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Does your MB have case cracks?

  • Yes, MB cracked (Rev. A, B, C) BLACK

    Votes: 5 4.1%
  • Yes, MB cracked (Rev. A, B, C) WHITE

    Votes: 28 23.1%
  • Yes, MB cracked (Rev. D, E) BLACK

    Votes: 2 1.7%
  • Yes, MB cracked (Rev. D, E) WHITE

    Votes: 5 4.1%
  • No, MB NOT cracked (Rev. A, B, C) BLACK

    Votes: 13 10.7%
  • No, MB NOT cracked (Rev. A, B, C) WHITE

    Votes: 19 15.7%
  • No, MB NOT cracked (Rev. D, E) BLACK

    Votes: 19 15.7%
  • No, MB NOT cracked (Rev. D, E) WHITE

    Votes: 30 24.8%

  • Total voters
    121
One can highly suspect it is a design flaw. Proof can be made after studying the material stress in the plastic of a MacBook after some use.

The magnets causes the lid to close flushed on the top case with a high pressure. A constant pressure at those two spots where the magnets meet, will stress the plastic there. Eventually, it might crack.


Thinking about buying a Macbook has caused me to read these threads.

Working in a Failure Analysis group of a major defense contractor causes me to ask these questions ......

Can you define what you mean by " high pressure "?

What is the measured amount of pressure at the point where the cases meet?

Personally I doubt those magnets exert enough energy to deform the plastic, and it would have to be deformed prior to cracking or stressed from external force.

My son has a white macbook, over a year old and he is rough with it. So far he has no cracks. If you saw how he treated his you would cry.

I do recall having an old G4 iBook that developed a crack .... If I recall correctly it was in the lower case in front of the touchpad.
 
Bs

There's no way that any of these cases would crack unless an abnormal amount of pressure was exerted on it.

How bout you state how long / what conditions the MB cracked under?

If you're frequently putting the thing in a bag and toting it around without a case, sure the thing's going to crack after a while.

If you at least get a neoprene case for it, the chance would definitely be lessened.
 
There's no way that any of these cases would crack unless an abnormal amount of pressure was exerted on it.

How bout you state how long / what conditions the MB cracked under?

If you're frequently putting the thing in a bag and toting it around without a case, sure the thing's going to crack after a while.

If you at least get a neoprene case for it, the chance would definitely be lessened.


I'm sorry about your 100% wrong these macs are cracking with out an abnormal amount of pressure being put on them.
 
There's no way that any of these cases would crack unless an abnormal amount of pressure was exerted on it.

How bout you state how long / what conditions the MB cracked under?

If you're frequently putting the thing in a bag and toting it around without a case, sure the thing's going to crack after a while.

If you at least get a neoprene case for it, the chance would definitely be lessened.

My macbook travels in a thick leather briefcase to work with me each day. It is never dropped slammed, stepped on or anything else that could be considered abusive by any stretch of the imagination. I am a mature owner who mostly uses his computer for work and surfing the internet.
 
Some MacBooks experience cracking of the case.

cracked_macbook_closeup_small.jpg


It is possible it is from the magnets used to close it. Some claim it is the result of carelessness, but I feel it is likely a design problem.

Interestingly enough, no one has reported a crack in the Rev D or E MacBooks. That could be because either we haven't given the poll enough time, Apple has resolved the issue, or, more likely, this defect happens after awhile of use.



Thanks! Did you like the MB though?

Mine looked the spitting image of that pic - took it to the genius bar and they processed it without a seconds thought. The bloke asked if there was anything else wrong with it, and initially i thought no, but when i turned my macbook over, there were a series of hairline cracks around the heat exhaust vent. Anyone had these?
 
Neither one of my MacBooks have cracked.

I do believe it has more to do with how the system is treated than a design flaw. People tend to slam the lid shut and that cause problems. So will holding it and putting pressure along the top when moving the system.

This is no different than the MagSafe failures, IMO. I have yet to see a MagSafe failure (cord fraying, burning) that wasn't caused by the user winding the cord too tightly or by tugging on the cord to disconnect it from the system.
 
My Blackbook has not cracked. The only thing that bothers me is the glossed trackpad from wear.
 
I do believe it has more to do with how the system is treated than a design flaw. People tend to slam the lid shut and that cause problems. So will holding it and putting pressure along the top when moving the system.

Maybe people are putting "too much pressure" on the computer, but this is an amount of pressure that the computer should be able to handle. Just look at the poll results! Would that many people really put an unreasonable amount of pressure on the computer? AppleCare seems very willing to correct the problem, which is essentially Apple admitting that it's their fault.
 
Mine has cracking on both the top and bottom cases. :( Rev A.

I know for a fact the top case cracks are caused by the case closing and opening. I know this because mine is cracked where the raised section on either side of the camera are in line with the cracks.

The bottom case cracks are a bit harder to pin point the cause of. I think they may be caused by use on my lap?
 
