iPad Mini: Black anodized metal rubbing off.

[LeeM]

Originally Posted by EMAN19

It's very well possible. In any case, buy the black one and try it out. I had it for a full 7 days before I noticed silver linings on the chamfered edges. And I babied it too. I never placed it a hard surface, never bumped it, nothing.

I've had the white for 3 weeks now and it holds up extremely well. Dust and prints are hardly visible. I love the white version.

thing is, i was only drawn in by the black one! ive always had white iphones and my current ipad is white, i was going to get both black iPad and ip5.
will apple not have an issue with me returning a mini after 7-10 days thats got wear marks?

[EMAN19]

Originally Posted by LeeM

will apple not have an issue with me returning a mini after 7-10 days thats got wear marks?

It won't be an issue. As long as there isn't anything broken on the device or accidental damage from a drop, you should be able to return it with no hassle. If scuffs start to appear then explain to them that they appeared. I know that when I returned my black iPad mini I told them that silver linings and bits started appearing on the chamfered edge. The chamfered edge was smooth, no dents of anything. The anodized paint simply rubbed off.

[urkel]

Originally Posted by vastoholic

Dude, those look like actual scratches like it was rubbed on concrete or something. I'd say you might not want to use those cases.

it does, but I actually the only iPad that leaves the house is the one with the full body protection. The ones that have physical scratches are adult owned and used in a carpeted home. I don't even know where the scuffs came from.

Anyway, I'm returning one of them today and getting white instead.i prefer black but if they look like this in only 3 weeks then i don't want to think what they'll look like in a year. (I don't normally obsess over scrapes and scuffs but I fully intend on reselling for a retina Mini so I want to keep the condition perfect)

[jschu22]

Could they have been scratched by a belt or something similar, while seated and holding around your lap? The finish, obviously not perfect by any means, doesn't just rub off without being acted upon by something of similar hardness. The only other way is a repeated and almost intentional rubbing against something that could possibly wear away the finish. Either way, something caused this wear that you're not paying attention to or neglecting to mention.

[bova80]

Originally Posted by EMAN19

It won't be an issue. As long as there isn't anything broken on the device or accidental damage from a drop, you should be able to return it with no hassle. If scuffs start to appear then explain to them that they appeared. I know that when I returned my black iPad mini I told them that silver linings and bits started appearing on the chamfered edge. The chamfered edge was smooth, no dents of anything. The anodized paint simply rubbed off.

anodizing is not paint and must be scratched off not rubbed.

[SnowLeopard OSX]

In the case of tablets: aluminum is superior to anodized slate

In the case of phones: glass/steel is superior to anodized slate

In the case of iPods (classic, touch, mini): anodized slate is superior to plastic


Would you want Macbooks to come in slate? That'd be a quality nightmare, same goes for iPad minis and iPhone 5's... I think the only reason Apple decided to change the material used in these devices is because they wanted to really reduce the weight - aluminum is denser than slate. They tried to fix something that wasn't broken, IMO.

[bova80]

Originally Posted by SnowLeopard OSX

In the case of tablets: aluminum is superior to anodized slate

In the case of phones: glass/steel is superior to anodized slate

In the case of iPods (classic, touch, mini): anodized slate is superior to plastic


Would you want Macbooks to come in slate? That'd be a quality nightmare, same goes for iPad minis and iPhone 5's... I think the only reason Apple decided to change the material used in these devices is because they wanted to really reduce the weight - aluminum is denser than slate. They tried to fix something that wasn't broken, IMO.

You do realize it is not slate and it is aluminum? The color is slate, not the material.

[SnowLeopard OSX]

Originally Posted by bova80

You do realize it is not slate and it is aluminum? The color is slate, not the material.

Yes, I understand that. But the point that I was making is that pure aluminum > anodized material. I just mentioned the slate color because, from what I know at least, most people complain about the slate rubbing off and not so much the white and silver.

[Piccio]

Originally Posted by SnowLeopard OSX

Yes, I understand that. But the point that I was making is that pure aluminum > anodized material. I just mentioned the slate color because, from what I know at least, most people complain about the slate rubbing off and not so much the white and silver.

