Yesterday a friend of mine was over, and she pointed emphatically at my screen, smacking into it with a longish fingernail. I couldn't find any damage initially, but the next day I was shining the iPhone flashlight on my screen and found a little scratch in the general area where she pointed, about a quarter of an inch across. It's only visible from certain angles and while the flashlight is shining on the glass.
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How mad would you be if somebody scratched your screen?
- Thread starter StephenCampbell
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That's why I don't allow anyone to touch my Mac's screen, and I scream at anyone who does. I have yelled bloody murder at my girlfriend for leaving smudges on the screen, which is bad enough already.
A work of art must not be damaged in any way!
A work of art must not be damaged in any way!
I'm not sure your friend had anything to do with it. Fingernails (natural or acrylic) would have a hard time scratching glass. It's just a materials science reality.
The only possibility I can think of is that the anti-reflective coating on the glass might be soft enough to scratch (is that coating on the outside of the screen?).
In any case, if you have to look at it from weird angles under a flashlight to see it, then presumably it will not impact your usage of the machine in any way.
Chalk this up to the small price you pay for being fortunate enough to have friends.
The only possibility I can think of is that the anti-reflective coating on the glass might be soft enough to scratch (is that coating on the outside of the screen?).
In any case, if you have to look at it from weird angles under a flashlight to see it, then presumably it will not impact your usage of the machine in any way.
Chalk this up to the small price you pay for being fortunate enough to have friends.
Some perspective needed. It's just a computer. Carry on screeching at your girlfriend like that and I won't be surprised if she leaves you for someone normal.
thought a computer is a tool for a minute... my mistake. keep yelling bloody murder, and she's going to become someone else' girlfriend.
You know suddenly I'm thinking of the question, how different is the iMac screen from the iPhone screen? I touch the iPhone screen all the time obviously, and don't think anything of it. Is there a physical difference between a screen designed to be touched and one designed not to be touched?
Off the top of my head, the iPhone has some kind of coating to keep fingerprints down. I doubt and iMac would have that same coating. As for the OP, I still bewilder people when I don't let them hold my phone. "Oh, I'm not gonna drop it!" That's exactly what everyone thinks when they're holding anything.
It's so great to be able to reach out to a community here that understands! 
I had actually already told this friend several times to not touch the screen, to the point where she got offended that I thought she would be "like a child."
And after she smacked her finger into it and saw that I was going to clean the screen right away, she said "let me do it!" and she was extremely adamant about it and was like "what, you don't trust me?" So finally I gave up and let her rub all the dust all over the screen, making my ensuing cleaning job much more difficult.
Ah people.
I had actually already told this friend several times to not touch the screen, to the point where she got offended that I thought she would be "like a child."
And after she smacked her finger into it and saw that I was going to clean the screen right away, she said "let me do it!" and she was extremely adamant about it and was like "what, you don't trust me?" So finally I gave up and let her rub all the dust all over the screen, making my ensuing cleaning job much more difficult.
Ah people.
My wife and daughter both know better than to touch my iMac. Did you try anything to clean the 'scratch' off?
I use a cleaning pad and spray called cleansafe pad.
I use a cleaning pad and spray called cleansafe pad.
I just used the cloth that came with the machine. There are a few other little specks here and there that don't come off anymore also… I assume that they're just micro-scratches from rubbing the screen with that cloth.. the littlest speck of dust could create a micro-scratch if rubbed hard against the screen.
As long as nothing is visible without the flashlight and without the screen being black, I know it won't affect resale value or functionality, so I'm generally okay with it.
I wasn't nearly as mad as I was sad about the event. Not to get too personal, someone whipped my mouse at the computer so hard that the mouse shattered beyond use, and the screen had a one inch long set of parallel lines that appeared to be scratches, along with a chevron shaped crack that, although fairly small, resulted in a dark shadow about 1/4" in diameter when the screen was lit up.
This was only one in a series of events that found me not living with that person any longer.
And there you go. Don't go away mad. Just go away.
This was only one in a series of events that found me not living with that person any longer.
And there you go. Don't go away mad. Just go away.
Was this person angry at you during that event? Or just a careless, bumbling oaf?
This person is always angry.
The mouse I bought to replace that one ended up in the fish tank.
Again, I'm in a different place now. All is well. But these computers are definitely not indestructible!
HATE HATE HATE when people do this. Some of my colleagues do this too, and you'd think they'd know better since we're I.T.
POINT, don't touch! You don't have to touch my damned screen in order for me to know what you're pointing at!
POINT, don't touch! You don't have to touch my damned screen in order for me to know what you're pointing at!
the scene in 'Hostel 1" towards the end in the toilet cubicle comes to mind
or the metal boomerang scene in "Mad Max 2"
or the metal boomerang scene in "Mad Max 2"
If a finger comes even close to my screen I explain in a calm way that I don't want my screen to be touched because smudges on the screen make things like retouching pictures a pain.
If someone still touches my screen I just turn it off, get my cleaning cloth out and clean it. If it's completely cleaned after a couple of minutes I continue to do whatever I did before with that person. After that they don't touch the screen again. This works best with coworkers who are in a hurry.
If someone still touches my screen I just turn it off, get my cleaning cloth out and clean it. If it's completely cleaned after a couple of minutes I continue to do whatever I did before with that person. After that they don't touch the screen again. This works best with coworkers who are in a hurry.
Almost make me glad that I don't have friends.
As for letting someone else clean my screen? NO WAY. They already dirtied it, I'm not letting them rub the dirt around and risk messing it up more. If they're offended tough. I pay too much for my Apple gear to let someone mess them up.
As for letting someone else clean my screen? NO WAY. They already dirtied it, I'm not letting them rub the dirt around and risk messing it up more. If they're offended tough. I pay too much for my Apple gear to let someone mess them up.