
Macbook screen coating issues - greggman
http://staingate.org
======
pascalo
Apple's customer service is hell. Don't envy anybody to have to deal with
this. The "Cosmetic damage and not covered by warranty" line is similar to
what I had as answer when after one week of sitting on a desk without any
mistreatment I had a crack in the glass of my pre-retina MBP.

Called them and had an endless loop of

\- "I think this is a manufacturing fault"

\- "Cracks in the screen are ALWAYS accidental damage and not covered under
warranty"

\- "But I didn't have an accident with it, so ..."

\- "Cracks in the screen are ALWAYS accidental damage and not covered under
warranty"

... and so on and so on.

Now, after the most recent graphics board meltdown I am on an XPS13 with
Ubuntu, and I can honestly say that apple are off my shopping list for good.

~~~
simonebrunozzi
I am really tempted by the new XPS 13 (with possibly a dual boot
Ubuntu/Windows) instead of a new Macbook Pro 13 retina.

I know that a lot of info is out there. In your case, any comparable
experience with Dell support?

~~~
pascalo
This must be karma for bitching about Apple, but I just opened the lid of my
XPS13 and it has a crack in it. I cannot believe it. It feels like groundhog
day!

In any case, I shall report back on how they handle it. Fired off a twitter
message to @DellCares and they asked me for the service tag. Go on Dell,
impress me!

------
Camillo
Calling it "cosmetic damage" is ridiculous. The screen's entire purpose is to
be looked at. Cosmetic damage to the screen is functional damage.

~~~
zk00006
Absolutely. Also claiming that the screen was damaged by bad cleaning method
actually means that all my 5 laptops I had in the past are somehow super-
strong but only Macbook Pro Retina 2013 is normal.

~~~
chvid
My retina 15" laptop has this plenty. It is clearly markings from the touchpad
and the keyboard (and then something along the sides). So it has nothing to do
with the way the screen is cleaned.

------
cssmoo
This is the sort of reason I stopped buying Apple products.

Whilst they use ground-breaking advanced engineering, thermal design and
materials and all that marketing garb, I feel merely like the pilot of an
experimental aircraft about to tumble out of the sky at any moment.

The last three Apple computers I bought ended up being returned on warranty
and the replacement sold due to electrical, thermal, software and quality
issues. Fortunately we're covered here in the UK for 6 years with a small
argument but none of the machines lasted more than 12 months in normal "at
home" usage.

Now that's not exclusive to Apple but I don't expect to have these issues on a
premium product. £183/month for a computer over its usable lifetime is a lot
of money.

On the side I fix Apple kit for people. I recently replaced the screen on a
2008 MBP which had failed. It was a joy to do. I can't help anyone with a
Retina MBP onwards though; warranty return only. That's a big red flag for
buying any recent kit.

Second hand plastic ThinkPads now. Not had any problems for a couple of years
and to replace the entire unit is less than a 2010 MBP screen and they're easy
to replace bits in. #00 Philips and a swiss army knife and you're sorted.

~~~
nazgob
Second hand plastic ThinkPads are hardly an alternative... They are seriously
outdated now.

~~~
Amezarak
> Second hand plastic ThinkPads are hardly an alternative... They are
> seriously outdated now.

And how does that affect their day-to-day usability?

I'm a big fan of new and shiny, but my primary laptop is a Dell Inspiron I
bought in 2006/2007, because I'm also a big fan of using things until they
break. I popped an SSD into it a couple years ago and it is very snappy and
performs perfectly well as a development machine, web browser, and (small) VM
host. In fact, it's actually snappier than my i7 desktop for most tasks
because of the SSD. So why would a secondhand (and probably newer) ThinkPad
not be a suitable alternative?

The biggest downsides of having an older laptop are that the screen is a mere
1680x1050 and it's pretty thick, probably a around a full inch when closed.
The former is still not terrible by today's standards (what's with the absurd
popularity of 1366x768?), but I do consider it to fall into the bare minimum
of acceptability, and the latter is simply not a problem for me - it's not
enough weight to bother me on my daily 1.2 mile walk into work and most of the
time it's sitting on a desk or on my lap, not anywhere space-constrained.

------
secstate
My 13" MBPr has this stain pattern.

Here's my guess, I used an alcohol-based solvent to clean my keyboard and then
closed the machine. Now I have stains of the oleophobic coating coming off in
the places you'd expect it ... where the keys manage to come in contact with
the screen.

