Gaps in unibody MBP lid! Please help. Pics included

[Abstract]

....so I'm becoming the Obsessive Compulsive Mac buyer, it seems. I'm afraid the genius won't see it as an issue.

Uh huh.

Lots of MBPs have slightly uneven lids. It's not necessarily the build process itself that's wrong. The problem is that the aluminium bent a bit. Sometimes they just straighten out on their own after awhile.

Plastic Macs have rarely had a problem because the plastic used is stiff.

Cost isn't even the issue. It doesn't matter if you paid $10 or $20,000. The lid should close properly.

It does. There's just a tiny gap. Again, it may straighten itself out as you continue to use it.

When I first switched to Macs after a lifetime of PC use, I was amazed by the build quality. I have had Dells, Toshibas, E-Machines, and an assortment of other laptops. All of them have broken in under two years. I purchased a mid-2007 MBP and have had no issues whatsoever. I thought that trend would continue when I got my MBA, but it didn't. I'm not sure what happened in that small amount of time, but it seems Apple has been slacking on QC.

So you've only had 2 other Macs before this one? Since when was buying one Mac in perfect condition considered a "trend"? Apparently, now you've had 1 perfect Mac, and 1 with initial flaws, and 1 that's only 99% perfect.

I don't know if Apple's QC has been lacking. According to the Apple store I went to to get my MB fixed last week, the new unibody MBs and MBPs have had much fewer problems than ever. I asked them about it because my plastic MacBook has had quite a few issues, some of them nagging issues, but some serious ones in the past.

 

[damnyooneek]

SNIPPED quoted images.

If it makes you feel any better mine does the same thing. I realized the left side's magnet doesn't stick as much as the right side and that happens.

 

[Psychmike]

Of course you're entitled to feel however you feel. I'm awaiting shipment of my refurbished aluminum Macbook and you can bet I'd feel bummed if it came with a scratch, gap, or dent.

Do what you can easily do. If it doesn't take long to get to the Apple Store and you can swallow the cost of the Invisible Shield, perhaps it doesn't hurt to ask Apple if they can help you out with a repair or replacement.

But as a piece of emotional advice, I would suggest that perhaps it's a little too easy for us to invest our egos in the things we own. Certainly marketing encourages this. They implicitly promise us we'll feel a certain way when we buy a product and perhaps we do the first time we open the box or use our product in public.

But in the long run, it leads to a chronic sense of anxiety and insecurity. Some times people don't feel as good when the next revision comes out and they realize they don't have the latest and greatest. They somehow feel inadequate. I guess the things we own can truly end up owning us.

My advice is to try to enjoy the imperfections in life. The scratches and dings on my things reflect my use of them and make those things mine. They remind me that I ENJOY using these things instead of jealously guarding them from the bumps of the world.

If you always have shiny new things but are always tense, perhaps reluctant to share them, and always thinking of getting the next thing, you might not have a lot of energy and happiness for the rest of life. But if you can laugh at yourself and remember that you are much, much more than the things you own and your insecure feelings, you may feel a little lighter in your step. It's something I'm working on too. Let's put it in perspective; if you found out tomorrow you had cancer and a year to live, is this really how you'd want to be spending your energy?

Best,

Mike

 

[winninganthem]

Just use your computer and take it around back and forth and it'll straighten itself out.

But dude, seriously, it really doesn't look that bad. The difference seems incredibly tiny...

 

[alphaod]

So, using your theory, if you purchased a steak in a restaurant for $25, but you used to spend $50 for a less quality meat, you should just except it and eat it even if it was dropped on the floor and had dirt on it, because in the overall scheme of things, $25 is a bargain?

That's an incorrect intepretation. Apple didn't drop the computer and scratch it before selling it.

The correct analogy using your meat example would be instead of an 8 oz of just tenderloin, the particular cut you got also had about .5 oz of sirloin. Thus if the original cut was $50 and just 7.5 oz of your current cut was tenderloin and the other .5 oz being sirloin, $25 would be quite acceptable.

 

[GGJstudios]

But as a piece of emotional advice, I would suggest that perhaps it's a little too easy for us to invest our egos in the things we own. Certainly marketing encourages this. They implicitly promise us we'll feel a certain way when we buy a product and perhaps we do the first time we open the box or use our product in public.

