Why MacBook screens are that fragile?

[validate]

It's ridiculous that Macbook screens can be scratched so easily. Apple polishing cloth + water was used. Horizontal lines are scratches of the screen (actually the anti-reflective coating). MacBook Pro 13" M2.

And my cleaning process is:

• ⁠First, I remove the coarse dust with an air blower.
• ⁠Then I go over it horizontally using an apple polishing cloth + just water.
• ⁠Then I dry it with the dry part of the polishing cloth. I never apply force.

Note: I make sure that the water is not hard. I don’t use any keyboard cover or something. I just used Apple Polishing Cloth and water.

Note 2: The marks are not clearly visible if sunlight is not present. But the damage is there.

I wanted to share my frustration.

 

[JSchwage]

Not sure what's happening here. I've used just water and a microfiber cloth on my M1 Air many times and have never seen any scratches. 🤷‍♂️

 

[bob_zz123]

Likewise. Just water and a microfibre cloth and I'm not even that careful to be honest. No scratches as far as I can see and in any event if there were any light scratches they are not visible when my computer is in use. Turns out that thin LCD's are fragile, but not that fragile.

 

[JoeG4]

And my cleaning process is:

• ⁠First, I remove the coarse dust with an air blower.
• ⁠Then I go over it horizontally using an apple polishing cloth + just water.
• ⁠Then I dry it with the dry part of the polishing cloth. I never apply force.

Note: I make sure that the water is not hard. I don’t use any keyboard cover or something. I just used Apple Polishing Cloth and water.

It sounds like there's still dirt or maybe finger grease from the keyboard or something on the screen. Perhaps try a different microfiber cloth? I don't even have any apple polishing cloths lol, I just use a yellow kirkland signature microfiber towel to clean mine.

 

[validate]

It sounds like there's still dirt or maybe finger grease from the keyboard or something on the screen. Perhaps try a different microfiber cloth? I don't even have any apple polishing cloths lol, I just use a yellow kirkland signature microfiber towel to clean mine.

Unfortunately, these lines are not stains, they are damage on the AR coating. At first I thought it was a water streak, but unfortunately it is not. And I really don't think I did anything wrong in my cleaning process. I never use anything abrasive.

 

[validate]

Turns out that thin LCD's are fragile, but not that fragile.

The problem is not with the screen itself, I know that. Scratches are on the AR coating. And I already used apple polishing cloth to eliminate this, but it doesn't seem to work unfortunately :/

 

[validate]

Not sure what's happening here. I've used just water and a microfiber cloth on my M1 Air many times and have never seen any scratches. 🤷‍♂️

Which microfiber cloth brand do you use? If you don't have any problems, I can buy that. But the problem is that I bought apple polishing cloth in order to avoid any problems, knowing that it was relatively expensive compared to other brands, because I did not want to have any problems like that, because it is directly from apple.

 

[Fishrrman]

The anti-glare coating is just "sprayed-on".

ANYTHING you do to the display surface has the potential of damaging it.

The more often you "clean" the display, the more often you may damage it.

The solution is to not get the display dirty in the first place.
That may involve behavioral changes.

And... to clean it as little as possible.

 

[u2u2]

Any cloth used on the screen has to be totally free of any abrasive grit. Doesn't matter if the micro fibre cloth is a generic brand or the pricey Apple product. The screen must also be grit free before application of the cloth. Looks like the OPs best effort fell short ☹️. If we are lucky, one day they will devise a more robust screen coating.

 

[Torty]

WTF so you need screen protection for Macs?

 

[za9ra22]

WTF so you need screen protection for Macs?

Clearly not, otherwise we'd all be seeing and reporting the same kind of problem. My 13-inch M1 MBA screen is still perfectly OK after over 3 years of daily use... and occasional wiping.

I'd be more concerned at the possibility of marking on the screen by keycaps when the laptop is closed, which has been a problem in the past.

 

[JPack]

Never seen such a thing. And I wipe twice a week using a generic dry microfiber cloth. I wash and hang dry the cloth after each cleaning.

It seems your cloth must have been contaminated with debris.

