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Slightly Bent New Macbook Pro Late 2008 O_o

eddyhttp said:
I just got my new Macbook pro yesterday and I love the computer, I just installed Vista and it took me 3 hours just to install and update it.

Anyways when i have my notebook flat on the desk I noticed that the bottom right is a little elevated, that I could push it down and it moves. That doesn't bother me much but....

When I close the lid the left side is about 1-2 milliliter bent up. The right side of the lid closes perfectly and doesn't move when I push on the right side. However, on that left side, the lid is obviously bent and when I apply pressure to that side it does close all the way.

When I left go of the left side, the lid bents slightly up again.

I have a BTO macbook pro. What do you guys suggest I do?
Should I suck it up and try not to notice the lid everytime I close my $2500 lid's notebook?

Should I call apple (what number?) or bring it to the store?

Any advice would be great!!! : )
Click to expand...



Honestly though, I doubt Apple would exchange your machine, if anything they'll probably tell you it's within spec. Even if they did supplied you a machine with a perfect body you still risk the chance of getting a system with some dead pixels and for that I know Apple won't change again. I don't know what will annoy you the most, a cosmetically warped body or dead pixels on the screen.

Even though, by all means ask Apple for an exchange but for BTO, Apple doesn't offer exchanges unless there's a electrical fault with the internal workings and they most definitely don't offer returns.

Good luck
 
eddyhttp said:
I just did the time machine, so that keeps programs too? that would be a great help!

yeah i know what you mean, i need a laptop to take notes in class. Do you think they could send me a loaner if i ask.
Click to expand...

they won't give you a loaner, i've tried before...good luck with getting a new machine though.
 
Before computers, students still attended school and they STILL took notes, only they used a pen and paper. If you don't wanna write anything, be lazy like... late in a Handycam, recorded the lectures... then watch them back at your leasure!
 
After talking to apple they called me back and said that they will ship a new computer to me as soon as they receive my mbp. Since its BTO, it will take longer because it comes from the factory instead of the stores in the US.

I hope the new notebook doesn't have dead pixels since the one I have is perfect. So far in the forums no one has complained about dead pixels on the new mbp.
 
I am over these glassbooks. Come now Apple. We waited six years for you to get fitment just right.
 
I bought one of these MacBook Pros and I have the same problem. However, the picture with him holding it up to see the bend is making it look worse than it really is. If the laptop is lying down, there's hardly any bend. When you hold it up it looks worse because I think the hinge on that side is weaker. You'll notice that the right side doesn't get any looser in both pictures (when it's lying down and when it's standing up). If it were just bent, both sides would gain the same amount of gap. Instead, only the left side gains in gap size. While I agree that the lid is bent ever so slightly, the left hinge plays a huge role here.
 
eddyhttp,
Please report the results of your Apple repair experience. For what it's worth there are notebooks out there that are not bent, I know because I have one :)

I wish you luck with the new one.

Gary
 
The lids are not bent

The lids are not bent. It is the rubber strip that runs around the screen. Run your finger along it all the way around and you will feel where it sticks up higher in certain spots than others. This is what causes the lid to raise up on one side when the lid is closed.

I'm on my third MacBook Pro because the last one was even worse then yours. The manager told me he will only swap me out one more time and then he will have to start charging me the restocking fee. The new one I have now is almost perfect. It's good enough to where I'm not stressing over it anyway. :D
 
tekmoe said:
The lids are not bent. It is the rubber strip that runs around the screen. Run your finger along it all the way around and you will feel where it sticks up higher in certain spots than others. This is what causes the lid to raise up on one side when the lid is closed.

I'm on my third MacBook Pro because the last one was even worse then yours. The manager told me he will only swap me out one more time and then he will have to start charging me the restocking fee. The new one I have now is almost perfect. It's good enough to where I'm not stressing over it anyway. :D
Click to expand...

If thats what the problem is thats really unacceptable. I mean c'mon, if it was the lid bent I could almost understand that but the rubber strip is out of whack? Apple needs some serious reform in quality control. I just can't see high end cars flying out of the factory w/ doors that don't close properly because of weatherstripping. If they took the time to fix things like that in the factory they'd save money w/ less returns.
 
MowingDevil said:
If thats what the problem is thats really unacceptable. I mean c'mon, if it was the lid bent I could almost understand that but the rubber strip is out of whack? Apple needs some serious reform in quality control. I just can't see high end cars flying out of the factory w/ doors that don't close properly because of weatherstripping. If they took the time to fix things like that in the factory they'd save money w/ less returns.
Click to expand...