But in the long run, it leads to a chronic sense of anxiety and insecurity. Some times people don't feel as good when the next revision comes out and they realize they don't have the latest and greatest. They somehow feel inadequate. I guess the things we own can truly end up owning us.

My advice is to try to enjoy the imperfections in life. The scratches and dings on my things reflect my use of them and make those things mine. They remind me that I ENJOY using these things instead of jealously guarding them from the bumps of the world.

If you always have shiny new things but are always tense, perhaps reluctant to share them, and always thinking of getting the next thing, you might not have a lot of energy and happiness for the rest of life. But if you can laugh at yourself and remember that you are much, much more than the things you own and your insecure feelings, you may feel a little lighter in your step. It's something I'm working on too. Let's put it in perspective; if you found out tomorrow you had cancer and a year to live, is this really how you'd want to be spending your energy?

Best,
Mike

Extremely well said! It reminds me of the wanna-be bikers who buy a Harley just to be seen on it and won't ride it if there's even a hint of rain, fearful it'll get wet or dirty. True bikers tend to sit back and laugh. Harleys are made to be ridden... maintained, of course..... but ridden and used up and worn out. More than the bike, it's the experiences of riding it that counts.

More than the computer -- the aluminum, the design, the keys -- it's what you can accomplish while using it (which involves more time with the lid open than closed) that counts. There are those who throw their Macs around like they're made of wood.... many end up with damage that affects functionality. There are others who obsess over every detail. Somewhere in between is the "healthy" position: take reasonable care of it, so it will last, but get value from using it, realizing it's going to eventually get a scratch or other imperfection, and it's going to become obsolete soon.

 

[Bwilky]

You pretty much have two options. First, you could do the easiest thing for yourself and just live with it. Lots of people have, and will continue to. Or, you could go back and forth between the Apple store and battle with them.

Your choice.

 

[infernohellion]

Uh huh.

Lots of MBPs have slightly uneven lids. It's not necessarily the build process itself that's wrong. The problem is that the aluminium bent a bit. Sometimes they just straighten out on their own after awhile.

Plastic Macs have rarely had a problem because the plastic used is stiff.

But instead, they crack

 

[Daremo]

It's not a theory. The lid closes properly. It just doesn't close PERFECTLY. Your analogy is a poor one, since health outweighs cost.... and also outweighs a fractional gap on one side of a portable computer lid. And like I said before, "Everyone's entitled to be as "anal" as they want" and "IMHO, it's not worth fussing about." If you have a different opinion, that's fine, but back off of criticizing mine!

OK, you are 100% correct. health and cosmetics are totally different, so my analogy was harsh. BUT, change it to the steak being overcooked and burnt, where there's no health issue, and you sort of see my point.

For the record, my MBP does the EXACT same thing. It doesn't close all the way on the left side either. So, just at a glance, that's 4 of us with the same issue. It's starting to look more like a design flaw to me. I'd expect this from a $500 laptop, but not from a $2500 Apple product, who PRIDES themselves on design, and beauty.

If I wanted a Hyundai, I'd buy a Dell. I bought the BMW of the notebook world, so I hold it to a high standard.

 

[Compile 'em all]

It's half of what I used to spend for Dell notebooks years ago that didn't have a fraction of the power the MBPs do. It's all relative for each person, but in the overall scheme of things, $2,500 is a bargain!

Bargain?

Talking out of the rear end pretty much applies to your post.

 

[lucidmedia]

If I wanted a Hyundai, I'd buy a Dell. I bought the BMW of the notebook world, so I hold it to a high standard.

But, Hyundai's reliability record is quite a bit higher than BMWs these days! In the 2009 rankings Hyundai is 8th, BMW 20th... German cars have been having lots of reliability issues over the past five years...

Back on topic: Its worth a try to see if they will swap it out... But if the issue is that noticeable, why was it not addressed in the 14-day return window? It would have been a lot easier to make a claim then.