 

[AlmightyKang]

Do you work on a beach in Iceland or something?

 

[validate]

The anti-glare coating is just "sprayed-on".

ANYTHING you do to the display surface has the potential of damaging it.

The more often you "clean" the display, the more often you may damage it.

The solution is to not get the display dirty in the first place.
That may involve behavioral changes.

And... to clean it as little as possible.

Believe me, I cleaned the screen using the minimum amount possible and the most appropriate methods. Although it may not be noticeable in daily use, AR coating scratches are unfortunately visible in daylight. Thank you again for the advice.

 

[validate]

Never seen such a thing. And I wipe twice a week using a generic dry microfiber cloth. I wash and hang dry the cloth after each cleaning.

It seems your cloth must have been contaminated with debris.

Before cleaning the screen, I made sure that the polishing cloth was cleaned according to the instructions from Apple. Then, I proceeded with the cleaning steps I mentioned in the comment above.

 

[za9ra22]

Before cleaning the screen, I made sure that the polishing cloth was cleaned according to the instructions from Apple. Then, I proceeded with the cleaning steps I mentioned in the comment above.

The thing is, that for whatever reason, there's something in this process that isn't working. While it might be related to the anti-glare coating on the screen, it does not look like it to me, and I've had a number of MacBooks with the coating.

That image is showing a form of scratching across the surface, and the anti-glare coating doesn't do that. In effect, it rather more bruises when it marks.

 

[validate]

The thing is, that for whatever reason, there's something in this process that isn't working. While it might be related to the anti-glare coating on the screen, it does not look like it to me, and I've had a number of MacBooks with the coating.

That image is showing a form of scratching across the surface, and the anti-glare coating doesn't do that. In effect, it rather more bruises when it marks.

First of all, thank you very much for your interest in the problem I'm experiencing. I was wondering if these horizontal lines could be water marks. Because I always clean in the same direction, which is horizontal. But unfortunately the situation doesn't seem to be like that. And I'm really thinking about what I might have done wrong, but I can't find an answer. I even choose the water I use carefully so that it contains no or minimal minerals. I do not apply any force while cleaning the screen. Since I thought that the most compatible and non-damaging material for this screen would be Apple Polishing Cloth, I cleaned the screen with this cloth. By the way, these scratches are not visible / don't attract attention in normal use. But If I'm in a place with intense sunlight, I can see these marks clearly.

 

[dustSafa]

First of all, thank you very much for your interest in the problem I'm experiencing. I was wondering if these horizontal lines could be water marks. Because I always clean in the same direction, which is horizontal. But unfortunately the situation doesn't seem to be like that. And I'm really thinking about what I might have done wrong, but I can't find an answer. I even choose the water I use carefully so that it contains no or minimal minerals. I do not apply any force while cleaning the screen. Since I thought that the most compatible and non-damaging material for this screen would be Apple Polishing Cloth, I cleaned the screen with this cloth. By the way, these scratches are not visible / don't attract attention in normal use. But If I'm in a place with intense sunlight, I can see these marks clearly.

I have the same issue with mine. Even though I used distilled water and apple’s own polishing cloth. I don’t really mind the look since mine is not on the display but on the top bezel right above where the webcam sits and only visible when lights hit the screen, but still If I ever decide to sell I know it would bring down the resale value significantly.

 

[za9ra22]

First of all, thank you very much for your interest in the problem I'm experiencing. I was wondering if these horizontal lines could be water marks. Because I always clean in the same direction, which is horizontal. But unfortunately the situation doesn't seem to be like that. And I'm really thinking about what I might have done wrong, but I can't find an answer. I even choose the water I use carefully so that it contains no or minimal minerals. I do not apply any force while cleaning the screen. Since I thought that the most compatible and non-damaging material for this screen would be Apple Polishing Cloth, I cleaned the screen with this cloth. By the way, these scratches are not visible / don't attract attention in normal use. But If I'm in a place with intense sunlight, I can see these marks clearly.

It's not really a 'what you are doing wrong' thing. We know there's not really a generic problem with the screens, or there would be very widespread complaints. Asmuch as many might not notice, most would.