Trust me, I agree with you 100%. I'm just tired of driving back and forth to the Apple store. This is how my scenario went...

The first MacBook Pro had a sleep issue where it kept waking up out of sleep and killing my battery. Reformat and reinstall of OSX didn't fix it. Resetting the PRAM didn't fix it. Resetting the SMC didn't fix it. It also had a very small scratch on the backside near the hinge and a very small knick on the front of the case where the edge tapers off on the left side of the track pad. Back it goes.

The second MacBook Pro's lid sat up higher on the right side than the left side, worse than the OP's pictures on the first page of this thread. It also had a small scratch on the top of the lid near the Apple logo. Back it goes.

The third MacBook Pro which I now have is almost perfect. No finish issues at all. The lid sits up maybe half a millimeter higher on the right side than the left side. I can definitely live with this. No scratches, knicks, dents, or any other imperfections of any kind.

I will say this...Each MacBook Pro has had a flawless screen. No dead pixels in any of them. I'm wondering if Apple stepped up their game regarding the LCD quality control.
 
Wow. Every previous generation MB Pro I saw in a store had warped lids. I saw the new ones in an Apple store last week and had to close it and see. Sure enough, warped. Not a lot, but more than a $2500.00 computer should be with it's new fancy construction process. I really wanted to see that they had figured this out. On the ones I saw it certantly was not caused by the rubber around the edge, the top was just plain warped.

As far as this being of little importance, I can't buy that. This is a premium product, and construction defects are as unaccteptable here as bad door and trunk lid shut lines on a BMW. It may drive perfectly but that's not the point.

Aw hell, I'll end up getting one anyway.

John B.
 
Not a chance in hell I would accept a flaw such as shown by the OP.

And for those who say "blah blah OCD get over it" etc (like MattZani) it is people like that who accept shoddy products who are to blame for ****** quality control.

Apple is a company like any other with shareholders and a bottom line and they will do the VERY LEAST quality control and/or remedial work they can get away with. It is basic financial reality.

Apple are better than most. They can't ensure every single product is perfect and we wouldn't want them to try (it would add to the cost of the product) but if there is an an obvious flaw they should sort it (looks like they have for the OP).

Paying top dollar means you should get a top quality product. Anything else is nonsense.
 
After having my new (third replacement) MBP for 4 days with a slightly bended lid, I noticed today that it is indeed the rubber strip that is uneven...

And I have a question: Is it the strip that is uneven, or the whole screen is misplaced?...I'm asking because I thought that the screen and the strip was one piece...

I would hate to return it again...

And one final question guys: Has anybody inspected his glass screen closely? When a light hits the glass, it seems to have sliiiight ripples...
 
Mine's perfect. But if there was a problem I'd be in line to get an exchange.

By the way problems like this point out the wisdom of buying the next Mac directly from Apple.

Rather than say Amazon. The Apple Store won't be interested in an exchange. You'd have to work through Amazon.

Or have I bullocks this up?
 
Why the heck are people saying this warped lid is "normal"?
Did Steve Jobs introduce this warped lid at ANY conference? No? I thought so.
If this warped lid deal is not intended, then it is NOT normal.
The way people goes out to make excuses for Apple amazes me to no end.
K THX.
 
only by reading and looking at photos on the first page, its like a bad flashback when i first got my 2nd gen pro. Theres no way this should be happening with the magnetic's. With a latch i can see it happening since its only tied down by the center of the screen
 
Same problem here, called Apple (Germany)

tekmoe said:
The lids are not bent. It is the rubber strip that runs around the screen. Run your finger along it all the way around and you will feel where it sticks up higher in certain spots than others. This is what causes the lid to raise up on one side when the lid is closed.
Click to expand...

I do not think so. I have the same problem. The right side is perfect, but on the left side, you can easily slide a thick paper or card in between the lid and the bottom part of the computer.

I just called Apple (Germany, just got my MBP yesterday). They offered me 75 Euros rebate or an exchange. Since I am a perfectionist and want a perfect machine for 2000 Euro, I chose the latter.
 
Two Grand

Can I just say that two grand is a lot of money to be spending on a notebook especially if you're a student. Wouldn't it be distracting, to say the least, if you received a crooked lid? I just can't seem to understand people that drop that amount of change on a piece of electronics that is admittedly, a wee bit over-priced. It's got nothing to do with being a perfectionist, if Dell, HP and Sony can do it why not Apple?

Rant aside, is this a big problem i.e. how many other people have this problem? As i'm about to drop a significant portion of my student loan on one of these, although the 17 incher is starting to take my fancy.
 
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