So I suppose it's my fault, but I have a Lenovo T440s here with a beautiful
matte screen that has no need for a fancy oil-resistent coating that comes off
when you breath cleaning solvent on it.

Color me unimpressed, Apple.

~~~
X-Istence
So Apple has to figure out how to stop people from using abrasive cleaners on
their computers that would also cause issues if it came in contact with
switches/circuitboard or anything else in a laptop?

~~~
greggman
None of the scratches on my MBP are from cleaners. They are 100% from the
keyboard touching the screen.

Here's a photo
([http://i.imgur.com/gnAqDqk.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/gnAqDqk.jpg)). First you
can see the main scratch is a very straight line. Not something that would
come from wiping. Second below the man scratch you can see a pattern of small
scratches about every 1/2 inch in pairs corresponding to the corners of keys
on the keyboard.

I'd be happy if there was just way reasonably priced way to get it re-coated.

~~~
madeofpalk
I believe its oils from your hands rubbing off on the case, and then onto the
screen.

------
trynumber9
Enough with the gates. Please. Anything else. I'd even accept stainghazi.

That said, my MBPR has some screen coating issue. But I'm not sure if I
scratched it or not, so I won't join their database.

~~~
busterarm
> Enough with the gates. Please. Anything else. I'd even accept stainghazi

I won't accept Stainghazi.

RIP Sean Smith / Vile Rat. We miss you, buddy.

~~~
zer00eyz
Mac -> problem with mac -> problem with title -> change title -> reference to
eve on line .. and to a goon (therefore SA)

How deep does the rabbit hole go?

------
X-Istence
The coating on a MacBook Pro is similar to the anti-reflection coating you can
get on glasses.

Chlorine and heat will affect glasses, I bet the same can be said for these
laptop screens.

I have a feeling that with a database of 258 people, you should be able to
find out what people are using to clean their screens and damaging them.
Cleaning your screen using those bleach wipes is a sure fire way to damage it!

~~~
javajosh
I've never used anything but water and a paper towel to clean my screen, and
frankly I resent the fact that you and people like you keep assuming that it's
user error. The coating is clearly defective.

There is very clearly a problem with the screen coating on a (in my case)
$3500 machine, and Apple needs to be called out on this one. Bravo to the OP
for bring this to light.

~~~
etchalon
> The coating is clearly defective.

The problem is that 258 some-odd people, out of the what, several tens of
thousands of people who have experienced this issue is not a "clearly"
situation.

That's, conservatively, about .1% of owners experiencing a problem, and it is
entirely within reason to believe the issue is user-caused, baring some
reproducible test case.

~~~
TheOtherHobbes
That's, not so conservatively, the number of people who have heard of the site
now.

What grounds do you have for believing that web reach is an accurate estimator
for this problem?

~~~
etchalon
I have no real idea how wide-spread the issue is, but I tend to go with what's
concretely known, as opposed to just making crap up.

------
jader201
I just, last week, bought my first MacBook Pro -- my first Apple laptop ever.
It was much more than I usually spend on a single computer.

And now I hear about this.

Probably one of the most widespread issues -- that Apple is not willing to
cover -- in the history of an Apple laptop.

It's not even been 14 days yet, so it's still eligible for return.

Would be lying to say I wasn't considering it.

~~~
vjvj
What would you buy instead?

This is my 3rd Macbook (best in terms of hardware, bar the display issue and
worst in terms of software - too many glitches) and I'm really looking for an
alternative when I next replace it.

~~~
johnward
I have a feeling a lot of people are going to say thinkpad. I have one and
haven't turned it on for a couple years but I still think that's a common
suggestion. The dell XPS 13 that someone mentioned in this thread seems like a
decent macbook air replacement.

~~~
Mikeb85
Thinkpads are pretty awesome, to be honest. Best keyboard of any laptop (even
the new chiclet style), they don't overheat on your lap, they're pretty much
bulletproof, and replaceable parts means the laptop is serviceable for a
longer life-span (after all, parts like batteries have a limited life, shame
to throw away a nice laptop because the battery pack is running at less than
50% capacity after a few years of use).

~~~
johnward
I have a newer, faster thinkpad given to me by my company but I still use my 6
year old macbook. I'm really more of an OSX fan vs Windows now. I could
probably get by on Ubuntu or something if I really wanted to. I'm just not a
fan of the aesthetics of the thinkpad, which might seems weird but it plays a
part of why I don't use it. It's heavy, and ugly, and has hooks sticking of
the screen.

I never found the keyboard to be much better than others but I have heard many
others say it is great so maybe I'm the exception. I use a daskey mechincal on
my gaming PC and it's pretty great. The track pad sucks compared to Apple's
even though they are made by the same people.

I'll give you service ability (though my old macbook was upgradable). I'm
really surprised I haven't had battery issues after 6 years. Being an IBMer we
always had to order Lenovos. I think that is changes with our Apple deal. You
could get a macbook through some exception but soon they will be available and
supported for all employees. I've also heard there is a Toshiba option
available though I'm not sure who would pick that over a ThinkPad.

