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iPad mini Beware iPad mini Black Scuffs - Manufacturing Fault!

A

adamirox

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 10, 2012
16
0
I bought mine last Friday. 4 days later I notice nasty scuffs on the ionised alluminium around the casing. There was not a single scratch anywhere else!
I had it for 4 days and it looked like the paint had simply peeled off. No other scratches anywhere else but the coloured alluminium bit. I´d been really looking after it all those...FOUR days lol

i did some research on the net and found there were leaks about this issue delaying ipad mini's release and similar problems with the iphone 5.

Other people are experiencing similar issues.

I returned mine today and luckily got a full refund.

If you've had this happen to you let ppl know and post your story. It's still early on but many people are noticing scuffs and paint peeling off already only a week into the device's release!

apple is really taking a mick with this!
 
nfl46

nfl46

macrumors G3
Oct 5, 2008
8,345
8,696
So far so good for mines. I have no case and I lay my mini on the table a lot.
 
N

nishishei

macrumors regular
Jun 5, 2005
203
0
This is why I always go naked with my devices. That way when it's scratched, you don't give a sh-t, and just keep using it for what it's used for. Too many people put their iToys in ridiculous cases. What is the purpose of being super thin and light when you have it in an inch thick case that weighs more?
 
B

bcaslis

macrumors 68020
Mar 11, 2008
2,184
237
Really? Others are experiencing this? Less capitals and exclamations and more facts. I've had one since launch day and its perfect like new.
 
wx4olf

wx4olf

macrumors regular
Jun 15, 2010
149
22
No problems here - naked except fora Smart Cover. I toss the thing around without much regard and so far no scratches or scuffs. Black mini by the way.
 
urkel

urkel

macrumors 68030
Nov 3, 2008
2,795
917
bcaslis said:
Really? Others are experiencing this? Less capitals and exclamations and more facts. I've had one since launch day and its perfect like new.
Click to expand...
Actually, claims that the black anodized casing scuffs easily or that there are manufacturers defects with chippin along the beveled edges is a fact. It happened with the iPhone and is happening with the iPad Mini.

While its easy to dismiss this as simple whining, when cracks or chipping appear on a painted surface then it can lead to more paint flaking off so its worth paying attention.

For me, I have chipping on both my iPad and iPhone 5 but I don't care because j view these as tools. But for those who view it as a functional piece of art then it's understandably annoying to see blemishes that aren't your fault.
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,124
31,156
urkel said:
Actually, claims that the black anodized casing scuffs easily or that there are manufacturers defects with chippin along the beveled edges is a fact. It happened with the iPhone and is happening with the iPad Mini.

While its easy to dismiss this as simple whining, when cracks or chipping appear on a painted surface then it can lead to more paint flaking off so its worth paying attention.

For me, I have chipping on both my iPad and iPhone 5 but I don't care because j view these as tools. But for those who view it as a functional piece of art then it's understandably annoying to see blemishes that aren't your fault.
Click to expand...

Yes but another fact is there are people who don't have this issue. And typically the ones who have issue free devices are the ones least heard from because they don't go on message boards to tell people their device is flawless.
 
A

adamirox

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 10, 2012
16
0
bcaslis said:
Really? Others are experiencing this? Less capitals and exclamations and more facts. I've had one since launch day and its perfect like new.
Click to expand...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1486516/

Here for example, dude. Glad yours is okay. Wishin u all the best but the fact is SOME do have this problem and so did mine.

Btw i had no protective cases anyway. Don't know how that came up in this discussion.

And as it's been said above, it's not really about starting a fight between ppl who have had this issue (I am convinced more people will in days/weeks to come) and those who don't. It's about turning people's attention to this potential manufacturing issue.

