Apple Says MacBook Air With Retina Display Can Exhibit Anti-Reflective Coating Issues, Unclear if Eligible for Free Repairs [Updated]

[praetorian909]

Corr "have featured one since."




Apple really should just use a pixel phase shift like what HP has done on their EliteBook series (840/1036 G6 & DragonFly) - unless it's patented. And also should just scrap using glossy displays to trick users into thinking the resolution is super sharp.

Not sure what you’re referring to as “pixel phase shift”—maybe you’re mixing that up with the HP privacy screen feature? Doesn’t help with reflections, and also uses extra battery power.

AFAIK HP’s screens are glossy or matte/AG

 

[szw-mapple fan]

no real downsides except maybe if using it outside.

That's a pretty big downside for a lot of people.

 

[llllllllll]

You could say the downside is on the bright side, outside.

 

[thekev]

why not keep that film that is there for shipping to force layer between display and keyboard?

That film probably isn't designed to last through several years of use, and it may be a very bad idea. Use a keyboard cover or overlay if you want that. Those are at least designed to be in place. It's unclear to what degree (if any) that any of these things would mitigate this problem though.

 

[Padiro]

This has happened on my early 2013 15" rMBP. Any idea if they would cover it?

I have the same problem on my MBP late 2013 13”

 

[gsjohnson57]

Well, the last time I used a very wet kitchen scrubber and some dishwashing liquid. Just keep it wet and it will be fine. The glass is actually pretty hard. Don't go medieval on it and it will be fine.
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That is totally wrong. The coating gets damaged on around 90-100% of all macs that are actually used as laptops. When you carry you computer in a bag and some pressure is applied to the lid, the keyboard and area between keyboard and touchpad comes in contact with the screen. It seems the grease from fingerprints breaks down the coating. Also, right where you open the lid, it's inevitable that you touch the screen and you might scratch the coating with your nail. As soon as the coating gets scratched, it starts to break down and fall off.
The computers without any problems that you see are not carried around much, or even at all, or the users are extremely careful. Out of the perhaps 1-200 I've seen at work, almost all have had some damage to the coating.

NOTE:
I have a late (4Q) 2015 MacBook Pro 13" Laptop. I read some 'interesting' posts about trying to clean the screen with 'Listerine' and and other products. So I have to tell you about a product I just tried two hours ago that I had actually purchased to restore my outdoor patio furniture (which turned out 'fantastic' and like 'new. It is a UV product for outdoor patio furniture. I tested a 2" square area in the corner of my screen (which was very badly affected) before I continued. Now ... I'm writing this message in complete amazement on how well the screen turned out. This looks like a brand new screen! I applied the product with a micro-fibre cloth and it worked it in a circular motion. It did not take much effort ... or pressure.

Full disclaimer - this is NOT an approved Apple repair, This is just a friendly post on how you might try to fix your screen. Look for a UV protectant at your local patio furniture store.

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Apple, just skip that coating...
I've resorted to scrubbing it off completely on computers where Apple no longer wants to do screen replacements. Works just as fine, no real downsides except maybe if using it outside.

 

[dogslobber]

Dell laptops have more issues. So much that it is not reported in news at all as its just too common. It would be like reporting the sky is blue. And worse, it wont be acknowledged by Dell and it wont be eligible for free repairs.

Does that include keyboards that you can't type on? Seriously, how can a company totally mess up something as basic as a keyboard? That is the height of total incompetence and maybe why Jony had to walk the plank.

 

[TheSpiritBaby]

Any model with an antireflective coating, which is every MacBook Pro and Air since each line respectively introduced retina (2012- MBPs and 2018- MBAs).

Man...I'm so glad I got the 2017 MacBook Air from Apple's Refurbishment and Clearance section. It was obviously the best purchase of Mac laptop I could have made. I don't care about the 1440x900 screen. I'm used to low res screens. My Mac mini runs with a 1920x1080 27 inch DELL monitor...the lowest res I ever had was 1366x768 so...

Still, so glad I got the 2017 MacBook Air. Legacy Ports. Legacy MagSafe. Legacy of good laptops. Sad the newer models have so many problems. Apple's not alone in this though, all the laptop manufacturers are getting that way with the newer systems...QA/QC doesn't matter anymore I guess.
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How do you avoid your so-called "Apple Tax" and purchasing a Mac when you use XCode for a living?

or when you want a system that just works and doesn't decide to crash when just sitting idle? cough Windows 10 cough

 

[TheSpiritBaby]

cuz it’s matte duh no need for a coating

Yep. one of the main reasons I got a 2017 MacBook Air.
1. Reliable design, even Louis Rossmann recommends them and he repairs MacBooks for a living.
2. Legacy ports (USB 3 Type A is legacy...I'm shook. MagSafe 2
3. Damn good speakers
4. Light and perfect for my use.

And yeah it has a 1440x900 display. That the first resolution of my first flat panel monitor I used with an old HP desktop that's now dead. And honestly, the highest res display I have is with my 2018 Mac mini (1920x1080).
Anyways...1440x900 on a 13 inch display is fine. I don't need any retina bs. And all these tech YouTubers complaining about bezels and super high end displays. commence eye rolling As long as the laptop works I don't care what the screen res is. As long as the display doesn't wear out, I'm good.
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They certainly used to.. I have the same model, there was a year or two where it was a recognised thing they'd definitely fix for free. I got my screen replaced, but it was way more recent and the previous owner had scratched the screen trying to remove the coating (lol) so the cosmetic damage wasn't just apple's fault.. They did massively discount the repair for me though..

Apple seem really hit and miss when it comes to screen issues.

They did good with the MacBook Airs 2013-2017...I dunno why decided to go with this AR coating...knowing that is has failures with other laptops. I guess they didn't learn. It's like with the butterfly keyboard. Same ****...

 

[Jessica Jones]

I had screen replaced due to this issue. Funny, I had no idea and was wondering why the screen looked so bad for a while. Of course, now I wonder how long until this replacement screen has the same issue.

i have the same issue , is the programme of them fixing it for free still running? if so how do i go about doing it
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I had this even on my 2012 MacBook Pro. It was crazy and super annoying. You could basically see the whole trackpad and the space bar scratched into the screen.

They did replace it for free but I have been putting a soft mat on the keyboard before closing the laptop ever since. This shouldn’t be necessary on computers for that kind of money.

they should just leave it off, clearly it’s still not working 8 years later

i have the same issue are they still replacing the screens and fixing it for free? if so how did you go about getting this done

 

[UKBeast]

Is mba 2018 retina in the replacement program ? I hade 2 small line type stains on the screen have just left my mba at the apple store.