~~~
Mikeb85
To be fair, I wouldn't use a ThinkPad except with Linux (using SUSE right
now). Thankfully, many Linux developers are big Thinkpad fans, so any
'classic' Thinkpad (basically the T, W and X series), even the new generations
will generally work flawlessly (or close to it) with Linux.

Really I think the only thing that might sway me is Dell's new-found love for
Linux.

------
CoachRufus87
Protip: Use iKlear to clean your machines. It's what they use at the Apple
Store.
[http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_electronics?ie=UTF8&field-...](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_electronics?ie=UTF8&field-
brandtextbin=iKlear&node=172282)

~~~
moe
It's certainly iPriced, too.

$19.95 for 8oz (240ml) and a cloth...

~~~
Bud
Not accurate. It's actually $19.95 for this full kit:

1- 2 ounces iKlear Spray Bottle; 1- 6 ounces iKlear Spray Bottle 1- Medium DMT
Antimicrobial Cloth; 1- Travel Size DMT Antimicrobial Cloth 1- Large "Chamois"
Cloth; 1- Travel Size "Chamois" Cloth 12- iKlear Travel Singles (Step 1 Wet)

So two bottles of the stuff, four cloths, and 12 travel singles.

[http://www.amazon.com/iKlear-iK-26K-Complete-Cleaning-
Kit/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/iKlear-iK-26K-Complete-Cleaning-
Kit/dp/B0023WU6OI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1426697344&sr=1-1)

~~~
moe
While you are correct (sorry, I missed the extra stuff), my point was that
noname microfibre cloths (~$0.70) and less overpriced cleaners (~$1/oz) are
just one click away on Amazon...

------
javajosh
My 15" rMBP has this problem, and Apple told me it would be $300 to fix it at
the depo, or $600 at the store. I wrote a blog post about it[1]. Glad to see
it's getting some coverage, and I've added myself to the database.

BTW who's doing this and what are you doing with the data/with Apple?

[1] [http://blog.javajosh.com/2015/02/when-apple-screws-its-
custo...](http://blog.javajosh.com/2015/02/when-apple-screws-its-customers-
over.html)

~~~
visarga
Good post, I especially liked the closing phrase:

> It's not like Apple is hurting and can't afford to do the right thing: Apple
> Computer has 40% profitability, $75B in cash reserves (more than the US
> Government) and here they are nickel-and-diming the people who are critical
> to their success.

~~~
etchalon
I heavily dislike the whole "they have money!" thing.

Apple has been more than willing to extend warranties and repair issues once
they're sure the problem is a defect.

Until they're sure, it's not "nickel and diming". It's charging people for a
service.

Paying 4 grand for a laptop doesn't magically mean Apple is obligated in
anyway to make you happy, costs be damned.

~~~
slantyyz
>> Apple has been more than willing to extend warranties and repair issues
once they're sure the problem is a defect.

The problem is that this can take a long time. So long, in fact, that it can
be too late to get any benefit from these repair/warranty programs.

Some people who had the problematic 2011 Macbook Pro had already sold their
laptops for parts at a loss before Apple finally acknowledged the issue (check
out the huge thread on the support.apple.com forums).

I was lucky that I kept mine (it bricked itself a few months before the repair
program was announced) because I had a feeling a replacement program might
come out of the class action lawsuit related to the defect.

I ended up buying a new laptop when my 2011 Macbook Pro died because I wasn't
going to fork out $500 for another defective logic board. I had already
replaced it once while it was still under AppleCare, and it developed the same
problems as the original within 6 months. Some people replaced their
motherboards as many as 5 times with the same results.

>> Paying 4 grand for a laptop doesn't magically mean Apple is obligated in
anyway to make you happy, costs be damned.

