Talked w/ an Apple employee about MacBook discoloration.

[Igantius]

Due to the improvement in the plastic used, in your opinion, is there much point buying a palm guard for MBs now?

 

[khunsanook]

Due to the improvement in the plastic used, in your opinion, is there much point buying a palm guard for MBs now?

The palmrest area, trackpad and button will still show wear after awhile, so if this is going to bother you then use some sort of guard.

 

[chipchen]

Due to the improvement in the plastic used, in your opinion, is there much point buying a palm guard for MBs now?

like all textured plastics... there will eventually be a smooting of the area you rub against. plus dirt and oils... it doesn't absorb as much... but it still gets dirty.

I say it's like getting a bra for the front of your car... if you want to keep it pristine, and don't mind it looking bad... do it. otherwise, I say let it be.

fortunately, I have a disease that keeps me from having to make this decision. (I have chronic upgrade-itus... I can't keep a machine for more than a few months. I've gone through probably 8 machines in two years)

 

[Igantius]

Ta for the feedback guys - much appreciated!

(I have chronic upgrade-itus... I can't keep a machine for more than a few months. I've gone through probably 8 machines in two years)

There's a lot of it going round!

 

[kinesin]

My applecare warrant runs out today, so after the last weeks aftercare sales call to remind me and ask if i wanted to extent it. I mentioned about the discolouration of the palmrests - they suggested taking to my local store to check out.
Managed to pop over to Manchester's Trafford store last night with about 35mins till closing, asked one of the staff they grabbed the last genius bar appointment of the day. Signed a form, handed the MacBook over, and this morning I've already had a call to say it's good to pick up
Impressed! especially as the discoloration was IMO very mild, but looked worst is photos etc.

 

[Igantius]

That's good to know... just about everything I've read about Apple fixing this problem has tended to be in the States, so it's nice to hear about elsewhere.

 

[Jo-Kun]

I had mine replaced 3 times...

last time the employee told me the issue was the Macbook getting hot & thus easing up the process of trapping oil & dirt from your hands... nothing much they can do about it & I have noticed the plastic looking/feeling the same each time a new part was added... so I guess they didn't change the manufacturing process that much, but it differs from the iBooks wich cleaned much more easy since they never heated up this much and thus not 'burning' the oils and so in the plastic parts

anyway only the first time I got my macbook in for the discoloring, the two other times there were more structural problems with the hardware & they replaced the bodyparts anyway because the looked bad, not because I was telling them to do so

 

[Igantius]

Interesting that you didn't need to ask the second two times!

Other posters (e.g. in this thread) have said the difference between plastics was noticeably, so your experience there was interesting too.