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Anodization wearing off. Im done with apple

It must be something new then

I just gave my old 12" PB that is 6.5 years old to my parents. It saw extensive use daily (used it throughout school and for writing my dissertation). The only cosmetic defect over that period of time was the formation of small black spots on the right side next to the trackpad, where my right palm rested. I don't know if the new ones are anodized differently, but I don't see why they would be.

I think going back to the PC side you will suddenly find many more defects with their computers. My brand new Lenovo T400 for work has so many more issues, cosmetic and functional, than my new MBP.

BTW, it only ever needed a new HDD and two batteries.
 
it is a very minor problem but i do see the point that it is a very expensive computer.

did the OP try calling apple? i did and explained that my GFs out of warranty macbook had a crack in the palm rest and they repaired that for free.

now this is an issue with white macbooks but they didnt have to, so they do have customer focus/care in mind.

but i doubt that if i called and said it had a scratch on the palm rest that it get fixed.

suppose what im saying is, is it that bad really?
 
CrackedButter said:
Cars cost more don't forget and have to protect against the elements. Laptops don't.
Click to expand...

Just stop...I don't understand why people like you want to argue AGAINST someone who is clearly having an issue and frustrated. It is not unreasonable to expect the finish on a laptop to stay on...end of story. He has had other quality issues as indicated in the OP and has decided the QC is not acceptable to him. Why does that hurt your feelings so much?

For some reason there are people who love to "argue" and try to show how clever they are with obscure movie references and debate. It's totally unhelpful and actually upsets the person having a problem. Why not let them rant and express their unhappiness?
 
i agree with CrackedButter,

wear and tear is a fact of life, tires wear....so i guess you dont have tires on your car because your done with those company's too ?

this is getting insane, that is clear wear and tear, if it was chipping i could see it becoming an issue.

complain about it if you want, get used to products wearing and tearing....thats a fact of life.

i have 2 hp laptops and the palm rests are wore black, im glad they are....it shows that i have gotten more then my money's worth out of the units.

you should be thankful that your laptop has been used soo much, your getting your money out of it.

harperjones99 said:
Just stop...I don't understand why people like you want to argue AGAINST someone who is clearly having an issue and frustrated. It is not unreasonable to expect the finish on a laptop to stay on...end of story. He has had other quality issues as indicated in the OP and has decided the QC is not acceptable to him. Why does that hurt your feelings so much?

For some reason there are people who love to "argue" and try to show how clever they are with obscure movie references and debate. It's totally unhelpful and actually upsets the person having a problem. Why not let them rant and express their unhappiness?
Click to expand...

this is not a place to rant, it is a place to solve problems.
 
harperjones99 said:
Just stop...I don't understand why people like you want to argue AGAINST someone who is clearly having an issue and frustrated. It is not unreasonable to expect the finish on a laptop to stay on...end of story. He has had other quality issues as indicated in the OP and has decided the QC is not acceptable to him. Why does that hurt your feelings so much?

For some reason there are people who love to "argue" and try to show how clever they are with obscure movie references and debate. It's totally unhelpful and actually upsets the person having a problem. Why not let them rant and express their unhappiness?
Click to expand...

Get in there lol
 
You have unrealistic expectations ...

My company typically uses Dell laptops for engineers like me. We get the "deluxe" service package that includes next-day, in-home/office repairs. Each laptop is suppose to last 3 years. I typically have the motherboard replaced at least once and the keyboard assembly replaced 1-2 times in the 3 year period. I have also had problems requiring me to replace the internal wireless card and the display.

One of the Dell repair guys actually told me I should use an external keyboard/mouse when in the office or at home because the Dell components don't hold up. My typical usage is from my home office or my work office, not a harsh environment at all.

This time, I have a early 2008 MBP 17" and I have not had any issues so far. Of course, Apple does not have an in-home/in-office, next day service plan, so I have to hope that things stay that way.
 
MacModMachine said:
i agree with CrackedButter,

wear and tear is a fact of life, tires wear....so i guess you dont have tires on your car because your done with those company's too ?

this is getting insane, that is clear wear and tear, if it was chipping i could see it becoming an issue.

complain about it if you want, get used to products wearing and tearing....thats a fact of life.

i have 2 hp laptops and the palm rests are wore black, im glad they are....it shows that i have gotten more then my money's worth out of the units.

you should be thankful that your laptop has been used soo much, your getting your money out of it.
Click to expand...

You must be wealthy if you consider 2 years "your money's worth" out of a 2000 dollar laptop. Some people prefer to take better care of their things and not be proud of "stains and wear". It increases resale value and protects the product. It is not "wrong". Comparing the top of a laptop to a consumable piece of rubber like a tire? Give me a break.