They don't have to make you happy "costs be damned", but they should be
obligated to at least fix a product that is defective.

~~~
etchalon
Once they know it's defective, sure. There's not enough evidence to say they
are, in this specific case.

------
garrettheaver
I'm one of those with an affected screen. Upper left hand corner has quite bad
banding that really get in the way in anything other than neutral light. In no
way it this merely a cosmetic issue. As others have pointed out the screen is
what you look at and its called anti-glare... preventing glare is literally
its function.

I've been buying MacBooks for about 10 years now and quality control wise they
seem to be struggling a bit which is to be expected when a manufacturer takes
on mass production using edge techniques. Thats no excuse for not fixing the
issues that do arise though particularly given the margin they have. My 2006
MacBook Pro is still chugging along whilst I've a 2009 with a few issues (one
of which Apple did fix under warranty) and now my 2013 screen is quite
literally coming apart.

I'm seriously considering jumping ship at my next refresh but what to is the
problem. I actually like the aluminium construction of the MacBook so perhaps
the Razor Blade with either Mint or Ubuntu is an option (anyone have any
experience of this combination?). It has the added benefit of having a semi-
respectable GPU on board for some light-weight machine learning play (again
anyone have any experience using a Razor Blade 2014 for this?)

------
interpol_p
I wonder if there is something which accelerates / causes this issue, like
climate, cleaning with a particular cleaning agent, or touching the screen.
I've had my rMBP since it was released in 2012 and have not seen the issue
yet, despite using it nearly all day every day since purchase.

~~~
yaeger
From what I hear it could be heat related. Do you use it all day, let it get
very warm and then just close the lid to put it in standby?

I am wondering if this is because of a hot unibody case coming very close to
the screen when it is closed. So, someone who uses his MacBook very lightly so
it doesn't get very hot and then powering it down completely and then waiting
a bit before closing the lid might not have this issue as his MacBook is
already rather cold when the lid gets closed.

------
gketuma
I had the same problem. Used nothing but a microfiber cloth. No liquids and
the screen coating started coming off. Took it to the apple store and had the
screen replaced for free. My MBP Retina was still under warranty. Had it for
11 months before the issue with the screen.

------
jonmarkgo
I've had this problem around the edges of my screen after about a year. I've
only used the anti-static monitor wipes to clean my screen...

------
ghouse
13" MBPr purchased 2013-12 Have never used anything other than damp paper
towel on the screen. Have the "stain" near the camera only, so far. Nearly
identical to image 14.

~~~
logn
Unrelated, but note that paper towels can scratch glass/plastic. Something
with softer fibers is better.

~~~
javajosh
Given the similarity in pattern (starting near the camera along the edge) do
you _really_ think this is caused by user error? Do you think that everyone is
cleaning their screen in the same wrong way in the same area of the screen?

~~~
logn
No, I have no idea. My comment above was a tangent to the original article and
only pertaining to paper towels. That's what I meant by starting my comment
with "Unrelated, "

------
pistle
Image 3/19 is very interesting and numerous show fairly specific markings
indicating scratches near the center of a stain which would support a chemical
leaching through a broken protective coating. Similarly a chemical near the
edge of the screen/coating could leach into the area there as well.

------
driverdan
There has been a long standing issue with Apple laptops where the keyboard
damages the screen. The screen and keyboard are so close together when the
screen is closed that it doesn't take much pressure to get the two to rub.
This causes keyboard marks on the screen that can't be removed.

There could be other issues with the screen coating but a lot of the pics on
this site look like keyboard damage. You need to be very careful about putting
pressure on the screen while it's closed.

------
Synergyse
This happened to one of my rMBP 15" near the camera, Apple Store told me that
its caused by oil in your fingers. They basically said to avoid touching the
screen when you open the lid.

~~~
uptown
That's ironic:

"The point, explains Carmine Gallo, who is writing a book on the inside
workings of the Apple Store, is to get people to touch the devices. "The main
reason notebook computers screens are slightly angled is to encourage
customers to adjust the screen to their ideal viewing angle," he says -- "in
other words, to touch the computer.""

[http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/06/the-
sc...](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/06/the-screen-of-
each-laptop-in-the-apple-store-is-set-to-the-exact-same-angle/258592/)

