MBA Maximum Screen to Body Angle

[trentiles]

If I had to guess those MBA's hinges are broken. I just tested the screen angle on my MBA and it gets to a certain point (around 120) and then there is a "stop", you can feel the resistance. I can easily see floor models being pushed past this "stop" and thus opening how you see above.

 

[SodiumBenzoate]

Wasn't there a recent post where a guy threw his open MBA onto his bed, heard a pop, and the screen could then open to nearly 180 degrees?

 

[Alan Taylor]

Wasn't there a recent post where a guy threw his open MBA onto his bed, heard a pop, and the screen could then open to nearly 180 degrees?

You gotta think that the wires for the backlight, ambient light sensor, isight and such are gonna get strained!

 

[taphil]

Well the strange thing was that both MBAs were working normally. Also, the hinges were working well too, smooth and tight throughout the full range.

 

[trentiles]

Well the strange thing was that both MBAs were working normally. Also, the hinges were working well too, smooth and tight throughout the full range.

This may be true but the MBA was not designed to be opened that far. I could see problems creeping up in the future in the form of hinge issues and display issue's due to cabling being stretch further then it was designed to.

 

[PDE]

This maybe a little of a conspiracy theory, but couldn't it be that they WERE designed to go back that far and Apple artificially restricted them because the other laptops they sell were not designed well in terms of the tilt? It would look inconsistent and bad if the MBA could tilt all the way back and the others couldn't. I bet you the next generation of All apple's laptops will tilt more....

I also used one in the Apple Store on 14th stree NYC that could go back all the way. It worked perfectly and normally at all ranges: no wobble or collapse of the bezel backward or forward. In short, it was exactly as I would like it to be all the time and way most PC laptops are.

 

[meagain]

I just read on the Apple forums some guy tossing his open Air on a sofa, the lid opened wide - he claims the lid can now open like the pic but still works perfectly and stays in place where he puts it.

Hmmm..... So who's going to try it?

 

[jackfrost123]

I bet you the next generation of All apple's laptops will tilt more....

Great prediction buddy, do you have a glass ball somewhere?

 

[Lumpydog]

Wow on that! Was the lid broken or did it work as normal? I'd love to be able to adjust mine to pull that off.

That MBA in the picture is clearly broken. Several forum members have posted that they've accidentally made this mod by opening the display too far - usually accompanied by a loud crack. I would not recommend it.

 

[n0de]

The ones in the pictures must be broken.

Apparently, from other reports, there is a small plastic clip on the inside of the hinge that restricts the opening. It apparently breaks quite easily and has no additional negative impact to the hinges if removed. I would only be afraid to do it intentionally in case the piece that breaks off gets caught in the hinge.

I suppose you could open it up and remove it safely if you were so inclined.

 

[jackfrost123]

The ones in the pictures must be broken.

Apparently, from other reports, there is a small plastic clip on the inside of the hinge that restricts the opening. It apparently breaks quite easily and has no additional negative impact to the hinges if removed. I would only be afraid to do it intentionally in case the piece that breaks off gets caught in the hinge.

I suppose you could open it up and remove it safely if you were so inclined.

But how? Is there a take it apart guide to do such a thing. If it doesn't affect the air in terms of structure or durability but only in screen angle i know a LOT of people that would just LOVE to see the air being...well air-y and bend bakwards as much as possible and give them the possibility to use it more comfortably on their lap or even flat out and looking at it from the top, I used to do that all the time with my ubuntu lappie.

 

[Molopo]

Hey you guys, I am thinking of getting the mba (or rather the mba 2 hopefully because I wouldn't want any nast core shutdowns and from what I ve been reading apple's awful customer support) and I d like to know one specification that I can't seem to find online. I read somewhere of the "by design" limit of the maximum angle to which the screen can go back wrt the mba's body. I was looking at it in a store and it is rather limited, and as I a used to holding my lappie in a way that requires a somewhat large opening it would great if I could find out exactly what the degrees are. (I usually like to sit on a sofa with legs arched in an upside down V shape and laptop on my lap which requires that the screen be moved further back to get the right constrast - I am sure a lot of people must find this way very comfy).

p.s. another quick question: I tried this in the store where I was checking mba out tell me this is true: You can tap double tap on a scroll bar and move it down with the trackpad, right? I do this all the time, double tap on the trackpad to "get" the scroll bar of the window and move my finger down. If this cannot happen it will have to be one of the dumbest moves from apple (because THE DUMBEST ONE IS THAT ONE BUTTON TRACKPAD INSTEAD OF TWO)

And just what is the point of this thread?

 

[jackfrost123]

And just what is the point of this thread?

why don't you ask the rest of the 1500 people that read and/or contributed moron? Anyway I will humor you, It's about a spec a lot of people find very useful and some recent revelation that it might NOT be an inherent design limitation of the air but rather a (reversible) design choice. It's why as another user expertly predicted apple took care of it in the macbook and macbook pro and enabled the new unibody design to open further back than they used to.

 

[BobF4321]

From the MBA late 2008 user guide:
"Adjust the angle of the display to minimize glare and reflections from overhead lights
and windows. Do not force the display if you meet resistance. The display is not
designed to open past 125 degrees."

 

[jackfrost123]

From the MBA late 2008 user guide:
"Adjust the angle of the display to minimize glare and reflections from overhead lights
and windows. Do not force the display if you meet resistance. The display is not
designed to open past 125 degrees."

Great so we have an official number too, but it's worth exploring what "is not designed to means", does it mean it will cause irreperable harm and hinder performance if you do break that plastic impediment or not.