New Old Stock 2020 Macbook Pro M1 smells like mold

[rparzial]

Bought a NOS Macbook that was sealed. Opened it up, and everything smells like mold/mildew. But I don't see any mold anywhere.

But the smell is VERY strong, and I've never had an apple product smell like this, especially new. It's even IN the laptop because when the fans are going fast during updating, it is pumping the smell out from the hinge where the fans exhaust.

Is this mold? Or just some kind of manufacturing odor?
Since it's NOS this Mac has been sitting somewhere for the last 4-5 years.

Thank you,

 

[awshucks]

Where did you buy it from?
If it smells like mold/mildew, it probably is. Warehouse could have flooded and the laptops and boxes may have gotten wet.

 

[rparzial]

Where did you buy it from?
If it smells like mold/mildew, it probably is. Warehouse could have flooded and the laptops and boxes may have gotten wet.

A store on Ebay with like 12k feedback. Originally the battery wouldn't charge either. It was sealed like it was new from Apple. Same pull tab.

They take returns, but this is certainly and odd return request. Hope when they receive it they don't try and screw me.

 

[awshucks]

If the fans are going very fast during updating, that is not normal. The fan on my M1 Mac mini is inaudibly quiet when updating. I would return it.

 

[BrianBaughn]

You could get a $10 mold test kit at Home Depot, put it in a/the box with the laptop and seal it up.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I would request a return/refund and open a case with eBay if denied.

 

[rparzial]

Thank you, everyone. I am just gonna go for the return. Originally it wasn't charging, so I put the return request under that. I noticed the Mold smell after when the fan really kicked on during the update, and now I can't add it as a return reason. Hopefully it won't give me an issue during the return/claim.

It seems to be charging now though.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Be forceful if you need to be.

"Laptop stinks of mold, won't charge right ... this needs to be returned or I'm going to open a case and force the return, your choice"

Let them know you'll go TO THE WALL (if need be)

 

[rparzial]

Be forceful if you need to be.

"Laptop stinks of mold, won't charge right ... this needs to be returned or I'm going to open a case and force the return, your choice"

Let them know you'll go TO THE WALL (if need be)

Yeah, the big issue is I didn't put the mold issue on the original return request 🙁 Just the battery issue. And I can't add it now. I did email them about the mold to give them a heads up, but they seem to use an automated system for everything.

I guess we'll see what happens. What a headache.......

 

[turbineseaplane]

Yeah, the big issue is I didn't put the mold issue on the original return request 🙁 Just the battery issue. And I can't add it now. I did email them about the mold to give them a heads up, but they seem to use an automated system for everything.

I guess we'll see what happens. What a headache.......

If you need to, getting on the phone with ebay and paypal can help immensely.

 

[JPack]

Smells will permeate plastic, so it was probably stored in a smelly warehouse.

 

[rparzial]

Thanks again, everyone. I am calling Ebay now to try and get it sorted out so the mold issue is at least part of the return request.

 

[rparzial]

It's weird, everything looks brand new. There is no physical mold. Just the smell.

I guess it's possible it is moldy inside the laptop but I can't open to check it. Nor would I want to.

 

[rparzial]

Was able to call Ebay, they added an additional internal note about the Mold smell.

Just in case anyone needs to know if adding to a return request is possible. It is. You just need to call.

 

[JSDK]

I've bought a few MacBooks over the years. 3 x MacBook Air M1, 1 x MacBook Air M2 and 1 x MacBook Air M4. They were bought from different places (one of them bought directly from Apple, can't remember which one) and they ALL had a special smell when you opened the box. I wouldn't describe it as mold, but it has a strong, slightly chemical smell that could be mistaken for mold.

I was also surprised by the smell when I opened my first Air M1. But there was nothing to see and it was brand new, so I used it and it was fine - the smell subsided very soon after. When I later got another pair of M1s, and later M2 and now M4, I noticed that they had EXACTLY the same smell.

So I don't think you should worry. You can also see if the box looks damaged. If the box has been exposed to moisture, it will be wrinkled.

Can I also add that AirPods Pro also have a rather special smell when they are first opened. However, I have never experienced this with iPhones and iPads.

 

[rparzial]

I've bought a few MacBooks over the years. 3 x MacBook Air M1, 1 x MacBook Air M2 and 1 x MacBook Air M4. They were bought from different places (one of them bought directly from Apple, can't remember which one) and they ALL had a special smell when you opened the box. I wouldn't describe it as mold, but it has a strong, slightly chemical smell that could be mistaken for mold.

I was also surprised by the smell when I opened my first Air M1. But there was nothing to see and it was brand new, so I used it and it was fine - the smell subsided very soon after. When I later got another pair of M1s, and later M2 and now M4, I noticed that they had EXACTLY the same smell.

So I don't think you should worry. You can also see if the box looks damaged. If the box has been exposed to moisture, it will be wrinkled.

Everything looks brand new. No flaws to anything. The seal looked fine, the box looks undamaged, etc. No mold spots or anything. It smells JUST like mold though. I've actually had mold issues in my house before in the basement, and it smells strikingly similar to this, which is why my radar went off.

I also bought an M1 in 2021 when they were in stores, and it didn't smell like this. This is the same laptop model, just NOS from 5 years ago. I am honestly not sure what to do, but returning feels like the best option unfortunately.

I wouldn't even be buying NOS but the newer Macbook screens give me terrible eye strain. So I was hoping to a NOS M1/M2 to hold me over for years until they maybe switch the screens.

 

[JSDK]

Everything looks brand new. No flaws to anything. The seal looked fine, the box looks undamaged, etc. No mold spots or anything. It smells JUST like mold though. I've actually had mold issues in my house before in the basement, and it smells strikingly similar to this, which is why my radar went off.

