Scratched screen

[brendanrtw]

I'm on week 3 of being a mac newbie and the proud owner of a new MacBook Pro 15" (I'm even excited about Snow Leopard arriving tomorrow .... don't remember that from my Windoze days!!)

Alas, all is not rosy ... I've just noticed a small scratch on my screen, no idea how it got there (heads will roll if I find out!). Although it not going to effect me working on it a great deal, it is starting to get annoying.

Has anyone tried to polish out a scratch using a very fine grade steel wool ... or something similar. I know this can work on scratches on glass, but I'm not sure what the surface of the monitor is actually made of, so a little hesitant in case I make things worse.

 

[Bill Gates]

I would not use steel wool or anything similar. The screen is actually plastic, not "glass" in the typical sense, so I expect a plastic polish would probably work better. I wouldn't bet my screen on it though so don't take my word as truth.

 

[RaceTripper]

I would not use steel wool or anything similar. The screen is actually plastic, not "glass" in the typical sense, so I expect a plastic polish would probably work better. I wouldn't bet my screen on it though so don't take my word as truth.

The screen is enclosed by glass, not plastic. It says so at the Apple site and -- along with the alum. body -- is what makes it "green." The trackpad is also glass.

 

[Bill Gates]

The screen is enclosed by glass, not plastic. It says so at the Apple site and -- along with the alum. body -- is what makes it "green." The trackpad is also glass.

The screen is a type of glass that is actually made of plastic, called acrylic glass, which is actually a type of plastic. I don't know about the trackpad but I suppose it probably is as well.

 

[RaceTripper]

The screen is a type of glass that is actually made of plastic, called acrylic glass, which is actually a type of plastic. I don't know about the trackpad but I suppose it probably is as well.

So how do you know that's what Apple uses for the screen. The WP article says it was used for the case of the G4 cube. Apple's website just says the display is glass.

 

[cababah]

glass sounds better than acrylic plastic? it's marketing

 

[Davidkoh]

So how do you know that's what Apple uses for the screen. The WP article says it was used for the case of the G4 cube. Apple's website just says the display is glass.

Well, for one, if it really was glass EVERYONE would break it. Glass is not really bendable at all. Also I remember Apple talking about their new "glass" screen somewhere.

 

[RaceTripper]

Well, for one, if it really was glass EVERYONE would break it. Glass is not really bendable at all. Also I remember Apple talking about their new "glass" screen somewhere.

So what, who needs to bend it? It lays flat in the lid. Even the WP article linked above states that PMMA is brittle under load. Glass can be made strong and non-brittle, depending on how it is composed.

Maybe Apple does use PMMA -- I can accept that they do -- but what's the source for that information? They've made a big deal about being green and using recyclable materials -- glass and aluminum. So if the screen is really plastic, why doesn't Apple say so, and why isn't Greenpeace calling them out for it. Or is PMMA as recyclable as glass? The WP article doesn't say one way or the other.