Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Unibody owners - Does the trackpad wear out?
- Thread starter amitdoc2b
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Wear out? The oldest trackpad has 4 months.
Shines? Like everything else you touch with your hands. No more, no less.
Shines? Like everything else you touch with your hands. No more, no less.
I don't know of anyone having issues like this. Sure, things wear out over time, but not because of the oil on your hands.
I suppose if you never washed your hands..........well, you have more problems to worry about than a shiny trackpad.
Many on this forum are reporting the black keys of the keyboard to be shiny from oily skin within 2 weeks of purchase... so my question was if this is happening with the trackpad too. 4 months is a pretty good sample size.
It won't wear out, but it'll shine. If you look at an old laptop (over a year old, not weeks), and that person has used it a lot, it'll tend to have shiny trackpads or darkened palmrests that become difficult to clean if you don't do so regularly. However, they can be cleaned, which proves that they're not actually being "worn out".
The "shine" people are complaining about is caused by both Apple's use of smooth textured keys, plus by oil from your fingers. Previous MBPs had keyboards with keys that were not completely smooth. There was a subtle texture to it, and that's why they didn't get all shiny.
It's not due to manufacturing defect, so don't worry. Just clean it with something that can cut through oil. Or sometimes, just use a tissue and wipe up the keys and palmrests. All the MacBooks have had this problem (black and white), and the keys on the new unibody MB and MBP are even smoother than the plastic MacBook's.
The "shine" people are complaining about is caused by both Apple's use of smooth textured keys, plus by oil from your fingers. Previous MBPs had keyboards with keys that were not completely smooth. There was a subtle texture to it, and that's why they didn't get all shiny.
It's not due to manufacturing defect, so don't worry. Just clean it with something that can cut through oil. Or sometimes, just use a tissue and wipe up the keys and palmrests. All the MacBooks have had this problem (black and white), and the keys on the new unibody MB and MBP are even smoother than the plastic MacBook's.
Whenever a human being or something rubs against a surface, continuously, it's normal for it to become polished over time. The same thing is happening on your Mac. The only reason you're noticing it, it's because you can compare it to other, lesser touched or used buttons.
If it worried you, there are solutions out there that could help. Perhaps some trackpad film (instead of polishing the glass on your trackpad, you'll polish the plastic surface while lining the pockets of others).