MBP Paint Question

[fiveainone]

So the rMBP is my first mb ever, and this might sound insignificant to some, but.. does the paint on the body ever wear out? My left hand is resting on the left side of the trackpad the whole time. Would it ever show any signs of wear years down the line? What about the keys themselves? or is it injection molded or something?

 

[Brian Y]

So the rMBP is my first mb ever, and this might sound insignificant to some, but.. does the paint on the body ever wear out? My left hand is resting on the left side of the trackpad the whole time. Would it ever show any signs of wear years down the line? What about the keys themselves? or is it injection molded or something?

It's not painted per se.

The keys will probably go shiny though .

 

[thundersteele]

1. There is no paint!!!

2. The finish of the surface can show some signs of wear. For example the area where my watch hits the case when I type has lost it's matte finish by now and looks more shiny. If you only touch it with your skin it shouldn't happen though.

3. My keys are shiny (about 1 year old), but I think it's mostly grease. Haven't tried cleaning.

 

[fiveainone]

nice to know about the body.

keys go shiny, but do the letters disappear at all?

 

[filmbuff]

You must have been using HP computers for too long There is nothing externally on a Macbook to fade or wear out. Just don't scratch it.

 

[snaky69]

So the rMBP is my first mb ever, and this might sound insignificant to some, but.. does the paint on the body ever wear out? My left hand is resting on the left side of the trackpad the whole time. Would it ever show any signs of wear years down the line? What about the keys themselves? or is it injection molded or something?

AFAIK it's hard anodized, not painted. It could eventually wear off, years and years from now.

 

[T5BRICK]

nice to know about the body.

keys go shiny, but do the letters disappear at all?

No, the letters are molded into the plastic, not painted on. That's how the keyboard backlight works.

 

[yusukeaoki]

I rest my hand on the right side a lot and started to show some wear and tear.
Black spots show up and silver coating wears off a bit.

 

[fiveainone]

thanks guys.

so the shiny keys.. is that due to oil from the hands? if so wiping/cleaning it often should help yes?

 

[jmaeser]

thanks guys.

so the shiny keys.. is that due to oil from the hands? if so wiping/cleaning it often should help yes?

Typically it is that your fingers "buff" the keys due to your finger print being textured. This is similar to how car paint is made super shiny. Since the letters on the keys are "cut" out, there will be no loss of wearing out the actual numbers and letters. Cleaning helps. Eventually if they all get shiny enough they will stay relatively uniform. At the end of the day, the keyboard IS replaceable if the situation gets too bad, though Apple makes their hardware pretty solid and the casing will typically outlast the hardware inside. My mother still has the original 12" PowerBook G4 and the keyboard and case finish is still flawless.

 

[priitv8]

Nowadays these keys seem to be all painted, not molded. The same story in modern cars.
Are unibody macbook keyboard keys painted?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/replacing-worn-out-buttons.1534829/
http://smokieclennell.blogspot.com.ee/2016/01/worn-but-not-out.html
http://usabuzz.net/page/video/worn-peeling-automotive-radio-buttons-easy-repair

 

[jmaeser]

Nowadays these keys seem to be all painted, not molded. The same story in modern cars.

Good to know! Thanks for the correction.