And I would be willing to bet if I bothered to take the time going through all your posts there would be rants/complaints/ and generally useless posts among them. We are not talking about a tiny nick on the bottom of the case or a microscopic imperfection somewhere...a durable protective finish like anodizing as a standard does not wear off like that...the OP has a legit complaint and it's pathetic to see so many people try to "shush" him...geez.
 
harperjones99 said:
You must be wealthy if you consider 2 years "your money's worth" out of a 2000 dollar laptop. Some people prefer to take better care of their things and not be proud of "stains and wear". It increases resale value and protects the product. It is not "wrong". Comparing the top of a laptop to a consumable piece of rubber like a tire? Give me a break.

And I would be willing to bet if I bothered to take the time going through all your posts there would be rants/complaints/ and generally useless posts among them. We are not talking about a tiny nick on the bottom of the case or a microscopic imperfection somewhere...a durable protective finish like anodizing as a standard does not wear off like that...the OP has a legit complaint and it's pathetic to see so many people try to "shush" him...geez.
Click to expand...

right, you are so wise

i would bet that my posts have helped people alot more then you ever will, im sick of sorting through these useless threads when im trying to help people i have to sift through these "im done with apple" threads.

To the wasteland this will go......
 
MacModMachine said:
right, you are so wise

i would bet that my posts have helped people alot more then you ever will, im sick of sorting through these useless threads when im trying to help people i have to sift through these "im done with apple" threads.

To the wasteland this will go......
Click to expand...

I never said you didn't help anyone, I never claimed I knew more than you about Apple and Macs and I am fully aware as a new Mac switcher I don't. You DO however like cracked butter feel the need to crap in this guy's thread because it upsets YOU. How dare he be upset...how dare he bother YOU with his problem. YOU can easily NOT open the thread if it takes so much out of YOU to see it.
 
harperjones99 said:
I never said you didn't help anyone, I never claimed I knew more than you about Apple and Macs and I am fully aware as a new Mac switcher I don't. You DO however like cracked butter feel the need to crap in this guy's thread because it upsets YOU. How dare he be upset...how dare he bother YOU with his problem. YOU can easily NOT open the thread if it takes so much out of YOU to see it.
Click to expand...

I SAID IT BEFORE


ILL SAY IT AGAIN....THIS IS A FORUM TO HELP PEOPLE NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT PRODUCTS, COMPLAIN ABOUT SOMETHING WEARING DOWN BECAUSE YOU USE IT TO MUCH.

THE ANODIZED ALUMINUM WILL NOT JUST MAGICALLY GET UP AND WALK AWAY...IT HAS TO BE RUBBED OFF FROM USE.

if this was defect it would have showed up a year and a half ago, its not a defect, and from the picture is clearly from use.

ENOUGH SAID
 
I've got a 3.5 year old MBP and that part isn't wearing off for me. Then again, I only wipe down mine once a month or so. I think that a possible cause is that sometimes people get a little anal and wipe their computers down too often. Nevertheless, this is a 2 year old computer and even with Applecare there's no way Apple would have covered this--its purely cosmetic damage.
 
My previous MBP 1,1 showed similar wear after 2 years of heavy use. These are my work machines, so I take care to avoid catastrophic issues, but I don't pamper them from smudges and scrapes.
 
That said the wear in the picture is almost certainly not wear on an anodized aluminum part, that small piece below the keyboard is probably just painted plastic, like the keys themselves and the trackpad button.
Click to expand...

I think it's powder coated aluminum. I had the same problems on my 2006 CD MBP along with chipping of paint on the palmrests. Apple doesn't use anodized aluminum in the academic sense.
 
harperjones99 said:
Just stop...I don't understand why people like you want to argue AGAINST someone who is clearly having an issue and frustrated. It is not unreasonable to expect the finish on a laptop to stay on...end of story. He has had other quality issues as indicated in the OP and has decided the QC is not acceptable to him. Why does that hurt your feelings so much?

For some reason there are people who love to "argue" and try to show how clever they are with obscure movie references and debate. It's totally unhelpful and actually upsets the person having a problem. Why not let them rant and express their unhappiness?
Click to expand...

Lol, I'm not arguing. I'm simply pointing out that there are more important things in the world to be worried about. Fight Club isn't obscure, the quote has a valid point that nothing lasts forever. Worry about something real in life, there ARE bigger issues in the world. While people are crying over their $2000 laptops with cosmetic issues some people live on a dollar a day.

You talk about resale value, nobody really cares when you put in on ebay or craigslist, they just want the lowest price possible because its a combination of being out of date and a tool fit for a job. Have some perspective.

Btw, MacModMachine is one of those people you want on your side, he helps a lot of people out here on MR. I've always seen him helping and contributing to the forum.
 
"Computer shows signs of wear after 2 years shocker! More details at 10!"