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/10/11/ipad-mini-low-yield-rates-chassis/


And for all those who feel the need to boast about how beautiful and ntact your ipad mini is... It's not about you. Enjoy the state of your devices (while it lasts) ;)
 
U

unagimiyagi

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2009
905
229
Form over function.
Aluminum is a poor choice for Apple products.
It dents and it scratches. Some would say better that than heavy and shattering.
OP is right that there's really nothing that Apple can do to fix these scuffs. They'll either happen in the factory or over time when you own it. It was just a bad choice from their materials engineers. No matter how much Apple thinks that the anodized aluminum is good, it doesn't change the facts.
It's not some revolutionary manufacturing process. Perhaps other companies investigated and felt like anodized aluminum isn't very durable and abandoned the idea.
Much scuffier than good old soft touch plastic.
Soft touch plastic does not need to be cheap. Look at some of the stuff HTC is putting out. No one can knock their build quality, although for some unknown reason no one buys their stuff. But as an OEM they are top notch and a great design house. They're in last place, but they don't deserve to be from a pure product quality point of view.

To those who don't care about the chips/scratches, great. But it is Apple itself who bills these devices as works of art and the pinnacle of engineering. If you're going to hype it up, price it up, then any "backlash" that happens is 100% on Apple. They haven't delivered, plain and simple. I would say that if you bought a BMW and there was a chip, or a Cartier with a scratch, complaining is justified. Apple in the electronics world is just that. This is the game they try to play--sell hardware at very high margins. They are the high end and only dabble in the high end. Well, you're going to get some customers who expect a certain level of quality when you play in the high end. No sympathy from me whatsoever if a guy wants to return 10 iphones.
 
Last edited:
A

adamirox

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 10, 2012
16
0
unagimiyagi said:
Form over function.
Aluminum is a poor choice for Apple products.
It dents and it scratches. Some would say better that than heavy and shattering.
OP is right that there's really nothing that Apple can do to fix these scuffs. They'll either happen in the factory or over time when you own it. It was just a bad choice from their materials engineers. No matter how much Apple thinks that the anodized aluminum is good, it doesn't change the facts.
It's not some revolutionary manufacturing process. Perhaps other companies investigated and felt like anodized aluminum isn't very durable and abandoned the idea.
Much scuffier than good old soft touch plastic.
Soft touch plastic does not need to be cheap. Look at some of the stuff HTC is putting out. No one can knock their build quality, although for some unknown reason no one buys their stuff. But as an OEM they are top notch and a great design house. They're in last place, but they don't deserve to be from a pure product quality point of view.

To those who don't care about the chips/scratches, great. But it is Apple itself who bills these devices as works of art and the pinnacle of engineering. If you're going to hype it up, price it up, then any "backlash" that happens is 100% on Apple. They haven't delivered, plain and simple. I would say that if you bought a BMW and there was a chip, or a Cartier with a scratch, complaining is justified. Apple in the electronics world is just that. This is the game they try to play--sell hardware at very high margins. They are the high end and only dabble in the high end. Well, you're going to get some customers who expect a certain level of quality when you play in the high end. No sympathy from me whatsoever if a guy wants to return 10 iphones.
Click to expand...


Good point. Just to be clear, mine was not scuffed upon purchase. My issue is that four days after, having taken utmost care, the paint on the front border surrounding the screen appeared to have chipped off when there was not a single scratch elsewhere. I own an ipad 2 and been constantly using it at work since April 2012 and no scuffs or scratches have appeared so far.

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/10/11/ipad-mini-low-yield-rates-chassis/

In Spain, where i am at the moment no shops stock the white one (that's including the official apple stores) which leads me to believe that it is extremely convenient for apple to push the not-so-durable black models first anyway. Whether this is the case, don't know, don't care - i got my money back for the one i purchased last Friday. I am sure that apple must have been aware of the shortcomings of their design on black ipad minis. It's only been one week and there are people cropping up saying they've had their minis arriving scuffed or paint chipping off only days after careful use. I think we will see more reports like this.
 
kas23

kas23

macrumors 603
Oct 28, 2007
5,629
288
Have you not read any of the black iPhone 5 threads? If not, my condolences.
 