The anodized material is pure aluminium, anodization is just a "coating process".
People is not complaining about the white version just because there is no anodization, it's just simple alluminium, scratchable like every 9,7' iPad.
In the black version you're not scratching the aluminium but just its "paint".

Apple just wanted a great looking, premium quality and light material for the back of black version but it's incredibly delicate.

[Scott6666]

Exactly why I got the white one.

Could see this coming a mile away given the iPhone black scuff gate.

[Fattytail]

Originally Posted by Scott6666

Exactly why I got the white one.

Could see this coming a mile away given the iPhone black scuff gate.

Agreed. Why take a chance. Plus, fingerprints are much less apparent on the white one.

[MacRumorUser]

I often wonder if forum users redefine the word 'babied' when they claim they babied their clearly battered and bruised iDevices.


Seriously if that's what your babied devices look like, god help your kids j/k





But seriously I look after my devices, my iPhone 5 has a screen protector and a slim case for the back but its with me otherwise 24/7 when I'm running or walking on the beach (3 x a day) so it unavoidably gets exposed to sand and such, and even though I am careful I have had the phone slip fom my pocket on a couple of occasions.

Yet despite that there is not 1 mark, rub or scratch on the phones casing.

Either I'm conceivably the luckiest man alive with my iPhone 5 & black mini or other users 'babied' devices were not as well looked after as they asure us they were.

[DerfBWH]

I don't have an iPhone 5 so I can't personally attest to the durability of those machines, but my iPad mini has been absolutely babies. Not used directly on hard surfaces, never dropped or banged. Admittedly I should have put a case on it but given that I got it on launch day and there were no cases available other than Apple's Smart Cover, not much I could have done to avoid this.

Pretty disappointed. Glad to see I'm not alone, however.

[SnowLeopard OSX]

Originally Posted by DerfBWH

I don't have an iPhone 5 so I can't personally attest to the durability of those machines, but my iPad mini has been absolutely babies. Not used directly on hard surfaces, never dropped or banged. Admittedly I should have put a case on it but given that I got it on launch day and there were no cases available other than Apple's Smart Cover, not much I could have done to avoid this.

Pretty disappointed. Glad to see I'm not alone, however.

I'm not sure there's much a case could have done for you anyways. A lot of people have also been complaining that the black iPad minis were rubbing off, even with Apple's smart cover. The regular iPad's aluminum is much stronger and I'm really surprised Apple decided to use a different material for their iPad minis.

[johndallas999]

Originally Posted by DerfBWH

Definitely not scratched. Feeling the device, it's perfectly smooth. If you close your eyes and rub your finger against the side of the device, you can't notice any change in texture. Not to mention I have not, as I've said before it, dropped it.

What is the point of closing your eyes?

[DerfBWH]

Originally Posted by johndallas999

What is the point of closing your eyes?

To prove that, without looking at it, there's no way to differentiate between where the silver starts and where it ends.

[clborden]

After finding my first scuff on my black Verizon mini, I would love to exchange it for the white one. But I bought mine 17 days ago from my local Verizon store. Aside from the $70 restocking fee they charge, they only give 14 days to return/exchange. I'll NEVER buy anything from Verizon again. Because I didn't get it from Apple, they can't do anything for me, right?

[TOYSTER17]

I got a black iPad mini about two weeks ago, but debating whether or not to exchange it for a white version. It's still in perfect condition, but that's because I have absolutely babied it. I use it mainly to read before I go to bed, and after I wake up. So it NEVER leaves my bed. Well, I guess another reason why it hasn't left my bed is the fact that I haven't gotten a case for it yet. I'm just worried about when I do get a case and decide to leave it around the house.

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Originally Posted by clborden

After finding my first scuff on my black Verizon mini, I would love to exchange it for the white one. But I bought mine 17 days ago from my local Verizon store. Aside from the $70 restocking fee they charge, they only give 14 days to return/exchange. I'll NEVER buy anything from Verizon again. Because I didn't get it from Apple, they can't do anything for me, right?

