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Checking for Defects/Imperfections on BRAND NEW MBA 13"!!!

K

Kelped

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 24, 2010
51
0
I just purchased a brand new 13 inch i5 1.7 Macbook Air!

I am new to the Macbook world, and I was wondering if there are any common defects/imperfections I should know about.

I've read reports of people purchasing lemons, so what should I be checking for? I haven't noticed any display defects yet, and I haven't noticed any scratches on the body (although there were bits of factory dust/dirt/grime on the laptop during unboxing).

Should I be running any diagnostic software? Also, do batteries vary in quality? How do I know if I got a good one, and does it need to be broken in?

Thanks!
 
blueroom

blueroom

macrumors 603
Feb 15, 2009
6,381
26
Toronto, Canada
I think Apple products are the leading cause of OCD.

Unless you never touch it, it'll eventually get its share of scratches and dents. So just use it as Apple will fix it free for a year, if you want purchase Apple care and it their problem for the next three years.
 
johnhurley

johnhurley

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2011
777
56
Kelped said:
I just purchased a brand new 13 inch i5 1.7 Macbook Air!
Click to expand...

Think about buying a good book on macs. Mac os lion for dummies is pretty good for a starting point. Another good option is Mac os x Lion the missing manual.

Try buying either one of those books and read them cover to cover a couple of times!
 
K

kolax

macrumors G3
Mar 20, 2007
9,181
115
I'm fine with visual imperfections. Wee chips here and there, no problem.

Dead pixels on the screen, or a crappy panel are my only concern. So just check it for dead pixels. If you have a great display, and there's a slight chip or a scratch, then just live with it.

I'll take a decent display over aesthetic glitches any day.


johnhurley said:
Think about buying a good book on macs. Mac os lion for dummies is pretty good for a starting point. Another good option is Mac os x Lion the missing manual.

Try buying either one of those books and read them cover to cover a couple of times!
Click to expand...

No need. He's joined this forum, which is far better than reading a textbook. Any problem he has, MacRumors google it and there'll most likely be a solution. As opposed to scanning a textbook..

.
 
M

Mandrel

macrumors newbie
Oct 25, 2011
6
0
I was in the same boat, only had my Air for a couple weeks now. Didn't think anything about checking it out fully, as everything was running so well.

I had only used one USB port for two weeks, when I needed to use the second. I plugged something in, it didn't register, then I got the "drawing too much power, so the USB port is disabled" error. Tracked down all the solutions I could online, resetting the PRAM or whatever it's called, all that. Turns out the port was physically installed improperly.

So, being a bit OCD about this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
 
A

Aras87

macrumors member
Sep 14, 2011
51
0
I would check for screen issues and body creaking. Put a white background on the screen and make sure you don't see excesive black spots around the corners, edges etc.. very common quality problem for MBAs. Also make sure when you put your MBA on a table it doesn't wobble. Finally make sure it doesn't creak when you put your hand on the palmrest or pick it up with single hand. If it is creaking now, it is only going to get worse.
 
GenesisJLS

GenesisJLS

macrumors regular
Apr 21, 2009
145
1
If you are extremely worried that you purchased a 'dud', just bring you Air to your local Apple store and compare it to the similar machine.

I would just check if there are any dead pixels and check if lighting is evenly spread across the screen. Have fun with your fantastic machine.
 
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