 

[drewsof07]

You pretty much have two options. First, you could do the easiest thing for yourself and just live with it. Lots of people have, and will continue to. Or, you could go back and forth between the Apple store and battle with them.

Your choice.

Yes, you could just fistfight the manager, or lay back and accept it like a good little nerd, because those are the only two options

It's all what you think is acceptable. I had two previous MBPs that eventually developed a bowed screen. It wasn't a big deal until one of them didn't stay shut, then it was a problem for me. Because there is no latch mechanism anymore its a little different. If it interferes with the way you use the computer I would encourage you to dig into it a little more, but if you just want to be picky, I'd say please don't.

As Abstract mentioned earlier, it could very well correct itself. At night you could try putting a heavy textbook on it. Every little bit would help.

 

[jamesarm97]

My 2006 MPB has the same problem. I think it was because every time I take it out of the laptop case I grabbed it in the middle where the latch is, eventually making it uneven. I thought it was a defect but eventually learned to live with it. I now take it out with two hands, one on each side.

 

[GGJstudios]

Bargain?

Yes, a bargain! If you have any experience with buying notebook computers over the past 10 years, you'll know the prices keep dropping, industry-wide, while technology keeps improving. I remember paying over $5000 for a new Dell Inspiron with:

• Intel Mobile Pentium II 366 Mhz with 256kb cache
• 96 MB RAM
• 6.4 GB HDD
• 14.1" Active-Matrix Color screen TFT

So yes, spending half of that for a current MBP is a great bargain! Just because it's more than some people can afford, doesn't mean it's not a good deal.

 

[Muler36]

Yes, a bargain! If you have any experience with buying notebook computers over the past 10 years, you'll know the prices keep dropping, industry-wide, while technology keeps improving. I remember paying over $5000 for a new Dell Inspiron with:

• Intel Mobile Pentium II 366 Mhz with 256kb cache
• 96 MB RAM
• 6.4 GB HDD
• 14.1" Active-Matrix Color screen TFT

So yes, spending half of that for a current MBP is a great bargain! Just because it's more than some people can afford, doesn't mean it's not a good deal.

Sorry hang on, I've just read this whole thread and can't get over the fact, you're condoning the fact his laptop doesnt close as its designed and sold to.

Are you crazy? like seriously? I've seen some pretty embaressing signs of fanboyism on here before, but this is just ridiculous. Of course the price of technology is going to come down as it becomes more advanced, easier to make. Just like how Cars were rare at one point, and a speciality, and now they're cheaper and more commonly avaliable, same goes for EVERYTHING.


Your reason is absurd, If i bought a car and the engine ran, but only on 5 cylinders, it still runs, but doesn't run "perfectly", then that'd be fine?

im actually awe as to how weak and stupid a point you're trying to make.

 

[GGJstudios]

Sorry hang on, I've just read this whole thread and can't get over the fact, you're condoning the fact his laptop doesnt close as its designed and sold to.

First of all, you need to read all the posts in the thread before you go off on a rant that doesn't relate. The discussion about $2500 being a bargain is a side-issue to the original discussion. The laptop DOES close as designed; it's just not perfect. If you look close enough, you'll find imperfections to various degrees with EVERY computer ever sold. The notebook functions as designed and closes as designed. The fact that there is a miniscule difference from one side to the other is not a failure to close. I never offered the price as a reason to condone anything. I simply said,

"it's a moderately priced $2,500 notebook computer, not a Rolls Royce or a nuclear reactor or a precision diamond-cutting tool."

meaning that a variance in measurement to that degree doesn't significantly affect the value of the notebook, like it would if there was a flaw in something that required exact measurements in order to function, or something that was a very large investment (such as a RR). Perhaps a remedial reading course would be helpful!

If i bought a car and the engine ran, but only on 5 cylinders, it still runs, but doesn't run "perfectly", then that'd be fine?

No, in that case the "flaw" affects functionality. In the OP's case, it does not.

 

[Alucardx03]

Well, I guess the heated nature of this thread goes to show why I posted the problem in the first place. It seems like it's pretty evenly split between "take it back" and "are you crazy?" I'm struggling with the exact same arguments. Anyway, I really appreciate all the comments. Keep 'em coming!