My 1 year old, barely used Dell XPS laptop was far more worn than that. The stainless steel was shining up, the keys on the keyboard were going shiny, the paint wore off the corners of the screen, and all the labels came off the bottom.

I think you need to dry your eyes. How long do you expect a laptop computer to last? 10 years? 15? 50?
 
I had a 1st generation MBP for 3 years, and the aluminum hasn't shown any signs of wear, even though the machine itself had to be repaired a million times. I'm surprised to see the aluminum finish wear off like that.
 
harperjones99 said:
That point was above your first response. Calm down...the all uppercase screaming like a lunatic thing is not helpful.
Click to expand...

You really won't win yourself any points by trying to engage a far more established member than yourself in some sort of argument.

When you post online, you need to have a reasonable expectation that your thread will be "crapped on." Welcome to the internet, grow a spine.

I'm sure there are forums that are all puppies, kitties, and hugs, but I don't see anything wrong with delivering a reality check that a guy who is freaking out over a small worn area that is less than an inch across is somehow making his $2000 machine worthless. Lets get real here. A well used computer is going to show signs of wear, whether you like it or not.
 
feelthefire said:
You really won't win yourself any points by trying to engage a far more established member than yourself in some sort of argument.

When you post online, you need to have a reasonable expectation that your thread will be "crapped on." Welcome to the internet, grow a spine.

I'm sure there are forums that are all puppies, kitties, and hugs, but I don't see anything wrong with delivering a reality check that a guy who is freaking out over a small worn area that is less than an inch across is somehow making his $2000 machine worthless. Lets get real here. A well used computer is going to show signs of wear, whether you like it or not.
Click to expand...

You make the mistake of thinking I care about "internet points". What a ridiculous concept. Your sarcastic nonsense doesn't change my view either..."whether you like it or not" ;)
 
Dear OP

Do you have Apple Care? If you do, then its possible that Apple will cover a repair (unlikely because its cosmetic, but its worth asking about). If you don't have Apple Care then I think you are out of luck, as the warranty is only for a year.

Regardless, until you have called Apple on the issue, IMO, then there is no point posting this problem here because you don't know whether Apple considers this an acceptable or unacceptable issue. Get photos and call them. If you don't like the answer, take it to an Apple Store. Be polite, be firm. Stress the resale value. With any luck someone with an obviously more used system will also be there. Point out their's has more wear and tear, and yet does not show the same issue your's does.

I'm not surprised that you have had a number of problem systems. There is no probability theory that I know of that can explain it, but problems like to cluster. I saw it all the time in the hotel business. Every once in awhile we would get a guest who was a problem magnet. The airline would lose their luggage, we'd lose their reservation, the restaurant would drop soup in their laps, and their car would get broken into. All those seldom seen problems would coincidentally happen to one person. It doesn't matter how much you explain that these occurrences are rare, once a year, things.... the point is from the guest's point of view the city was a bad experience, and they will never visit again. Its sucks. Soon it will be someone else's turn for bad luck.

My wife's 1st generation aluminium MBP has the paint on 50% the keys completely worn off. Totally. You have to touch type on it. I pointed it out to her one day and she hadn't even noticed. I asked an Apple genius about it one day, whether Apple would cover it.... he just laughed. Its considered normal wear and tear. If I had more time I might have made an issue, but really - its a tool. It gets used. I was so glad when I dented my MBP.... then I could stop worrying about it.
 
feelthefire said:
You really won't win yourself any points by trying to engage a far more established member than yourself in some sort of argument.

When you post online, you need to have a reasonable expectation that your thread will be "crapped on." Welcome to the internet, grow a spine.

I'm sure there are forums that are all puppies, kitties, and hugs, but I don't see anything wrong with delivering a reality check that a guy who is freaking out over a small worn area that is less than an inch across is somehow making his $2000 machine worthless. Lets get real here. A well used computer is going to show signs of wear, whether you like it or not.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was my point early on in this thread. I didn't mean to be unsympathetic to the OP's problem. But his/her reaction to a cosmetic flaw seems a gross over reaction given that the computer is otherwise chugging along reliably. We all pay the "Apple Tax". I just paid $2,400 for my MPB and yeah, I'll be upset in a year or two if it begins to look like a bargain basement HP from Walmart. But, I bought the machine for the OS and the software as much or more than the hardware. I'll be miffed if my expensive MBP doesn't hold up better than the average laptop cosmetically. But I doubt that I'll be "Done with Apple". The overall value equation is only microscopically affected by a small cosmetic flaw on the hardware.
 
OP, have you contacted Apple to see if they can help? Did you buy Apple Care to extend your warranty coverage to total three years? If this is your first step in resolving the issue, you may want to rethink your strategy. Apple does not follow the MacRumors forums, in fact I'm sure they do all they can to take it off line. I would suggest that you pick up the phone and at least talk to Apple about the issue.
 
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