------
zk00006
Great effort. Same issue here. It is clearly a problem in production of
Retina. Any other computer i have from apple does not have this issue and is
still OK while being older. I honestly feel embarrassed to display my own work
to clients on such screen, nevertheless it is really annoying to see the
stains all the time during work.

~~~
rasz_pl
> I honestly feel embarrassed to display my own work to clients on such screen

and you should be, you look like a hobo with a broken laptop asking people to
pay you for good work. Im surprised you get any clients :)

------
ChikkaChiChi
I would be interested to collect data on two things:

1\. In what city/region does the laptop spend most of its time in? 2\. A few
places the laptop sees heavy use (home office desk, coffee shop, etc.)

I wonder if there are environmental factors at play here that a database like
this could build a correlation on. Maybe people live near salt water, or their
environments are more humid, or temperatures fluctuate.

Please note that this sort of thing should NOT be required to repair a faulty
product, but it might be of some benefit to the general public.

------
bitL
I had the same on 15" rMBP, basically touchpad's edges "printed" on the screen
with some more "stains" in other parts of the screen. It began with a barely
noticeable horizontal line after around 8 months and got progressively worse
and worse up to the point it was taking around 1/16th of the screen. I always
used water to clean the screen. Ended up paying ~300 EUR for a replacement
screen, no issues since. Apple didn't offer replacement for free.

------
VLM
Something missing from the victim shaming party is comparing the glass screen
to other common household objects that are made of glass and stared at, such
as house windows, TV screens, dishes, bottles, glasses, and car windshields.

A glass product that is not fit by manufacture and design to tolerate glass
cleaners is obviously poorly designed.

Because Apple is the definition of good design even when they aren't, the
problem must transmute into moderately annoying victim shaming.

------
jader201
How is this site going to use the data? I don't see it ever really mentioning
the intention of collecting the various bits of data on its form.

Would be nice if we saw some more information, at least attached to the
images. Maybe even some other aggregates, since there seems to be a lot more
submissions than they have images.

I think the effort is noble, but would be nice if we had a bit more info
behind the intentions of the data being collected.

------
random3
Blaming apple seems a little dishonest.

The same happened to me too. When I cleaned the screen with an alcohol-based
wet tissue...

It does get worse on the edges as when wiping it the liquid tends to get on
the edges so it affects that part more.

The screen is coated with a fine (a few microns) layer.

If you care so much about your Mac to read the actual care guide, you can see
it clearly says not to use anything else but a cloth with _water_.

~~~
zk00006
Wow. You probably mean the "Hello." manual.

------
m4tthumphrey
I noticed this a while ago on my 2012 MBA. The "stains" on the screen take the
shape of the keyboard, so I wiped it down (can't remember the material I used)
and then from then on I keep a sheet of A4 paper between the keyboard and
screen when it's closed and it hasn't come back since.

~~~
kybernetyk
The MBA seems to have a different screen coating. I regularly got these
"keyboard stains" on my 2013 MBA and I could just wipe them off. They never
became permanent.

------
teekert
I once had a Vaio that lost paint from the volume buttons. It happened to more
people. They also said they wouldn't cover cosmetic damages. I kept bugging
them saying I didn't pay the extra for a premium looking laptop to have this
cheap thing happening. They fixed it in the end, for free.

I have a friend that always makes a huge scene at an apple store when
something breaks (latest thing was a failure of the Ati card in a iMac from
2011), he always gets everything fixed, for free. You need to have a big
mouth.

------
josteink
I remember back in the days when people tried to justify the MBP prices by
using some ambiguous "build-quality" only Macs had, but you couldn't get with
Dells or Lenovos.

Yeah. Not convinced.

------
naoru
I've got two rMBPs from 2012, one is 15" (with the infamous LG display,
retentiongate anyone?), the other is 13". 15" is heavy used and has some marks
from the keyboard on screen, but coating is intact. 13"'s screen is in nearly
perfect state.

No "staingate" at all. Sure, there are many other gates like magsafecrapgate,
yosemiteslowgate, unbearablyslowgraphicsgate and such. But no staingate.

------
john2x
Why is it only happening on Macbook Pro's? Is it only happening to matte
screens? (afair there's no matte screen option anymore?)

~~~
axx
It seems that the MacBook Air for instance has other screen coating. So maybe
it's more resistant.

As far as i remember the Air has a "plastic screen" while the MacBook Pro has
a real glass layer with some special anti-reflection coating.

------
gambiting
I've had the exact same thing on a flat screen CRT monitor from 1998 :P This
is most definitely a result of cleaning the screen with some detergent that
damages the anti-reflective coating, you can achieve the same effect on
literally any screen, and someone is trying to make it look like only MacBooks
have this problem.

~~~
johnward
I've used solvents on prior macbook screens. Maybe I shouldn't have but
nothing like this has ever occurred. Nothing like this has ever happened on
any LCD screen I've owned. It seems like a design flaw or a manufacturing
defect to me.

------
coldwaraaron
I'm having this problem around the edges of my screen. The only cleaning
product I've used is windex.

