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Just an observation:

My 13" did not creak a lot but it creaked nonetheless. It also happened when the MBA was warmer.

Now that I had the chance to re-tighten the screws, the creaking has gone so far, even when it's warm.

I am a happy owner of a solid machine...solid as it should be.
 
I have set a condition on MacBook exchanges and my priority is still the LCD screen because this is what I will be looking at 90% of the time. Malfunctioning components is second then cosmetic imperfections follow. Anything I can remedy easily, like a loose, creaking lid, I will attempt to remedy myself since this only involves a painless process.

Not a bad idea...guess to each his own. I believe that "it is" possible to get a laptop without any major defects.

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Torx is not a special screw driver. I know Apple has some Tri-wing screws to stop people from getting into their computers, but you can pick up a Torx screwdriver at any local hardware store...hell, even Wal-mart

Good point. However, some of us just don't like to tinker. :eek:
 
Just picked my 13' baseline MBA up and I have the same problem while its sitting in my lap at the moment. In my opinion something like this I don't feel like I should be the one that has to fix this issue or drive once again to the Apple store to get it fixed. I'll never doubt Apple's QC control but this is getting some what annoying at the moment.
 
I have managed to isolate the problem.

The left hand side hinge creaks even though it does not appear to be loose...

The noise occurs if there is small amount of pressure being put on the bottom left hand side of the screen. The same amount of pressure does not cause any noise on either the other side of the screen or on the MBP screen.

Edit: as stated before the noise is also heard when using the MBA on lap.

I tried to apply small amount of oil onto the (hair clippers oiling brush) and dab the area very lightly.. but it does not seem to be working.

Not sure whether if I take it back to the store they can do anything about it.
 
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I have the same issue. happens only when I pick it up from a flat surface at the bottom left. Slight click, I mean I have to listen for it. Tried realigining the case to no avail. It is so minor I will probably live with it. Part of my guess is the gauge of the metal is thinner then any macbook pro so there is inherient flex to it. We are all way to OCD here, including me.http://cdn.macrumors.com/vb/images/icons/icon7.gif
 
Mine creaks slightly when I put pressure on opposite corners of the keyboard. However, there is zero creaking when I run my finger along the black hinge cover, which was a noisy problem area with my 2010 MBP. In each case, it's so minor compared to the glaring build flaws in most plastic PC notebooks.
 
The 11" I received from amazon would make a noise similar the trackpad being pressed if you squeezed it firmly in the middle of the back while closed. It may actually have been the trackpad clicking i am not sure. I have a 2010 11" which makes no noise whatsoever so i knew that it wasn't normal. Did an exchange and the new one is totally solid. Guess there are some oddities in the case.
 
my 11" i5 does, especially when i have it on my lap in bed (like now) and is driving me someone crazy, i have a tosh/lg, however i may just purchase the screwdriver for mentioned and tighten it up, i have 6 more days left out of my 14.
 
You know, at first I didn't think the creaking would bother me... and for a while I was actually okay with it. Until I realized that all it takes is the slightest amount of weight on the lower right side of the palm rest, and it'll creak -- or more accurately, it'll click. The slightest bit of touch to that area, and it clicks. It's actually pretty ridiculous the more I think about it. It's starting to bother me. I may bring it into Apple and have them get it tightened or whatever. This is not what premium should feel like, and it's disappointing.

Has anybody done this yet? What's the process? Just bring it in and tell them that it's creaking/clicking, and they'll take it back and tighten it?
 
I just got my new 13" MacBook Air, but I've noticed something... when moving the computer around, clicking some keys, changing the display angle, ect., the computer makes creaky/crack-like sounds. Not every time, but kinda often during normal use. It's like the body wasn't built 100% solidly, I don't know how else to explain it. Anyone else notice this? *hoping everyone else does so my computer is normal* :p

Yes, I have it. I bought mine to lay on the couch and work, I have had it one week and it is creaking. That being said, It creaks a lot less than my old higher powered PC laptop.

