At school today, my MacBook Air took a small (3 or 4ft) fall off a table, while secured inside a well-padded case. Now the bottom-right corner of the screen is bent, but the computer is working perfect. I am sure there are many other posts by MacBook Air owners who have managed to damage their beautiful machine for the first time, but please remember that this kind of damage shouldn't happen when the laptop is secured in a hard-shell protective carrying case with a padded interior, and the fall was only 3 or 4 feet! Is this something I could take to Apple, as the computer was damaged by a tiny fall inside of a case? If not, is there any way to safely "un-bend" the laptop so that one defect won't haunt me forever (or until the rMBA)? Thanks!
unfortunately, I don't see Apple having pity on cosmetic damage, especially when it was something you did to the computer. As far as unbending it is concerned, I don't know how good of an idea that is with the hinge area being so close. if you tried to unbend it, you may end up busting the plastic hinge that looks like it may not be able to withstand the pressure that would be needed to "unbend" that corner. We've all had the first, drop, ding, scratch thing happen to us and unfortunately its something you will have to live with..
I have done more research on this issue, and I have found mixed results. Some people say Apple will replace the lid out of warranty, others say they were charged $600. I guess it just depends on the store/representative. I have also heard good and bad stories of people "un-bending" MacBook lids, some were successful as little as tweezers and a microfiber cloth. Any thoughts on this?
There's only one way to find out. If you are near an Apple store take the trip in. Be nice and polite, be honest and tell them what happened and you never know what they'll do for you..... And if they say no then ask how much? If its too much for you then try a third party apple repair shop to see what they tell you about bending it back..... Otherwise just live with it as a war scar.
Same problem happened to me and I did just that. They did the fix. Unfortunately... it happened again and decided to keep the scar. There are several now and it still works. By the way its a 1st generation MBA.
Was your laptop in warranty when you got the replacement? I know I should probably just deal with the dent, but I am concerned that the resale value of the laptop will fall. I am planning on selling it early next year if/when the Retina MBA is released, so I hope that the price doesn't drop too low.
If you don't/can't get it fixed, the resale value of your macbook will diminish in a big way, people will overlook your macbook in favour of others without cosmetic damage, then they'll make you low ball offers trying to get it cheap. You'll be better off keeping it if you don't/can't get it fixed.