So what we have, I think, is an issue of something in the environment, which either exists in the locality and causes abrasion or something in, or on, the cleaning cloth.

Examples of the environment would be things like particulates in the air - the Canadian wildfires in my location last summer/autumn were a very notable example, which caused heavy abrasion on surfaces - but could also be particles in household dust and deposits which have collected in the cloth. For the cloth, even those designed for this kind of use could become contaminated, and water or IPA wouldn't help other than to suspend the contaminants while the cloth is used.

What I'd want to look at is how, or by what means, the relatively soft surface of the screen could be cleaned and restored. If it's scratching to the nit-glare coating, it probably can't, but surface scratches on the panel itself may be ameliorated to some degree at least with cleaners and refinishers.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Never seen anything like this before. I don’t baby my MBP, but keep it clean, and avoid dirt as much as I can. I usually use the cloth that comes with my sunglasses, and rarely use water or liquid to clean the screen. I prefer dry wiping, with a soft cloth.

 

[iStorm]

Maybe it's just the photo, but these look like streaks to me. Have you tried using a cleaner besides water just to be sure?

To clean hard-to-remove smudges or fingerprints on the display or exterior of your Mac, you can use a cloth moistened with a 70-percent isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution to gently wipe the display or enclosure of your Mac laptop.

How to clean your Apple products - Apple Support

Get recommendations and guidelines for cleaning your Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro, display, or peripheral device.

support.apple.com

If additional cleaning is required, slightly dampen the cloth with water or a cleaner intended for use with a screen or display, then wipe the screen.

Clean your Mac computer’s screen or display

Clean your Mac computer screen or external display properly and safely.

support.apple.com

I've always used Whoosh or alcohol/lens wipes to clean mine and never had an issue. Supposedly even Apple Stores use Whoosh.

 

[zapmymac]

My 2013 mbp screen looks almost new still.

Microfiber and distilled water, or spray the cloth with eye glasses cleaner (made for multi-coating) and I get the cloth WET, I don't lightly mist the cloth.

I only use said microfiber (yellow ones from Costco) as a screen cloth. Use it for a while till it starts smudging and *not* cleaning, and replace towel and wash in laundry with only microfiber towels, then it becomes a general purpose towel.

I find many super suede-weaved towels get loaded with oils FAST and smudge FYI. The suede-like towels I always use 70% iso alcohol with as well as dampen with distilled water.

I am a microfiber towel enthusiast, as car detailing is my hobby. 🤓

 

[zapmymac]

Maybe it's just the photo, but these look like streaks to me. Have you tried using a cleaner besides water just to be sure?

How to clean your Apple products - Apple Support

Get recommendations and guidelines for cleaning your Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Vision Pro, display, or peripheral device.

support.apple.com

Clean your Mac computer’s screen or display

Clean your Mac computer screen or external display properly and safely.

support.apple.com

I've always used Whoosh or alcohol/lens wipes to clean mine and never had an issue. Supposedly even Apple Stores use Whoosh.

can confirm Whoosh is GOOSSTUFF & Apple stores in my areas of socal use it

 

[zapmymac]

Unfortunately, these lines are not stains, they are damage on the AR coating. At first I thought it was a water streak, but unfortunately it is not. And I really don't think I did anything wrong in my cleaning process. I never use anything abrasive.

take this a huge grain of salt, but I saw a IG/Tiktok post, where the AR coating was failing and the guy just plainly removed the last of the AR coating on a 2012? mbp with some common chemical....might do a search and see...of course, the warranty was expired so he didn't have much to loose. Sorry to see your screen be like that /:

 

[validate]

I have the same issue with mine. Even though I used distilled water and apple’s own polishing cloth. I don’t really mind the look since mine is not on the display but on the top bezel right above where the webcam sits and only visible when lights hit the screen, but still If I ever decide to sell I know it would bring down the resale value significantly.

Actually, the problem I'm having only occurs when the light source is the sun. I cannot see this problem if a lamp is the light source. I don't know if the problem you are having is the same.