what to look out for after first purchase of MBA?

Hi all,

After buying the macbook air (13 inch) at the apple store, I am directed to one of those tables for a test run.

Is there a list of things to look out for before taking it home? (esp. what does a trackpad sound like when you hard press on it)

- Previously i bought a macbook pro 15 inch and within A DAY, the trackpad made an odd clicking noise when i tapped it lightly.
- Also, it got very hot easily (burns my hand).
- It makes a weird noise when i boot it up from switch off/hibernation. like gears turning.

Thx.

gr8tfly said:

1 - The trackpad shouldn't be loose if you tap it lightly (if you aren't, I assume you mean to physically try and click it).

You can eliminate the click sound by enabling tap-to-click (except when dragging, though you can enable three-finger tap-drag that works very well IMO). I've used it at least as far back as my 2006 C2D 17" with no problems. I like quiet anyway.​

2 - it can't get hot enough to burn. Period. The CPU would throttle itself long before the heatsink would get anywhere near that cutoff temp (and case doesn't get anywhere near the heatsink temp).

3 - it's probably the optical drive, though it should only cycle on power up (there was an update years ago that eliminated the cycle on wake).

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I enabled tap to click, thank you
understood. I was referring to my old macbook pro being intensely hot, it would make my table really hot as well, im predicting around 60 degrees C.

AWeber3030 said:

@gr8tfly you're aware that the MacBook Air doesn't have an optical drive right? So it couldn't possibly be that making the noise. Unless the OP has an external drive plugged in via USB.

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No, u are correct, i was talking about MBP

eric/ said:

No. You should go, buy your computer, and be happy. It'll be fine. If there are any problems, they'll be covered under warranty.

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Thanks for your advice!

26139 said:

I'd probably turn it on.

Maybe.

But I've never tested a just-purchased computer in the store.

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Yes, at the apple store they helped me turn it on. I think that was only to check if it worked or not. I was just wondering if I could do further tests to confirm that there are no big flaws on my new MBA.

Saturn1217 said:

Check the backlight of your screen by turning the computer on and finding a way (maybe online?) to check a very uniformly dark screen and a very uniformly white screen. The edges of the screen are the main culprits.

This is a common defect of computers and I think it is something that companys usually just say is normal if you try to bring the computer in after the return period. It might take you longer to notice this on your own because it can be subtle especially when viewing normal content.

Also I suppose check for creaking and make sure the hinge works smoothly?

Please note I have never actually checked any of these things with my computer purchases and I am happy with my MBA (even though the backlight is uneven) but this is just what came to mind.

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My hinge is actually quite smooth (a little loose actually) after putting on the Speck case, but I'm sure it's because of the weight of the case! What do u mean by your backlight is uneven?

Mrbobb said:

I can never test on-site, too much pressure, no enough time, no bathroom or snack break.

Don't worry, Apple is not a shaddy company, like once u leave the store, they deny everything. That's why you get that 14 days (a month?) any reason ur not happy, give it back.

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Hahahaha I'm sure u can go do those things before your purchases hahaha

That is true. There's a 14 day money back guarantee, just that I don't want to do that, if I could test it out right after I bought the MBA, so I wouldnt waste their time!

wolfpuppies3 said:

No, there is no list. 99.9% of them run flawlessly right out of the box. There are no "secret tests" to be performed or problems to look for.

Just general observations that echo what is already written above. The all get very warm when performing CPU intensive tasks like HD gaming and streaming videos. That is normal. You already know you will have no problems with a non existant optical drive. Obviously your track pad will "click" a teeny bit when you push it down to it's stop, no major noises or distractions however.

If you firmly believe that the machine will be trouble prone, don't buy it.

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Thanks!

gr8tfly said:

He was referring to his previous 15" MBP.

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Yep