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Space Black Color Durability Issues
- Thread starter FrankySavvy
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Thanks for the info. We can confirm that this is an ongoing issue. We could also assume that this has always been the case with silver and even space gray but these cosmetic imperfections happen to stand out more in space black.
I wonder if Apple will make any improvements to the coating/anodizing process at all.. I don't understand why some units are perfect while others come with these imperfections. By looking at the location of the defects, I assume these defects occurred during the assembly process. If that's the case, I don't think there will be any anodizing-specific improvements (e.g., adjusting certain chemicals used), and we just hope that we don't apply whatever degree of external force that may have been applied during the assembly process to our daily usage of space black Macbooks.
For those who say "these are just machines like cars with dents or scratches, there will always be wears and tears, enough with OCD!!" We are talking about "out of box" defects, not long term wears. Customers should be very disappointed about this.
For those who are extremely unhappy with these cosmetic issues, just get silver... because stress is bad for you! But I know.. space black is beautiful..
It's one thing to scratch or scuff the MacBook yourself but for it to come with scratches and manufacturing defects already, I think thats unacceptable for paying thousands of dollars for a computer.
Apple has been honoring their return policy and taking back the units with defects which is good.
If you dont have them on your machine - thats wonderful. Almost all Space Black units I have seen, have some degree of this machined defect. I will admit most of what I have seen, most people will not notice, but for those who do, it is perfectly acceptable for you to have Apple return or exchange.
I am still debating wether to go Silver or Space Black. After I returned my last Space Black unit because of a defect I needed a moment to think if I wanted to go through the lottery again.
Space Black is a wonderful color, but they need to figure out how to prevent these defects from occurring, maybe that is why the Space Black Apple Watch Ultra never came out.
Apple has been honoring their return policy and taking back the units with defects which is good.
If you dont have them on your machine - thats wonderful. Almost all Space Black units I have seen, have some degree of this machined defect. I will admit most of what I have seen, most people will not notice, but for those who do, it is perfectly acceptable for you to have Apple return or exchange.
I am still debating wether to go Silver or Space Black. After I returned my last Space Black unit because of a defect I needed a moment to think if I wanted to go through the lottery again.
Space Black is a wonderful color, but they need to figure out how to prevent these defects from occurring, maybe that is why the Space Black Apple Watch Ultra never came out.
I am in the same shoes as yours. My custom SB macbook pro is waiting in the cart to be checked out, but I am leaning towards skipping it. It looks like SB macbook’s resale value won’t be as high as other colors due to potentially more significant cosmetic wears.
A Sharpie is your friend. I've fixed small scratches on things with one. Not perfect, but better to me than were or scratches.
I am waiting for my M3 Pro 16" space black... I am seriously considering skipping this generation.
Did you pick it up from apple store or receive it from a carrier? How many defective units in total have you had before the silver one?
A few of them, see images.I am waiting for my M3 Pro 16" space black... I am seriously considering skipping this generation.
The space black had some manufacturing issues where the aluminum is machined showing the silver beneath it, also I have had a few scuffs and dents on some of the units as well. See images.
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Did you check your screen with a flashlight does it have the known small dents or scratches?
I have been seeing issues with dents and scratches in the screens on all MBPs. There is something definitely wrong during the assembly. I would suggest you send this to feedback section on the Apple website and send this to tcook@apple.com . They will never know if you not mail them, cause CS just doesn't do anything with the feedback.
I just got a SB M3 Max and there are no QC issues with it out of the box.
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Just exchanged the dented Silver M3 Max MacBookPro, the new one is absolutely flawless. They let me check it over in the store. I am glad I finally got a good one. For the inconvenience - Apple actually offered me an accessory for free so I got an Blue Alpine Loop Apple Watch band.
Not sure what Apple is doing with their QC but their customer service is great!
If you get one of these new M3 MacBook Pros, I would just check over for dents/scratches/defects before the 14 day return window.
If your OCD like me, it's best to go with the Silver.
if you don't mind the potential manufacturing defects that show up on the Space Black or the potential for wear and tear to show the silver beneath the Space Black, then go with Space Black, its a beautiful color.
My take is Silver is Classic Apple, Space Black is Modern/Stealth. Both great colors!
Not sure what Apple is doing with their QC but their customer service is great!
If you get one of these new M3 MacBook Pros, I would just check over for dents/scratches/defects before the 14 day return window.
If your OCD like me, it's best to go with the Silver.
if you don't mind the potential manufacturing defects that show up on the Space Black or the potential for wear and tear to show the silver beneath the Space Black, then go with Space Black, its a beautiful color.
My take is Silver is Classic Apple, Space Black is Modern/Stealth. Both great colors!
I wonder if there is some tooling or process that is causing those dents. I had to exchange three times for finish issues. Two of those three had dents in the exact same area as you show in your pics.
Were these macbook pros all CTO (Custom Order)? I ordered my m3 pro about a week ago and don't want to end up waiting for another 2-3 weeks if I find those QC issues and order another one...
100% this. I don't buy Apple laptops for how they look but what they do and the difference even between my space grey M2 and this one is pretty big in terms of distractions on screen. I'll take care of it but I imagine over time, some wear will appear.
Every time this thread pops up I check out my space black but I don't see any scratches or dents on it. I will admit that I have not taken a flashlight to it. Did I get lucky? Maybe. If I scratch it I think it will be more visible than space grey or silver. I assume eventually it will get a couple little scratches on it since all my laptops eventually got some minor scratches on them. I am more careful with this one because of the price and this thread.
I looked up space black issues at reddit. One person mentioned getting marks around the MagSafe port from connecting it. Most seem to really like their space black. The 2 most common complaints were that the dust was more visible so they had to wipe it off more (maybe that is a good thing???). The other negative comment was that it just doesn't look like an apple product out in public (I can't believe some would worry about that.)
As far as durability I guess time will tell but like I said, I think any scratches I get will be more visible.
If possible anything that cost this much I would buy in store and check it out before purchasing. If you have to order from apple, I think you have a 14 day window.
Finally, I think the space black runs faster and performs better than the other colors. JUST KIDDING!!!
I looked up space black issues at reddit. One person mentioned getting marks around the MagSafe port from connecting it. Most seem to really like their space black. The 2 most common complaints were that the dust was more visible so they had to wipe it off more (maybe that is a good thing???). The other negative comment was that it just doesn't look like an apple product out in public (I can't believe some would worry about that.)
As far as durability I guess time will tell but like I said, I think any scratches I get will be more visible.
If possible anything that cost this much I would buy in store and check it out before purchasing. If you have to order from apple, I think you have a 14 day window.
Finally, I think the space black runs faster and performs better than the other colors. JUST KIDDING!!!