They don't have a holiday return period? I bought mine (about two weeks ago) from the Apple store and have until January 7 to return it.

* Looks like if you bought it after November 22nd, you can return it http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/s.../return-policy

[clborden]

This always happens...I sit with a question or concern for a while...like days. No sooner than a half hour after I post, I start thinking about holiday returns and such, so I decide to reread my receipt, which I should've done as soon as I started to think about this whole thing. Of course, right there in front of me it says I have until like the first week of January. Oh well. Thanks though.

[bova80]

if you scuff your ipad (meaning you didn't open the package and have that scuff there) then you shouldn't be allowed to return it. that's my opinion.

[harcosparky]

Those do not look like normal wear.

However keep this in mind....

Anodizing is a coating of sorts and will over time 'rub off' in high contact areas.

I've seen guys in other hobby areas spend $$$$$$ to get anodized parts in other colors for their toys only to complain later about the anodizing wearing off.

It's like they thought anodizing was some sort of invincible color changing process.

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Originally Posted by EMAN19

The anodized paint simply rubbed off.

Anodizing is not paint.

Read this ...

Anodizing is an electrochemical process that converts the metal surface into a decorative, durable, corrosion-resistant, anodic oxide finish. Aluminum is ideally suited to anodizing, although other nonferrous metals, such as magnesium and titanium, also can be anodized.

The anodic oxide structure originates from the aluminum substrate and is composed entirely of aluminum oxide. This aluminum oxide is not applied to the surface like paint or plating, but is fully integrated with the underlying aluminum substrate, so it cannot chip or peel. It has a highly ordered, porous structure that allows for secondary processes such as coloring and sealing.

Anodizing is accomplished by immersing the aluminum into an acid electrolyte bath and passing an electric current through the medium. A cathode is mounted to the inside of the anodizing tank; the aluminum acts as an anode, so that oxygen ions are released from the electrolyte to combine with the aluminum atoms at the surface of the part being anodized. Anodizing is, therefore, a matter of highly controlled oxidation—the enhancement of a naturally occurring phenomenon.

Consider the part in BOLD RED where is says " it cannot chip or peel. "

Now people will say " but look his has CHIPPED ".

Well YES he has chipped his, but it is chipped down into the base metal.

The anodizing did not chip or peel, but the base metal can removing the top anodized surface with it.

[EMAN19]

Originally Posted by harcosparky

Those do not look like normal wear.

However keep this in mind....

Anodizing is a coating of sorts and will over time 'rub off' in high contact areas.

I've seen guys in other hobby areas spend $$$$$$ to get anodized parts in other colors for their toys only to complain later about the anodizing wearing off.

It's like they thought anodizing was some sort of invincible color changing process.

----------



Anodizing is not paint.

Read this ...




Consider the part in BOLD RED where is says " it cannot chip or peel. "

Now people will say " but look his has CHIPPED ".

Well YES he has chipped his, but it is chipped down into the base metal.

The anodizing did not chip or peel, but the base metal can removing the top anodized surface with it.

Wow! Well thanks for clarifying that for me.

[DerfBWH]

Then how would you explain the countless people who have chipped their iPhone 5s and iPad minis under totally normal and babied conditions, when they have had their devices totally protected in cases/not used on hard surfaces/never dropped, etc.?

[jschu22]

Originally Posted by DerfBWH

Then how would you explain the countless people who have chipped their iPhone 5s and iPad minis under totally normal and babied conditions, when they have had their devices totally protected in cases/not used on hard surfaces/never dropped, etc.?

You can't explain that, because that's not happening.

What is happening is that something has scratched the finish of the device, even though the owner may not have realized it. I have a handful of fine scratches on the front chamfered edge of my 5 and it hasn't ever been dropped. Ever. But I'm reasonable and intelligent enough to know that something, maybe very fine sand, got between the case and the phone or maybe when I was cleaning smudges. This is what has caused my scratches and I'd bet my phone, ipad and MacBook that's what happened to others'.