Hi, I just unboxed this beauty. This is my first mac ever and I love it so far. However one thing I noticed straight out of the box was how loose the hinges are. The screen tilts if I move the macbook air to a 90 degree angle. I've own quite a few laptops but this is the first one with a loose hinge straight out of the box. Is this normal or should I be meeting with a nerd?
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Macbook AIR 11 loose Hinge
- Thread starter gecis
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Mine doesn't do that, you should exchange it for another if the lid won't stay put at an angle. Could only get worse
Ditto this, mine will stay perfectly still no matter the angle i hold it, return it for sure.
One of the 11's felt really loose at the Apple store today and it didn't seem right. Just picking it up caused the screen to fall back completely. The others next to it felt a little bit stiffer.
Heh, http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/apple-macbook-pro-air-11-inch-2010.aspx?page=3#ixzz138C9uRug this article comments on it too. I have never have a laptop from any brand, and I've had quite a few, which had issues with its hinge, but Apple seems to have a real problem making a decent hinge. Quite pathetic to be honest.
Once again this puts me off buying an Apple laptop after returning a MacBook Pro with a similar issue...
Once again this puts me off buying an Apple laptop after returning a MacBook Pro with a similar issue...
Alright, just got back from the fifth Ave Apple store. At first the Genius looked at it and saw how the display tilted when I moved the MBA to a 90degree angle. He went in with the MBA to compare it with the other MBA's they had in the store. He came back a few minutes later with a manager, who said this was definitely a defect and they will replace it for me. They swapped it with a new one. Opened the box to check and found that the new one had the same issue but not as bad as the previous one. I checked every other display model and they all were either worse or slightly better. So I decided to stick with it.
I was in the Apple Store at the First Colony Mall in Sugarland and tested the hinges on the 11.6" and all seemed very strong and not loose. I am sure a ton of people have been testing these out so the hinge issue was not an issue at that store.
I went to the apple store today to check out the 11inch very briefly. I noticed immediately that the hinge felt too loose. But when I actually set the screen to any angle and tried to see if it would flop around it didn't.
Not to discredit the OP (sounds like yours was worse) but I think in general they have made the 11inch hinges much looser than the MBPs so that you can open up the computer without the much lighter base just lifting right up. (so that you can open the computer one-handed which I definitely can't do with my 13 MBP)
My feeling when I saw the display unit was that it was just something to get used to but not a big issue IMHO
Not to discredit the OP (sounds like yours was worse) but I think in general they have made the 11inch hinges much looser than the MBPs so that you can open up the computer without the much lighter base just lifting right up. (so that you can open the computer one-handed which I definitely can't do with my 13 MBP)
My feeling when I saw the display unit was that it was just something to get used to but not a big issue IMHO
I actually noticed that in the mall the first day they started to display the 11 inches. When I would pick up the Air, the slightest jerk would move the screen a bit. And also when it was around a 40 degree angle the screen would just close by itself. I am hoping this isnt too much of an issue as I plan to pick one up next week. Glad to see I wasnt alone in noticing this.
Maybe after the initial rush ends go back and see if the next shipment is any better. Also, perhaps it's just a matter of tightening. My Rev B hinge got loose about 6 months ago and the Genius Bar was able to tighten it back to original spec.
This would be fantastic if they were able to tighten them a bit at the Genius Bar. Wouldnt want to have to go through multiple replacements to find one with a sturdy hinge.
Can you imagine that though? Everyone bring in their Air's in and the Geniuses are all in the stock room with wrenches tightening these things?
Oh great.
Now I have to invest in a screen splint.
This is def. an 11" issue that needs to be addressed. Anyone know if we can perform a DIY tightening without going to the store?
My 5 year old 12" IBM X41 Tablet has a tighter hinge than the 11" MBA!
I went to an Apple Store today to finally check those new beautiful MacBook Airs, and I can say that the MBA 11'' definitely got a loose hinge.
It was really flagrant. The 13'' wasn't like this at all.
It was really flagrant. The 13'' wasn't like this at all.
I felt the same way playing with the 11" displays in store - definitely felt like a looser hinge than any other Mac laptop. I suspect its partly intentional that the hinge is easier to move so you could open the display without the base lifting up, but it still is a bit worrisome if it results in flopping displays after some usage.