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Would you exchange an otherwise perfect M1 16" MacBook Pro because of this chip/speck in the finish?

N

new16helppls

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 20, 2020
12
11
IMG_0169.jpg



Went through a long checklist of things to watch out for and really happy that I had absolutely no issues with mine. Particularly the screen. I hate playing the display lottery and my panel has little ghosting, acceptable levels of blooming, and pretty good gray uniformity.

And tonight I notice this. First I thought it was just a speck of something to rub off. But it wouldn't budge, and I realize it's an issue with the coating.

So, exchange, or nah?
 
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Probably. Something you won’t unsee from day one? It’d probably drive me nuts.
 
No, I personally wouldn't. It would bother me, sure, but I'd get over it.

The hassle of driving to the store, wearing a mask, tracking down an employee at the store etc are all more stressful to me than living with that speck.

Is this under the holiday return period? If so, you have some time to decide. If you can't get over it even by that time, then definitely exchange it.
 
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Well I can't believe it but a little bit of pencil makes it absolutely imperceptible from regular viewing distance. If you hover over it and look directly down, you can see the dark pencil mark. But meh. No need for me to ever do that haha.

So I feel a lot more comfortable about it now and I'll see how I feel about it as we get closer to January.
IMG_0173.jpg
 
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bill-p said:
Nah. Buy AppleCare+ and just don't worry about scratching/chipping/denting/bending/cracking the computer. Once the device is trashed, you can ask AppleCare+ to give you a brand new one.
Click to expand...

Isn’t there a $300(ish) deductible if you also incur accidental damage?
 
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Enjoy your new machine and don't worry about it.

They all get little dings and scratches eventually, it's the kind of thing that makes it *your* unique mac and not just any old mac, think of it like patina developing on leather or something.
 
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I personally wouldn't exchange it OP as the hassle of setting up a new one and going through the exchange process to me wouldn't be worth it. Plus its possible you end up getting one that has a major issue and you have to go through the exchange process again.
 
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Mine (13" MacBook Pro) already collects enough dust that I can't even tell if there's any imperfection lol.
I tried to do so on iPhone, got looked down by Apple Store staff smh, got scared, and never bothered to do the same again.
 
For grins, try a slightly damp Magic Eraser sponge to it. I've purchased many second hand Mac's from college stores that looked scratched but easily wiped off and looked like new. Can you feel a difference in the material as you slide your finger over it?
 
bill-p said:
Nah. Buy AppleCare+ and just don't worry about scratching/chipping/denting/bending/cracking the computer. Once the device is trashed, you can ask AppleCare+ to give you a brand new one.
Click to expand...
At US$399 cost plus $29-399 deductible? I'd ignore the nick.
 
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When it's so small that in order to see it you have to enlarge the pic to "larger than life size", it's probably not worth bothering with.

There have been numerous posts in the forum from new MBP 14/16" owners who are receiving product with cosmetic marks on them. I'm going to guess that this is indicative of quality control problems at Apple's factories.

Could be due to covid (personnel shortages).
Or... due to something else.
 
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new16helppls said:
View attachment 1905441


Went through a long checklist of things to watch out for and really happy that I had absolutely no issues with mine. Particularly the screen. I hate playing the display lottery and my panel has little ghosting, acceptable levels of blooming, and pretty good gray uniformity.

And tonight I notice this. First I thought it was just a speck of something to rub off. But it wouldn't budge, and I realize it's an issue with the coating.

So, exchange, or nah?
Click to expand...
No. It’s nothing.
 
Is this the Space Gray or the Silver?

I owned for 6 years Silver MacBooks and I really want to pick the Space Grey this time, but I'm scared that the coating would chip or scratch.
The silver is very forgiving about light scratches.
 
So weird, I had the same issue right next to the trackpad. It was the same size as yours. I had friends look at it and try to find the dot and of course they struggled. But once I knew it was there, I couldn't unsee it. I decided for the money that I spent on the machine, there's no reason that within 6 hours I should notice something like that. Since I plan to keep it for several years, I felt that it was worth it to exchange it.
 
Space grey is going to ding, unfortunately. If it bothers you that much, switch it for a silver.
 
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