Is this the initial onset of the delamination of the coating of my early 2015 Macbook Pro?

[se93]

Greetings Community

I just picked up (my first macbook pro) an early 2015 Macbook Pro in very good condition but noticed a line (see red circled area in attached image) close to the center of the screen.

Is this that start of the delamination of the anti-reflective coating? I have seen where delamination normally starts on the edges and is blurry, eventually spreading to the center.

This dotted line on my mac is not noticeable at plain sight but at a certain angle / light output you can see it. When the screen is on you do not see any distortion or problems with the display.

I reached out to the seller and he said its not delamination, so what is it then? Is it wear/tear for an 8 year old machine? Can this issue occur with the screen touching the keyboard over the span of years or is this simply coating delamination at a very early stage / uncommon circumstance?

What do you guys think?

 

[DeltaMac]

Not exactly delamination, but part of the screen coating is rubbing away where areas of the screen touch the lower case when the lid is closed. The main part of what you see is just below the lowest edge of the keyboard. The higher on the screen you go, you will see a relatively-undamaged part, which is exactly where the trackpad sits in relation to the screen. That trackpad doesn't contact the screen, but the surrounding areas are closer to screen. And, you can see some impressions of the lower row of keys, causing more damage to the screen. Again, it's damage caused by the keyboard area gently rubbing against the screen, from movement while carrying with the lid closed. The rubbing happens when the laptop is carried, usually in a bag. So, the laptop is portable, and the clearance between top and bottom case is really close. Parts touch each other when carried. It's typical wear and tear on Mac laptops.

 

[se93]

Not exactly delamination, but part of the screen coating is rubbing away where areas of the screen touch the lower case when the lid is closed. The main part of what you see is just below the lowest edge of the keyboard. The higher on the screen you go, you will see a relatively-undamaged part, which is exactly where the trackpad sits in relation to the screen. That trackpad doesn't contact the screen, but the surrounding areas are closer to screen. And, you can see some impressions of the lower row of keys, causing more damage to the screen. Again, it's damage caused by the keyboard area gently rubbing against the screen, from movement while carrying with the lid closed. The rubbing happens when the laptop is carried, usually in a bag. So, the laptop is portable, and the clearance between top and bottom case is really close. Parts touch each other when carried. It's typical wear and tear on Mac laptops.

Thank you for your response. Would you recommend a screen protector and/or keyboard cover to deter continued degradation of the screen?

I am so relieved its not delamination and just normal wear and tear. Really loving the i5 2.9 GHZ 16GB and 512 GB of ram soon to be 1TB. Machine is fast and works great.

Thank you!!

Mark

 

[TheRealAlex]

Same exact thing happened to my 2015 MBP. During the 2020 Pandemic Apple Stores were Closed. But when they Opened I took it in and they As an Act of kindness or Good Spirits the manager Authorized a Replacement of the whole display. I guess they were feeling extra generous that day.

 

[se93]

Should I use a screen protector and/or a keyboard cover to preserve the display and avoid further damage?

 

[se93]

Same exact thing happened to my 2015 MBP. During the 2020 Pandemic Apple Stores were Closed. But when they Opened I took it in and they As an Act of kindness or Good Spirits the manager Authorized a Replacement of the whole display. I guess they were feeling extra generous that day.

Lucky you. I may have to make a trip to the Apple store and see if i get just as lucky. I did call Apple today and asked about the expired display recall for these machines and if they would make an exception but the rep said no.

 

[DeltaMac]

IMHO--a keyboard cover (those silicon translucent ones) are not such a great idea. There's not enough space (that's the problem).
I usually leave a sheet of paper (printer paper is my plan) on the keyboard when I close lid. Does just as good as those $20 (or more) screen protectors; anyway, it seems pointless to spend good money to cover a screen that is already damaged. A sheet of plain paper does the trick to prevent further decay - and virtually free.
I would say that you are not likely to "get lucky". Your MacBookPro12.1 is considered by Apple to be "Vintage" -- last step before "Obsolete", which, for you, means that support might be offered, but likely only if they have the part in the store. I doubt that they would be able to order anything for that model.

 

[se93]

IMHO--a keyboard cover (those silicon translucent ones) are not such a great idea. There's not enough space (that's the problem).
I usually leave a sheet of paper (printer paper is my plan) on the keyboard when I close lid. Does just as good as those $20 (or more) screen protectors; anyway, it seems pointless to spend good money to cover a screen that is already damaged. A sheet of plain paper does the trick to prevent further decay - and virtually free.
I would say that you are not likely to "get lucky". Your MacBookPro12.1 is considered by Apple to be "Vintage" -- last step before "Obsolete", which, for you, means that support might be offered, but likely only if they have the part in the store. I doubt that they would be able to order anything for that model.

Thank you DeltaMac. I just grabbed a sheet of paper and placed it on top of the keyboard. This will be my effective/ free screensaver.

Happy Holidays!!

Regards,
Mark

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

That's "StainGate".

Tell me, honestly ... did you notice this BEFORE you put your money down for it?
Bad decision.

There is no "fix", other than to get the display replaced.

WHY StainGate happens:
The MacBook Pros have a very fine, sprayed-on anti-glare coating. Because it's just sprayed on, and because it's just "particles", the surface of the display is relatively "fragile".

And too many users aren't careful about how they "clean" the display, often trying to remove spots by rubbing, when in actuality they are "rubbing away" the sprayed on anti-glare coating!

You can try a screen protector, which may make the image worse.
But you'll really just have to live with it.

Again... didn't you see this before you bought it? (sigh)

 

[se93]

OP:

That's "StainGate".

Tell me, honestly ... did you notice this BEFORE you put your money down for it?
Bad decision.

There is no "fix", other than to get the display replaced.

WHY StainGate happens:
The MacBook Pros have a very fine, sprayed-on anti-glare coating. Because it's just sprayed on, and because it's just "particles", the surface of the display is relatively "fragile".

And too many users aren't careful about how they "clean" the display, often trying to remove spots by rubbing, when in actuality they are "rubbing away" the sprayed on anti-glare coating!

You can try a screen protector, which may make the image worse.
But you'll really just have to live with it.

Again... didn't you see this before you bought it? (sigh)

Honestly, I had no idea of this detail on this unit. I would have pointed it out to the seller if i had seen or had it been listed on the listing.

The detail of the screen was not noticeable on the images posted of the product listing. You cannot see this unless you maneuver the screen to a certain angle / light source and then it’s noticeable. Seller did not make mention of this either.

Apart from this detail, the MBP is in splendid condition and will just live with it.

 

[cryptocat]

If it bothers you and you can live with a little more glare, you can polish the entire coating off. Lots of tutorials out there.

Done it myself.

The restored uniformity was worth the extra glare to me, but you're going to have to decide for yourself.

 

[se93]

Good Morning Cryptocat,

That is an option I have been considering and have seen tons of videos of people using things such as listerine, alcohol, automotive paint medium grade polish, acetone and something called Armour Etch glass etching cream which looks interesting.

Since you have successfully restored / polished your screen, can you tell me what worked for you in this process?

 

[se93]

If it bothers you and you can live with a little more glare, you can polish the entire coating off. Lots of tutorials out there.

Done it myself.

The restored uniformity was worth the extra glare to me, but you're going to have to decide for yourself.

If it bothers you and you can live with a little more glare, you can polish the entire coating off. Lots of tutorials out there.

Done it myself.

The restored uniformity was worth the extra glare to me, but you're going to have to decide for yourself.

Hi Cryptocat,

What did you use?