within the 2 week return period, i would just return it. There is a new redesign coming out soon anyways.

 

[rvleurin]

C and then YV, how does that correspond to a date?

I know apple can do coatings as the one on the iPads and iPhones cope just fine (yes, even with paper towel). Really disappointed in this.
[doublepost=1564504059][/doublepost]

Since you're within the 2 week return period, i would just return it. There is a new redesign coming out soon anyways.

If I return it they would charge me for the damage, so would lose money and still have no macbook. I'll go to service point on Saturday, to check what they think.

 

[idark77]

C and then YV, how does that correspond to a date?

The first 3 alphanumeric characters are the location code (ex.: C02 or C07 is Quanta Computer China).
The 4th and 5th character of the serial number represents the year and the week when the device was manufactured so in your case YV -> Y=2019 V=week24 (10-14 June 2019).

 

[0906742]

C and then YV, how does that correspond to a date?

It is manufactured in June 2019. Pretty much the same as mine, so hopefully they did not have some problem in production at that time. However my coating seems fine so far other than those two small scratches.

Hey, since you have machine almost identical as mine, you could check your unit by running Cinebench and CoconutBattery while machine is running on battery? See if full charge capacity drops while the test is running (check the capacity after test has run so long that cooling fans is running at full speed and Coconut show power draw about 40W).

I know apple can do coatings as the one on the iPads and iPhones cope just fine (yes, even with paper towel). Really disappointed in this.

Definitely. I also had no idea that coatings on MBP's are that fragile. I cleaned one small fingerprint by breathing on the screen as moisturing it and then gently wiped that location with microfibre cloth. Seemed to clean fine, at least I did not noticed it damaging.

Would it be better the get some kind of screen protector for it? I can imagine the pain of installing one on screen this size as it is so hard to do well on smaller iPhone screen…

Is coating on MBP worse than Air? I mean I noticed no problems it scratching with using the same cleaning method?

If I return it they would charge me for the damage, so would lose money and still have no macbook. I'll go to service point on Saturday, to check what they think.

Did you try microfibre or other delicate methods trying to clean those stains (like breath for moisture it)? I mean they are really permanently damaged?
Seriously I would demand for replacement.

 

[seeforyourself]

C and then YV, how does that correspond to a date?

I know apple can do coatings as the one on the iPads and iPhones cope just fine (yes, even with paper towel). Really disappointed in this.
[doublepost=1564504059][/doublepost]

If I return it they would charge me for the damage, so would lose money and still have no macbook. I'll go to service point on Saturday, to check what they think.

If this is within the 2 week period it would be considered damaged on arrival. Let us know what they say saturday.

 

[0906742]

I just checked my screen again under led flashlamp and while screen is rather dusty, I did not see anything obvious, just one very short "milky" like short line (just few millimeters long thin line) on the upper right corner that looked a lot like smaller ones on your second photo. However that cleaned off perfectly by just swiping that exact location with the corner of microfibre cloth. I Also check again that fingerprint location I cleaned earlier and it seemed quite fine. I did clean it a little more to make sure as there was still some left but it looks also fine. I'm not actually sure if it was my fingerprint or was it there from the factory.

Anyway, since your screen is already ruined, I would try very carefully good quality microfibre cloth and test is precisely on the one of the stains to make sure no more damage is done but to make sure it is not just greasy stain. Those paper cloths often tend to just spread the stains on delicate surfaces and I've seen more than once that something just getting more damaged looking by wiping with water and paper cloth became like new after trying good quality microfibre cloth.
But if AR coating Apple uses these is somekind of spray on thing, I guess it is possible it is damaged for good. Too bad if the really use so delicate coating. I would imagine most peoples run in to situations where something gets splashed on the screen or someone touches it with greasy fingers, so eventually everyone needs to clean it some way, so it is reasonable to expect you can clean it some way.

 

[collin_]

I guess I need to stop cleaning dust every day. It just seems kind of a dust magnet and now during hot season AC blowing air there is always some dust in the air. And it does not help having couple cats around, the hair seems to fly everyewhere.

Anyway, is there enough clearance between the screen and laptop lower body so that when the lid is closed, the screen is not touching anything? If not, I guess some dust is not an issue.

Do you think my cleaning method I described would cause scratching? Is the screen scratch prone in MBP?
I'm really not 100% sure I made those scratches or if they were there from the beginning but I inspected the screen very carefully when I got it and I did not notice anything, so I'm puzzled.
[doublepost=1564492625][/doublepost]
Is your unit 1.4GHz entry MBP 2019 or 2.4GHz MBP 2019 model?

Your method of cleaning the screen sounds fine, but I guess there is still a risk that the microfiber cloth or the screen will have some debris on it that could scratch when moved around. Also idk what cloth you're using but I would use one of those small ones made specifically for screens rather than a larger washcloth-like one.

 

[0906742]

Your method of cleaning the screen sounds fine, but I guess there is still a risk that the microfiber cloth or the screen will have some debris on it that could scratch when moved around. Also idk what cloth you're using but I would use one of those small ones made specifically for screens rather than a larger washcloth-like one.

I'm mostly using small one designed for optics and similar delicate things that came in small bag where to store it between uses. I have also used one very soft larger one what I used with my Air and other delicate displays before but I guess from now on I must pay attention to what I use with my MBP.

Anyway what you said it true because even just swiping off the dust that lands on the screen get dragged against the screen, and I guess that's where I got those 2 short hairline scratches, I just don't get why they do not go all the way to edge where I swiped them, so not 100% sure if that caused them. Also how in the heck to remove dust off the screen without swiping them the way I did? it is pretty impossible trying to pick them up one by one. Even at this moment I have like 1000 small dust particles on the screen because I wiped it maybe 2 days ago last time.

 

[collin_]

I'm mostly using small one designed for optics and similar delicate things that came in small bag where to store it between uses. I have also used one very soft larger one what I used with my Air and other delicate displays before but I guess from now on I must pay attention to what I use with my MBP.

Anyway what you said it true because even just swiping off the dust that lands on the screen get dragged against the screen, and I guess that's where I got those 2 short hairline scratches, I just don't get why they do not go all the way to edge where I swiped them, so not 100% sure if that caused them. Also how in the heck to remove dust off the screen without swiping them the way I did? it is pretty impossible trying to pick them up one by one. Even at this moment I have like 1000 small dust particles on the screen because I wiped it maybe 2 days ago last time.

It's unfortunate that you cleaned it the correct way and still got scratches. I wonder if it would be okay to use compressed air?

 

[0906742]

I guess compressed air could work but with those canned ones there is possibility to accidently get spill if bottle is not straight up when using it and also air that comes out is pretty cold, so probably causing screen to get some moisture on it and just getting all dust baked in easier.

Anyone found a safe method how to wipe off the dust without damaging the coating?