Power Button Question

[jmedina]

I know this probably sounds lame but on Tuesday I dropped my MacBook Pro. Luckily it was in my bag and in its sleeve so it looked like there was no damage. Today I brought it in to a Apple genius just to double check. When he went to power it on it looks like he pressed the power button pretty hard. When I got home I noticed it has a little wiggle room on the sides. I know this is really OCD but I am not sure if it was somewhat loose before. Could this happen by pressing the button hard? Luckily I have AppleCare so I have time to complain if it gets looser. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[gr8tfly]

It probably was always like that. You just didn't have reason to focus on it until the drop and the service visit. I know how you feel, though. Just knowing it had been in a fall would make me scrutinize it - most of the time, unnecessarily so.

Even if somehow the drop or the hard press could/would have affected the button, the tolerance between it and the case wouldn't change - it would be whatever they were when they were assembled (well, unless the case was obviously bent…). Having had 4 MBs with that style button, some with a slightly different feel than others, the fit was still precision (it's actually one part, of many, that always made me admire the attention to detail Apple shows).

 

[jmedina]

It probably was always like that. You just didn't have reason to focus on it until the drop and the service visit. I know how you feel, though. Just knowing it had been in a fall would make me scrutinize it - most of the time, unnecessarily so.

Even if somehow the drop or the hard press could/would have affected the button, the tolerance between it and the case wouldn't change - it would be whatever they were when they were assembled (well, unless the case was obviously bent…). Having had 4 MBs with that style button, some with a slightly different feel than others, the fit was still precision (it's actually one part, of many, that always made me admire the attention to detail Apple shows).

Thanks for your reply! Yeah it's probably just my OCD. After the drop I carefully inspected everything. The funny part is a couple of hours before I dropped it I was talking to someone about how I just removed the Speck Hard Case I had on it because now it's my desktop as well and I have a BookArc for it.

I did appreciate the people at the Apple Store because even though there was nothing visibly wrong with the machine they still took it in and checked it out just to double check. I need to get used to my Mac getting a few scratches every once and a while. I liked the Speck Hard Case but it doesn't seem to fit in my BookArc and one of the tabs appeared to be falling apart anyways.

 

[jmedina]

Sorry to bump my thread but it does seem a little looser than I thought. If I lightly tap the power button it makes a rattling clicking noise. It reminds me of when my older netbook's trackpad button was pressed too hard and the plastic underneath broke. My main concern is it'll get worse over time. Before I talk to Apple about it I may end up taking a look at display models to see if there's the same problem. Is that a good idea? I am pretty certain that it was firm before.

 

[sc25893]

My 2012 cMBP 13" is only 2 weeks old and the button is slightly loose. It also makes that 'clicking' sound when a finger is run over the top of it and there is slight wiggle going on.

It could be OCD but I can't remember how it was beforehand though.

 

[snaky69]

That wiggle room is required for the button to actually work.

Let me give you a small engineering lesson.

Say you have a 2 inch diameter shaft, that you want to fit through a 2inch diameter hole.

If both are exactly 2 inches, you'll NEVER get it in there without a press.

Solution? Either make the hole slightly bigger, or the shaft slightly smaller.

The power button is the same, it needs some slack to actually be used.

So yeah, you're most definitely OCD and need to spend your precious time worrying about something more useful to you and your family.

 

[sc25893]

That wiggle room is required for the button to actually work.

That's nonsense. The button is usually much firmer than in my case and flush to the top.

So yeah, you're most definitely OCD and need to spend your precious time worrying about something more useful to you and your family.

That's not what Apple said when I rang them. In fact, they are sending me a new one to arrive this Friday, then collecting this one next week. Now I can worry about some other stuff for me and my family, whatever that was supposed to mean.