F

FrozenDarkness

macrumors 68000
Mar 21, 2009
1,727
968
actually, ever since word came out that they're being more anal with what comes out of the production line, my iphone 5 and my ipad mini were perfect out of the box.
 
A

AFDoc

Suspended
Jun 29, 2012
2,864
629
Colorado Springs USA for now
I have been pretty abusive with mine so far (abusive to my standards anyway) and my 7 year old daughter has really taken a shine to it and has been using it a lot. I even dropped it on the corner, dented but anodizing is still in tact. Not saying you're not having issues but simply saying it's holding up really well for me.
 
Kayakphotos

Kayakphotos

macrumors member
Nov 7, 2012
79
27
Naples, FL
I have a case and no scratches so far. I was going to get the white model but Sandy delayed the shipment at the best buy and I don't feel like exchanging.
 
B

bcaslis

macrumors 68020
Mar 11, 2008
2,184
237
adamirox said:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1486516/

Here for example, dude. Glad yours is okay. Wishin u all the best but the fact is SOME do have this problem and so did mine.

Btw i had no protective cases anyway. Don't know how that came up in this discussion.

And as it's been said above, it's not really about starting a fight between ppl who have had this issue (I am convinced more people will in days/weeks to come) and those who don't. It's about turning people's attention to this potential manufacturing issue.

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/10/11/ipad-mini-low-yield-rates-chassis/


And for all those who feel the need to boast about how beautiful and ntact your ipad mini is... It's not about you. Enjoy the state of your devices (while it lasts) ;)
Click to expand...

It's one thing to have a defective unit, it's another to exclaim with all caps that the mini has a "manufacturing fault". Seems like newbies love to exaggerate in order to get attention.
 
MrXiro

MrXiro

macrumors 68040
Nov 2, 2007
3,850
599
Los Angeles
adamirox said:
I bought mine last Friday. 4 days later I notice nasty scuffs on the ionised alluminium around the casing. There was not a single scratch anywhere else!
I had it for 4 days and it looked like the paint had simply peeled off. No other scratches anywhere else but the coloured alluminium bit. I´d been really looking after it all those...FOUR days lol

i did some research on the net and found there were leaks about this issue delaying ipad mini's release and similar problems with the iphone 5.

Other people are experiencing similar issues.

I returned mine today and luckily got a full refund.

If you've had this happen to you let ppl know and post your story. It's still early on but many people are noticing scuffs and paint peeling off already only a week into the device's release!

apple is really taking a mick with this!
Click to expand...

It's aluminum... one of the softest metals... it scratches... always has always will. Even MBPs scratch.

Mine is still good btw... but I only got it 2 days ago cause my screen came "unglued" from the edge and started making a horrible glass on metal squeak.

My previous black iPad Mini was scratch free also though. I used it for a week.
 
Last edited:
B

bcaslis

macrumors 68020
Mar 11, 2008
2,184
237
urkel said:
Actually, claims that the black anodized casing scuffs easily or that there are manufacturers defects with chippin along the beveled edges is a fact. It happened with the iPhone and is happening with the iPad Mini.

While its easy to dismiss this as simple whining, when cracks or chipping appear on a painted surface then it can lead to more paint flaking off so its worth paying attention.

For me, I have chipping on both my iPad and iPhone 5 but I don't care because j view these as tools. But for those who view it as a functional piece of art then it's understandably annoying to see blemishes that aren't your fault.
Click to expand...

Claims are different than fact. Aluminum is a relatively soft metal so of course it can be damaged. But this doesn't make it a manufacturing defect, it's the design. What is annoying is the amount of threads screaming like these units are supposed to be indestructible. I've had both the black iPhone 5 and iPad mini since launch of each. And if you don't bang them they don't scratch or flake. People who claim they "baby" their units and that the paint/finish just comes off by themselves are full of it.
 
A

adamirox

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 10, 2012
16
0
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