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I have managed to isolate the problem.

The left hand side hinge creaks even though it does not appear to be loose...

The noise occurs if there is small amount of pressure being put on the bottom left hand side of the screen. The same amount of pressure does not cause any noise on either the other side of the screen or on the MBP screen.

Edit: as stated before the noise is also heard when using the MBA on lap.

I tried to apply small amount of oil onto the (hair clippers oiling brush) and dab the area very lightly.. but it does not seem to be working.

Not sure whether if I take it back to the store they can do anything about it.

Type with two fingers :)
 
I just brought my 13" i7 MacBook Air in because of the creaking problem (mine happens every few minutes on my lap), and because I'm getting very poor battery life. The technician told me he would take the Air in back and try to reseat the bottom of the case. He was gone for a while. When he came back, he said he couldn't reseat the bottom because there is some piece in the center of the bottom panel that is supposed to grab onto the upper body of the Air and it was broken. He didn't realize the piece was broken until he tried the reseating and couldn't get the piece to latch on. So, he said he replaced the whole bottom panel of the Air (which apparently has the battery attached to it). So, hopefully the creaking problem and my battery issues will both be gone (although the battery does have an age of 28 weeks).
 
I got a 13" base model two days after launch, and it creaked like an old rocking chair. I brought it in, they tightened the base screws and it got better for a while, but came right back after a few days.

Brought it back in, they replaced it completely and put an orange sticker on the old one, which apparently means they're sending it to Apple's engineers to have them figure out what is wrong.

The new one is much better, but still makes a trackpad-like click if you're using it on your lap and you adjust your hands while typing or pick it up from the side. Still frustrating, but its much better than it was. Maybe I'm just OCD.
 
I also took mine in today and had it tightened, however, only after an hour of use on my lap it has come back....Ive made another appt for tomorrow and ill just get a replacement.
 
Two days ago I got a replacement for other issues. My new Air doesn't creak at all, it's marvelous and my computer no longer feels cheaply made
 
but still makes a trackpad-like click if you're using it on your lap and you adjust your hands while typing or pick it up from the side.

That's exactly what I hear on mine. I don't know if exchanging them for new ones now would change anything. It seems to be a design flaw or something in the production side for all of these initial Air shipments.

Between the creaking of my Air and dust getting behind the glass of my iMac, I'm really becoming disenchanted by Apple and the hefty price we pay for such "premium" products. They seem to care more about form over function in terms of hardware.
 
That's exactly what I hear on mine. I don't know if exchanging them for new ones now would change anything. It seems to be a design flaw or something in the production side for all of these initial Air shipments.

Between the creaking of my Air and dust getting behind the glass of my iMac, I'm really becoming disenchanted by Apple and the hefty price we pay for such "premium" products. They seem to care more about form over function in terms of hardware.

I wish it was dust behind the glass in the iMacs, it's dust between the lcd and the backlight :S, at least the air i got seems to have no problems at all.
 
The 11" I received from amazon would make a noise similar the trackpad being pressed if you squeezed it firmly in the middle of the back while closed. It may actually have been the trackpad clicking i am not sure. I have a 2010 11" which makes no noise whatsoever so i knew that it wasn't normal. Did an exchange and the new one is totally solid. Guess there are some oddities in the case.

i had this issue also.. sounded exactly like the trackpad was being pressed when it wasn't. took it to the apple store to get the bottom panel reseated. the first time, the "genius" said that it was due to the battery clip slightly hitting the bottom panel. after he reseated, the clicking sound was less noticeable, but still there. so i took it back a second time, and this time (knock on wood), it seems that the issue has gone away.
 

Very to the point! lol.

And btw for the poster who wanted me to report back on if my replacement starts creaking... It still doesn't creak. I'm pretty glad. I don't rememember I'd I specified on my first post (and I'm on my iPhone and too lazy to look at it) but it did sound like the trackpad most of the time.
 
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