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OCD: Would this bother you?

MacRealist91

MacRealist91

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 18, 2020
30
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My brand new M1 Air (Space Gray) has Micro-abrasions right out of the box. It is a special order configuration with 16GB, so I would have to wait to get a replacement. Would you find it worth the trouble? Also, I always keep a case on my laptops.
 

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It's not a matter of being OCD. Most who complain about imperfections don't suffer from OCD.

You know what amount of imperfection is acceptable to you. Does blemish exceed what is acceptable to you? If so, return it. If not, enjoy it. I don't know how it would help you to know that I think it is not a big thing and I would keep it... but if it does, that's what I would do.
 
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sracer said:
It's not a matter of being OCD. Most who complain about imperfections don't suffer from OCD.

You know what amount of imperfection is acceptable to you. Does blemish exceed what is acceptable to you? If so, return it. If not, enjoy it. I don't know how it would help you to know that I think it is not a big thing and I would keep it... but if it does, that's what I would do.
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I just like hearing what bothers other people to see if I'm being unreasonable. I know I could possibly get a worse unit and then I'll be really upset that I wasted my time.
 
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top or bottom? does it work? does the screen look ok? will you ever notice it?
I never returned anything to Apple, just trade-ins, but I would expect, since its a BTO, you'll get to keep this one til the replacement arrives ...
 
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This is on the top left corner of the case. Probably won't notice it unless I look at it without the case on. But I know its there...
 
MacRealist91 said:
Would you find it worth the trouble?
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One way to think about what to do is to decide how much of a discount you would have wanted to buy the imperfect MBA if its condition had been known to you. Then figure out how much your time is worth to you. If the value of a couple of hours (or more) spent dealing with an exchange (or exchanges?) is larger than the discount amount, you should consider keeping the MBA.
 
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I’d lean on keeping it. Resell value might get impacted, but by the time reselling is the consideration, value drop is not going to be impacted largely by these tiny factory imperfections.
 
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MacRealist91 said:
I just like hearing what bothers other people to see if I'm being unreasonable. I know I could possibly get a worse unit and then I'll be really upset that I wasted my time.
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Is the screen really good? If so, I'd keep it. Screen is the most important part of the computer IMO.

Are the scratches obvious or do you really have to look for them?

Are you going to sell this computer or pass it off to a family member? If the latter, then def keep if everything else is good.

Have you tried rubbing it out with a bit of alcohol or the like? Would that even work? Maybe they are scuff marks???

I can only see it in the first photo. the two linked photos I can't see any scratches.
 
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smoking monkey said:
Is the screen really good? If so, I'd keep it. Screen is the most important part of the computer IMO.

Are the scratches obvious or do you really have to look for them?

Are you going to sell this computer or pass it off to a family member? If the latter, then def keep if everything else is good.

Have you tried rubbing it out with a bit of alcohol or the like? Would that even work? Maybe they are scuff marks???
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I've tried everything already and it's definitely a blemish in the metal casing. I'm the only on in my family who uses MacBooks, so it will probably be a trade-in at the Apple store in the future.
 
MacRealist91 said:
I've tried everything already and it's definitely a blemish in the metal casing. I'm the only on in my family who uses MacBooks, so it will probably be a trade-in at the Apple store in the future.
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That's a toughie. It's hard to know as the photos you posted aren't clear where the marks are (for me). I think I see them in the first photo but you mention it's top left of the lid? The scratches I see aren't top of the lid in that first photo. And I can't see anything in the next two photos. Maybe a circle pointing out where the marks are?

You could always call Apple and see what your options are.

Also, have you ever sold your Apple computer back to Apple or another person in the past? If you haven't, what are the chances you do so this time? How long are you planning to keep this computer? If it's 5+ years, the resale value may not be very high anyway and the marks will make little difference to the price at that point.
 
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For such expensive machines, I think it is only right to expect perfect condition when you buy it. So I would return it if it bothers you.
 
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I have a pristine condition base model (i5/4/128) 2015 MBA that I bought new just over six years ago. It's in need of a battery replacement, and is basically only good for light tasks and basic internet use. A few light marks or scratches wouldn't have much impact on its value at this point. If you keep your laptops for four or five years, and you use a case on it, I can't imagine it taking much of a value hit when you're ready to trade it in/sell it. As others have said, if the rest of the unit is great, I personally would just keep and enjoy it. But I understand things like that bother others, so I'm attaching a big IMO on the end here.
 
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Thanks for the replies. I decided to just gamble with a replacement since it was super easy to do so. If it's the same deal with the new one, I'll just live with it.
 
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Glad to hear you chose replacement. More than once I've accepted less and regretted it later. You will get over the wait for replacement but the small bit of damage will be there forever.
 
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MacRealist91 said:
My brand new M1 Air (Space Gray) has Micro-abrasions right out of the box. It is a special order configuration with 16GB, so I would have to wait to get a replacement. Would you find it worth the trouble? Also, I always keep a case on my laptops.
Click to expand...
Get a Dbrand vinyl cover and call it a day. You will personalize your laptop and won't even know there's an imperfection. If your replacement has imperfections then just do this and call it a day.... and don't use any plastic cover over your laptop... in time you will be abrasions from dirt getting trapped underneath...
 
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