 

[HLdan]

Well, I guess the heated nature of this thread goes to show why I posted the problem in the first place. It seems like it's pretty evenly split between "take it back" and "are you crazy?" I'm struggling with the exact same arguments. Anyway, I really appreciate all the comments. Keep 'em coming!

Well, I'll add a comment for ya. You said you didn't want to get an exchange in fear of getting another one with dead pixels, heat issues and so forth. Did it occur to you that the exchanged one would be perfect? It's not the norm to get defective machines regardless of your past experiences.
Your way of thinking explains that Apple sets aside only the defective ones for just YOU.
I say, take it back and get another one, if it's not too far from the 14 day the manager most likely will exchange it.
If you wait too long and decide to ask them to repair it they may think you did something to warp the lid.
So again, just take it back. If you're gonna live in fear that every time you buy an Apple Macintosh it's gonna have defects then there's no point in buying at all.

Whew, there's my psycho therapy for the day.

 

[dissdnt]

This happens with all apples aluminum products, 1st gen, unibody etc.

Apple doesn't really seem to care to address the situation.

 

[petermcphee]

I would take it back when it is convenient. More importantly, I would approach the genius bar with the attitude of "perhaps there is something wrong with this, and I thought I would bring it in to make sure." This way, you may diminish the chance that they perceive you as a crazy person.

 

[Warranty Voider]

My lid is also bent just like the OP's, but It doesn't bother me nearly enough to take it back.

But as a piece of emotional advice, I would suggest that perhaps it's a little too easy for us to invest our egos in the things we own. Certainly marketing encourages this. They implicitly promise us we'll feel a certain way when we buy a product and perhaps we do the first time we open the box or use our product in public.

But in the long run, it leads to a chronic sense of anxiety and insecurity. Some times people don't feel as good when the next revision comes out and they realize they don't have the latest and greatest. They somehow feel inadequate. I guess the things we own can truly end up owning us.

My advice is to try to enjoy the imperfections in life. The scratches and dings on my things reflect my use of them and make those things mine. They remind me that I ENJOY using these things instead of jealously guarding them from the bumps of the world.

If you always have shiny new things but are always tense, perhaps reluctant to share them, and always thinking of getting the next thing, you might not have a lot of energy and happiness for the rest of life. But if you can laugh at yourself and remember that you are much, much more than the things you own and your insecure feelings, you may feel a little lighter in your step. It's something I'm working on too. Let's put it in perspective; if you found out tomorrow you had cancer and a year to live, is this really how you'd want to be spending your energy?

Best,

Mike

I agree. I have a couple scratches and dents, but I like to think of them as identification marks. Sorta like birthmarks. When I first scratched it, I was mad at myself, but now I look at the scratches with pride. There's a story behind each dent and scratch.

 

[Alucardx03]

My lid is also bent just like the OP's, but It doesn't bother me nearly enough to take it back.



I agree. I have a couple scratches and dents, but I like to think of them as identification marks. Sorta like birthmarks. When I first scratched it, I was mad at myself, but now I look at the scratches with pride. There's a story behind each dent and scratch.

I completely understand what you're saying. In fact, when I get a scratch on a gadget, I feel like I can use that gadget more freely, if that makes sense.

However, when it comes to computers, I try to keep them as pristine as possible because I frequently sell them after a year or two.

 

[kousuke18]

Try putting some textbooks on the side that has the gap. I did that with my classic mbp lid and now the gap isn't nearly as noticeable as before.

 

[Alucardx03]

Try putting some textbooks on the side that has the gap. I did that with my classic mbp lid and now the gap isn't nearly as noticeable as before.

I left it overnight with the FCS2 manuals on the warped side. Unfortunately, it didn't do a thing. I think it may be the glass that's prohibiting any bending back into shape...

 

[JForestZ34]

Oh, the horror!

For what he paid for that laptop I would want it perfect also.. These things are not cheap and I think they shouldn't have that gap either.. You could buy a decent used car for what these things cost...

I have a 2.4 SR MBP and my lid is a lot worse than that.. But I didn't bring it in yet being I don;t have the time... I am just living with it for now, besides from what other posts say it's pretty common on the MBP..


James