~~~
Sidnicious
Windex contains ammonia, according to Apple it's not safe to use on screens:

> Don't use window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents,
> ammonia, abrasives, or cleaners containing hydrogen peroxide to clean the
> display.

[https://support.apple.com/en-us/ht204172](https://support.apple.com/en-
us/ht204172)

Stick with a damp cloth.

(I use 99% isopropyl alcohol to clean my computer, screen and all. It's
notably absent from Apple's list of forbidden chemicals, but I'm not sure that
it's safe so I won't recommend it.)

~~~
qubitcoder
I typically use isopropyl alcohol as well. Although I've periodically used
Windex on my 2012 rMBP; no issues thus far, still looks brand new.

------
chmaynard
Apple immediately replaced the display on my late 2013 MacBook Pro after I
reported this problem last week. I had only cleaned the display a few times,
always using a damp microfiber cloth. I purchased an extended warranty when I
bought the computer, so AppleCare paid for the repair.

~~~
zk00006
Lucky you. But this is a problem that should be solved independent of
warranty. The quality of the display is clearly not reaching customer
expectations.

~~~
chmaynard
I totally agree. If I hadn't purchased AppleCare and I was asked to pay $700
for the repair, I would be very upset! This is clearly a manufacturing defect,
and Apple will eventually have to address it in a systematic way.

------
37prime
I have seen many damaged computer screens, desktop and laptop. One of the most
common themes is the cleaning solution used to clean the screen. A lot of
people admits they are using the common household cleaning solutions to clean
the screens.

~~~
rasz_pl
and? screen is plastic, non abrasive cleaning solutions should NEVER affect
it, whats more they NEVER did before those bullshit anti glare pure marketing
reflective coatings came along.

~~~
37prime
huh?

Those screens were damaged, both plastic and glass alike.

Some people think that since it is a glass screen, using cleaning solution
like Windex is ok. That’s so not recommended.

------
agumonkey
Seems like a superficial problem, most of the LCD is in order. Couldn't Apple
issue a recall for the small number of affected user, give them a new screen
back. Meanwhile they de-laminate and re-laminate the stained ones ?

------
sauere
Problems like this are the reasons why i will only buy Apple notebooks after
they get a spec-refresh (upgraded CPU etc., but same technology). I am not
willing to be the beta-tester for a $1500++ notebook.

~~~
pedalpete
How does that help an issue like this?

~~~
johnward
I think what they are saying is hopefully there is some mid cycle refresh that
fixes this problem quietly.

------
fny
I'm curious to know if any particular models are affected. For those of you
with the issue, what model do you own? (Aside: It would be really nice if
they'd open up their data.)

------
sklogic
Did not know it's such a widespread problem. Had my 15'' retina display
replaced for free at an end of warranty period, but they seemed puzzled about
this type of damage.

------
matdrewin
I had something similar happen to me after I put my brand new MBP in my bag on
a really cold day. Went away after I cleaned it with a microfiber.

Not exactly confidence inspiring.

------
aabajian
This is a frustrating problem, especially since MacBooks have such a high
price tag. However:

"The stains start to appear after 12 to 18 months."

That's beyond the warranty period of the MacBook. When you purchase a MacBook,
Apple makes it very clear that the warranty will expire after a year. I don't
think it's reasonable to hold a company accountable beyond their warranty
period if the price and warranty are clearly defined at time of purchase. If
Apple products continually fail just outside of their warranty, the market
will adapt to reduce the amount people are willing to pay for Apple hardware.

~~~
wukerplank
One thing though: Apple always states their one year warranty (and tries to
push Apple Care). Legislation in your country might disagree and Apple has to
adhere to it. In Europe there are vast differences, ranging from 2 to 6 (!)
years.

I'm a Macbook Retina owner myself and I'm not happy. Having a 2500 Euro
machine that lasts as long as a 400 Euro crapbook?

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dandare
I find the initiative is very interesting. Have you noticed there are no
social media contacts? No follow us on Twitter?

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plomazzi
I guess it is not the company i expected. Samsung next time with linux...

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smrtinsert
Best hardware, think different, walled garden ecosystem etc etc etc.

Ah the power of choice.

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freshyill
I damaged mine (very slightly) with a Clorox wipe. It was my own damn fault.
I've had good luck cleaning my sunglasses with them and figured it would work
for the computer.

I accept responsibility for this bad decision.

~~~
freshyill
Oh, cool! Down voting with no explanation because I didn't express agreement!