I read an article (can't remember where now) last week that said the cracking in the bottom right of the MacBooks is because of the HD. The MacBook's hard drive is located there and the constant whirring of the hard drive from general use causes the case to crack over time.

This seems like a logical explanation of the cracking problem. But I also think a number of other factors may be involved, such as the magnets and how much force the user allows in closing the MacBook (I close mine pretty gently). Also, if you're going to treat your MacBook like a child's toy, slamming it shut, chucking it around, then the likelihood of damaging it is higher than for someone who treats it like the expensive item it is.
 
I'm just saying, 8/10 people don't treat their laptops with the right amount of respect *snickers*.

If you saw the sort of people that I've dealt with at my job, oh god. Then you'd know why I ask how you're treating the thing. If you're like the guy with the leather brief case and it's still cracking, then sure, I'll agree that it's a problem.

So far, I carry my MB with a case on it with some light books in a messenger bag. No problems so far, but that's yet to be seen.

If Apple's willing to eat the cost on repairing the cases, then I bet it's just a poor design, like people say.
 
There's no way that any of these cases would crack unless an abnormal amount of pressure was exerted on it.

How bout you state how long / what conditions the MB cracked under?

If you're frequently putting the thing in a bag and toting it around without a case, sure the thing's going to crack after a while.

If you at least get a neoprene case for it, the chance would definitely be lessened.

Are you implying it's the customers' fault for Apple to badly design their first rev. MacBooks but somehow fix it later? :rolleyes:
No case will stop the pressure from the little plastic tuts near the bezel. If I can't carry my laptop in a bag but need to hold it stretched out with both arms from my body, then it's hardly a portable computer anymore.

You're not making much sense.
 
Neither one of my MacBooks have cracked.

I do believe it has more to do with how the system is treated than a design flaw. People tend to slam the lid shut and that cause problems. So will holding it and putting pressure along the top when moving the system.

This is no different than the MagSafe failures, IMO. I have yet to see a MagSafe failure (cord fraying, burning) that wasn't caused by the user winding the cord too tightly or by tugging on the cord to disconnect it from the system.

Oh yours will don't worry. You'll be in here making a thread about it in a months time, I can see it already.
 
Hi all,

I'm thinking about buying a new white MB 2.4, how can you tell if the laptop is revision A, B, C, D or E? For example, John Lewis is selling the MB £829 model with 2 year warranty. Is it anywhere in the code/model name?

Here's the link:

http://www.johnlewis.com/230475832/Product.aspx

Thanks for your help

We know the specs of each generation. Usually knowing just the CPU is enough, but sometimes additional information is necessary (like SuperDrive or combodrive in MacBook line, graphics card, etc)

2.4 GHz MB is latest (current) revision (rev.E)
 
We know the specs of each generation. Usually knowing just the CPU is enough, but sometimes additional information is necessary (like SuperDrive or combodrive in MacBook line, graphics card, etc)

2.4 GHz MB is latest (current) revision (rev.E)

Thank you very much!
 
mine black rev2 macbook cracked this weekend :( very depressing since I might be selling up soon.. Its covered under AppleCare (about 1.5 years left).. what exactly would they do if I went to the store and asked about it?


thanks
 
mine black rev2 macbook cracked this weekend :( very depressing since I might be selling up soon.. Its covered under AppleCare (about 1.5 years left).. what exactly would they do if I went to the store and asked about it?


thanks

Hi VendettaBass,

How did it happen? It just...cracked??? I'm thinking to replace my 1 year old Vaio TX (sub notebook) with the MB 2.4 white...but all these problems with the case...not sure it's a good move for me!
 
Hi VendettaBass,

How did it happen? It just...cracked??? I'm thinking to replace my 1 year old Vaio TX (sub notebook) with the MB 2.4 white...but all these problems with the case...not sure it's a good move for me!

I have no idea :(, I opened her up yesterday and noticed a rough feeling on my right hand at the edge... and sure enough, a piece of the edge was missing! Good job I found it, but I have a feeling it'll have an effect on the sale of it :( ...

web.jpg


you can slightly see here (close iPhone pic), I've placed the part that fell out back in place


To the people who have had it fixed, do they replace the whole top shell?
 
I have no idea :(, I opened her up yesterday and noticed a rough feeling on my right hand at the edge... and sure enough, a piece of the edge was missing! Good job I found it, but I have a feeling it'll have an effect on the sale of it :( ...

web.jpg


you can slightly see here (close iPhone pic), I've placed the part that fell out back in place


To the people who have had it fixed, do they replace the whole top shell?


I can almost guarantee Apply will replace the case. It will look like a brand new one, then you sell it. Or at least this is what I understand.

Am sure someone can tell you the exact procedure to follow...my guess is that you return it to the shop where you bought it...?Somebody mentioned they got it fixed within 40 hours (!).
 
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