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WabeWalker

macrumors member
Original poster
May 20, 2006
85
0
I hesitated to buy a white laptop for the obivious reason, but iBook users told me that even after four years their iBooks still looked great.

Well, after just five weeks my MacBook has developed very faint stains on the mouse button and on either side of the palm rest which, try as I might, I simply cannot clean. For a full ten minutes I wiped and wiped to remove the staining but to no avail. This is incredibly frustrating.

The thing is, right now, you can only see the staining in natural light, and only when you look at the MacBook at an angle, but if this gets any worse it's going to drive me around the bend.

What really, really annoys me about this is that I've been washing my hands religiously before firing up the MacBook. The other thing that's annoying about this problem is that the actual keys themselves do not show any signs of staining. I use this MacBook 99% of the time for word processing, so my fingers are almost always on the keys - I would've thought that the keys would've stained first!

Seriously, when I type, my hands are actually elevated off the palmrest itself, so it kind of surprises me that the palm rest and the mouse button have discolored but the keys have not.

You know, I remember reading some stupid post about a guy claiming that his Nano scratched too easily - but, I thought at the time, the Nano is still functional, so what is this idiot complaining about?

Yeah, I guess my MacBook is still functioning properly, and I probably shouldn't be complaining. But seriously, if I had known that this white laptop was going to stain so quickly and so easily I would not have bought it.
 

QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Mar 20, 2003
12,028
6,036
Bay Area
yeah, this is a known issue now. It's not ordinary staining, but a defect in the plastic. Take it to them and they will replace the topcase with one that won't stain.
 

WabeWalker

macrumors member
Original poster
May 20, 2006
85
0
Do I actually have to return the MacBook to a MacBook store, because there aren't any in the area?

Secondly, the staining is very faint - I can see it, and it's driving me crazy, but some people can't. I showed it to my sister, for example, and she said she couldn't see anything.

The other thing I've noticed is that in certain types of lighting you really can't see the staining unless you know that it's there and are looking for it.

My fear is that I'll take the MacBook back to the store, and in the store's lighting the salespeople won't be able to see the staining and will just look at me as though I'm barking mad.

Is this problem only going to get worse? I merely ask, because even as it is now it's driving me mad. I suppose that what really pisses me off is that not once have I ever turned on this computer without first thoroughly washing my hands.
 

ITASOR

macrumors 601
Mar 20, 2005
4,398
3
WabeWalker said:
Do I actually have to return the MacBook to a MacBook store, because there aren't any in the area?

Secondly, the staining is very faint - I can see it, and it's driving me crazy, but some people can't. I showed it to my sister, for example, and she said she couldn't see anything.

The other thing I've noticed is that in certain types of lighting you really can't see the staining unless you know that it's there and are looking for it.

My fear is that I'll take the MacBook back to the store, and in the store's lighting the salespeople won't be able to see the staining and will just look at me as though I'm barking mad.

Is this problem only going to get worse? I merely ask, because even as it is now it's driving me mad. I suppose that what really pisses me off is that not once have I ever turned on this computer without first thoroughly washing my hands.

The people in the store know about the staining (I would hope to God). It's a big issue. They probably won't even question you, they'll just get it replaced. I've heard of people with NO staining getting a top case made from the new plastic put on to prevent staining.

Yes, from what I've seen it will just continue to get worse. It's not your fault....the plastic just stains from normal chemicals in your skin.
 

Mord

macrumors G4
Aug 24, 2003
10,091
23
UK
mine has very slight staining, but the time without the thing is worth more to me than the slight annoyance of having it.
 

WabeWalker

macrumors member
Original poster
May 20, 2006
85
0
Hector said:
mine has very slight staining, but the time without the thing is worth more to me than the slight annoyance of having it.

Right.

But what if the staining gets much worse? I can't see how this is going to get any better.

Anyhow, I called up Apple Care and spoke with somebody who gave me a service number. Apparently here in Canada I have to locate an authorized service dealer all on my own, take in the MacBook, provide them with the service number, and explain to them that Apple, in this particular case, is willing to fix the cosmetic damages, even though Apple normally doesn't fix cosmetic damages.

Well, I'm taking mine in.

I intend on working with this MacBook for many years to come, and the staining simply ruins the asthetic beauty of this machine - if I have to be without the thing for a week or so, then so be it.
 

purelithium

macrumors 6502
May 28, 2006
355
0
Kingston, Canada
ljump12 gave you a link to a thread that has talked about this. I personally didn't notice any discolouration until this past week, when I went to clean it and the spots didn't come off. I'm going to take it into the applestore this weekend to see what they'll do about it.

If you can't get to an Apple Store, go to where you bought it, or another Authorized Apple Reseller, and they probably could help you out.
 

WabeWalker

macrumors member
Original poster
May 20, 2006
85
0
I've just punched my brother in law in the face.

He came over with my sister just as I was getting off the phone with one of the local Mac Authorized repair centers - when I explained what had happened with my MacBook, a big smirk came across his face, and he told me that this is the reason you never buy revision-A hardware.

He then said he knew when I bought my MacBook that something like this was probably going to happen - smirk, smirk, smirk.

Okay, like I'm going to allow Mr. Smrik - who doesn't even have a job, and yet believes himself to be Donald Trump - stand there in my own place smirking at me. I decked him.

My sister was screaming when they left - well good riddance to them.

(Sits back and waits for mother to phone up)
 

WillMak

macrumors 6502a
Jul 29, 2005
957
0
LOL. Wabe did you get any of that on isight? Upload please!

Anyways to you original question, just print out apple's statement ackowledging the plastic defects and show them to the apple geniuses if they don't know about the issues. They have to replace it for you. If they don't see it, just stand your ground until they do.
 

macgeek2005

macrumors 65816
Jan 31, 2006
1,098
0
WabeWalker said:
I hesitated to buy a white laptop for the obivious reason, but iBook users told me that even after four years their iBooks still looked great.

Well, after just five weeks my MacBook has developed very faint stains on the mouse button and on either side of the palm rest which, try as I might, I simply cannot clean. For a full ten minutes I wiped and wiped to remove the staining but to no avail. This is incredibly frustrating.

The thing is, right now, you can only see the staining in natural light, and only when you look at the MacBook at an angle, but if this gets any worse it's going to drive me around the bend.

What really, really annoys me about this is that I've been washing my hands religiously before firing up the MacBook. The other thing that's annoying about this problem is that the actual keys themselves do not show any signs of staining. I use this MacBook 99% of the time for word processing, so my fingers are almost always on the keys - I would've thought that the keys would've stained first!

Seriously, when I type, my hands are actually elevated off the palmrest itself, so it kind of surprises me that the palm rest and the mouse button have discolored but the keys have not.

You know, I remember reading some stupid post about a guy claiming that his Nano scratched too easily - but, I thought at the time, the Nano is still functional, so what is this idiot complaining about?

Yeah, I guess my MacBook is still functioning properly, and I probably shouldn't be complaining. But seriously, if I had known that this white laptop was going to stain so quickly and so easily I would not have bought it.

You want your macbook to come clean? Coming isn't usually something that's particularly clean......

wait... your macbook can come? You should take it to the apple store just for that. :confused:
 

purelithium

macrumors 6502
May 28, 2006
355
0
Kingston, Canada
macgeek2005 said:
You want your macbook to come clean? Coming isn't usually something that's particularly clean......

wait... your macbook can come? You should take it to the apple store just for that. :confused:


Dude, you are a geek. Just because you posted that bad pun...
 
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