I also bought an M1 in 2021 when they were in stores, and it didn't smell like this. This is the same laptop model, just NOS from 5 years ago. I am honestly not sure what to do, but returning feels like the best option unfortunately.

I wouldn't even be buying NOS but the newer Macbook screens give me terrible eye strain. So I was hoping to a NOS M1/M2 to hold me over for years until they maybe switch the screens.

Fair enough. If you're in doubt, I'd return it too. I just wanted to point it out, since I've had a few new MacBooks through my hands, and they all had a rather peculiar smell. I characterize the smell as chemical, quite strong. - like they've added a gas to the box to prevent something. Yeah.. I don't know.

 

[rparzial]

Fair enough. If you're in doubt, I'd return it too. I just wanted to point it out, since I've had a few new MacBooks through my hands, and they all had a rather peculiar smell. I characterize the smell as chemical, quite strong. - like they've added a gas to the box to prevent something. Yeah.. I don't know.

No, I appreciate it! It would have been so much easier for me to just keep this thing.

If my other M1 smelled like this, I would have felt a little better about keeping it, with the hope it was normal and would go away.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Bought a NOS Macbook that was sealed. Opened it up, and everything smells like mold/mildew. But I don't see any mold anywhere.

But the smell is VERY strong, and I've never had an apple product smell like this, especially new. It's even IN the laptop because when the fans are going fast during updating, it is pumping the smell out from the hinge where the fans exhaust.

Is this mold? Or just some kind of manufacturing odor?
Since it's NOS this Mac has been sitting somewhere for the last 4-5 years.

Thank you,

Mold spores are everywhere, but nevertheless a strong smell means somewhere in storage packaging got wet and moldy. Return it if you can, because if the smell is that strong you might have some mold growth inside the Mac even though mold prefers to grow on cellulose materials or dirt, not on metal or plastic.

If you cannot easily return it, dry it really well (days in a very dry environment) and then keep it dry forever. Mold needs moisture to grow.

Outgassing is common from products made including plastics, but outgassing smells like chemical hydrocarbons, very different from mold. Plus the hydrocarbons have already mostly fully outgassed from an old device like that. Most outgassing resolves in a week or two at a reasonably warm room temperature.

 

[rparzial]

Mold spores are everywhere, but nevertheless a strong smell means somewhere in storage packaging got wet and moldy. Return it if you can, because if the smell is that strong you might have some mold growth inside the Mac even though mold prefers to grow on cellulose materials, not metal or plastic.

If you cannot easily return it, dry it really well (days in a very dry environment) and then keep it dry forever. Mold needs moisture to grow.

Thank you. It's going back to the ebay seller, have the label ready. Just a matter of if they will give me a hard time when they get it for the refund 😬 It technically is charging now, but does still reek of mold. If for some reason they win a claim and they send it back to me, I will do just that 😩

 

[JPack]

There seems to be a belief that the box needs to be previously wet for the smell of mold to exist.

Smells easily permeate the thin polypropylene plastic (the box wrap) because they're gasses (VOCs). Obviously, Apple didn't design the wrap to be impervious to VOCs like a Tychem garment. This is the reason, for example, you can smell laundry detergent through a bag.

Chances are, there's no mold inside the MacBook, but the smell from the storage environment has permeated throughout the packaging and computer. This is reason enough to return it.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

You could get a $10 mold test kit at Home Depot, put it in a/the box with the laptop and seal it up.

That makes no sense. Mold spores are everywhere. The mold test kits you reference have extremely limited value and they do not air test. You can simply use them to collect mold you see, in which case you already know that there is mold growth. You send the sample to a lab for a fee-required analysis if you opine that the type of mold is important to know. The solution is to stop the moisture source and clean up with soap and water.

 

[rparzial]

There seems to be a belief that the box needs to be previously wet for the smell of mold to exist.

Smells easily permeate the thin polypropylene plastic (the box wrap) because they're gasses (VOCs). Obviously, Apple didn't design the wrap to be impervious to VOCs like a Tychem garment. This is the reason, for example, you can smell laundry detergent through a bag.

Chances are, there's no mold inside the MacBook, but the smell from the storage environment has permeated throughout the packaging and computer. This is reason enough to return it.

Agreed. What's odd is the outer Macbook box doesn't really smell. It's just the stuff inside and the inside of the box. I've seen people saying it's the charger itself that is the mold smell. But the smell is strongest coming out of the Macbook exhaust when the fan is on, and the keyboard.

 

[BrianBaughn]

That makes no sense. Mold spores are everywhere. The mold test kits you reference have extremely limited value and they do not air test. You can simply use them to collect mold you see, in which case you already know that there is mold growth. You send the sample to a lab for a fee-required analysis if you opine that the type of mold is important to know. The solution is to stop the moisture source and clean up with soap and water.

I guess you didn't do any research before you developed that answer.

A couple of years back I tested four areas in our house for mold with the $10 kits. We had nothing inside but the control dish put outside was absolutely loaded with what looked like several different varieties of mold.

If you think you've got mold "everywhere" in your house you should probably take action.

 

[conmee]

About 15 years ago I bought a bunch of TI-99/4a NOS peripherals and software that were part of an out-of-business Ace Hardware in Iowa. I think all of it was stored in a shed/barn for all I know... anyhow, even 15 years ago all this stuff was over 25 years old. A lot of the styrofoam packaging was dry/brittle, but my oh my, when I opened up the Peripheral Expansion Box, the 10" Color Monitor, the Editor/Assembler software... pulling the shrink wrap off of the user guides and manuals, it smelled like heaven, took me right back to childhood! You could smell the 80s disregard for the environment with all those wonderful chemical smells! Ha! Still fully operational and ready for action.

Oh, and no mold which is what I wanted to say to make this post relevant to the thread. 🙂