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SR MBP case bend

F

fuzzynavo

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 13, 2004
107
0
CA
Hi all, I just recently got my first MBP since my 5 year old 12" PB. Overall the MBP doesn't seem as sturdy as my PB, probably due to its larger size and thinner body.

Anyway, I did notice something that bugged me however. On my MBP, the entire case seems to bend a little in the middle. If I look under the computer when its placed on a flat surface the two sides have about 1 mm of clearance due to the rubber feet. But as you look towards the middle, the case bends down and almost touches the tabletop. I'd just like to know if anyone else has this - it would make my OCD self feel a little better to know that I don't own a bent MBP! :eek:
 
Here's a pic, though its not very noticeable.
DSC_0628.jpg


Thanks for the reply coledog, I'm feeling better. :p
 
This is nothing new, it's a "feature" of all PowerBooks and MacBook Pros. They're made of thin metal and they run hot. Therefore they warp a bit. It's just more noticeable on the larger models than on the lovely old little 12" PowerBooks! Many people have reported this in the past and some people even try to apply a little pressure to the case to bend it back. I wouldn't worry about it too much.
 
it's like a cheap frying pan that wobbles. as soon as they got really hot the metal stretches and the frying pan gets flat. my PB G4 is bent the same way. but it never stretches and gets flat though:D
 
Thanks all, for the replies. I love my machine! I was worried for a bit because I caught my friend's nephew sitting on my backpack with my MBP inside :eek:. Good thing he's only about 20 lbs and I shooed him off in a hurry.

I'm putting my PB 12" up for sale soon...I sure am going to miss that thing. But it is indeed starting to show its age.

Cheers.
 
That bend is not from running hot but from manufacturing. The aluminum was subject to high temperature gradients while it was being assembled and that caused the aluminum to shrink and expand.

I had the same issue with my bottom and upper case on my MBP and i decided to keep it because everything else was perfect. After 3 months of use, the MBP has almost completely corrected itself.

If you would like to straighten it out in a hurry, make the MBP run at full throttle like running World of Warcraft or something. So use the machine normally as you always do. When you know your done, run a heavy program that will get the MBP really hot. Wait till it gets to its highest temp. shut the machine down. Close the lid. Put it on a flat surface. Stack a couple of books on it.

After a couple of times, this should correct the bend. I have not tried this method but it was recommended to me from someone on this forum. Mine simply corrected itself by carrying it in my backpack with all my books and lugging it around.
 
Consider yourself lucky. I used to rest my hand to the right of the trackpad, right over the side of the cd drive and it's bent there pretty bad now.

I can't even fit a CD in, I'm trying to bend it back by pushing the reverse end of a thick pair of tweezers in and leaving it there. It pushes it back to its normal position but wont stay yet. I'm pretty sure it will work out after a while.
 
my 2 week old penryn macbook pro does the same thing. it is almost definitely because the macbook pros are thinner than the powerbooks and wider as well. the feet that support the macbook pro are pretty far in the corners as well. naturally, the computer will sag. i'm interested about how many people experience this as well. due the the construction of the computer, i would think that the majority of macbook pros are bent in the middle. has nobody checked their computer's front profile?

also, i can't imagine how the 17 inchers would look like
 
My was a bit worse than that and they told me they wouldn't fix it; I emailed Apple corporate and they replaced my machine.
 
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