When TUAW reader Rich sent us this link pointing to an Apple Discussions page discussing the tendency for some of the plastics on the new white MacBooks to turn yellowish after just a few weeks, I initially dismissed it as one or two overly-sensitive Mac users complaining about the inevitable hand grease, dirt, and muck that all of our laptops experience during their average use. At least that's what I thought until I saw the pictures [2] [3] [4] [slideshow] and started reading the many posts from many users experiencing the same problem.This discoloration is not dirt and cannot be cleaned by anything that people have tried, and the list is extensive: iKlear and similar cleaners, hot water, Windex, diluted bleach, a Magic Eraser...the list is long.
There definitely appears to be a problem here with the plastic that Apple has used for the palm rests on the first-generation white MacBooks. I have not seen this yet personally (I've yet to even see a MacBook in person), but the numbers and anecdotal evidence is looking pretty convincing. Now, I wonder if Apple will acknowledge the problem and replace the plastics, or whether they'll pass this off as "cosmetic damage" as they've done in the past (cracking lines on the G4 Cube, anyone?).
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)
6-13-2006 @ 12:00PM
Brett said...
For whatever reason, Apple seems intent on taking products to market that have not been thoroughly tested. We've seen many issues with every new revision of the Powerbook and MacBook Pro. I'm not syaing it's right, but at this point everyone should be aware of the inherent risks with picking up a first edition of any Apple hardware.
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6-13-2006 @ 12:05PM
waywardson said...
Looks like obvious Photoshop airbrush tool to me.
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6-13-2006 @ 12:14PM
jp said...
what do you think the Apple stores do? i was in the nyc store a week or so ago. tons of new macbooks being used by tons of people should show the marks as much as any home users.... i would think? people wandering in and out of the store are probably not concerned with being clean before playing with a demo macbook. anyway, i didn't notice it on any of their hardware? do they have a secret solution? if they are rotating hardware to keep them pretty, then i am sure Apple is very aware of the problem and will fix it asap...... if it really is a problem?
my ibook is the fall 2001 dual usb (rev b) edition and i use it at work where i often am not 100% clean. things like machine grease does not always clean up so well. this ibook has not retained any stains i can't clean up. things like the keyboard are harder to clean, so that's where my dirt shows up.
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6-13-2006 @ 12:18PM
jp said...
a few days ago we heard the same claims about the black one actually. the pictures of the stains looked exactly the same.
i am guessing this is supposedly unique to the MacBook and not showing up on the MacBook Pro?
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6-13-2006 @ 12:30PM
Damien said...
Wow, we've got some real Sherlock Holmeses reading today. Of these two scenarios, which do you think Sherlock would've favored:
1) that several dozen people who don't know each other have conspired to digitally manipulate different photographs of different MacBook units, and then publish those altered photographs in public forums with their real names attached, and that they've colladed in doing so, all to make Apple look bad. Evidence of this conspiracy is that the images have been opened and presumably edited in Photoshop.
2) several dozen people are experiencing similar discoloration problems with their MacBook units because of a manufacturing defect. And that the reason the images are "Photoshop" images is because they were opened, presumably cropped, and then saved in Photoshop.
Occam's Razor. I'll say it again, Occam's Razor.
"The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession.” - Sherlock Holmes
"It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment." -Sherlock Holmes
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6-13-2006 @ 1:01PM
zack said...
I've had the same problem with my 12'' powerbook as John in comment 9. Palm rests are corroding because my hands sweat when it gets warm. My boss's has it too.
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6-13-2006 @ 1:07PM
Paul said...
wash your hands...
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6-13-2006 @ 1:25PM
Henry said...
This isn't a fake. The same thing happened to both of my sets iPod headphones after a few weeks of using them. You people are too paranoid...
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6-13-2006 @ 2:13PM
GREG said...
could you please update the artical when post)? that would be most helpfull
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6-13-2006 @ 2:30PM
ryan said...
color me confused, but how is it that an apple blogger for a huge apple blog has "yet to even see a macbook in person".
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6-13-2006 @ 2:37PM
Damien said...
Color me employed, but it's called 60-hour work weeks. You might give it a try sometime Ryan. It helps as a natural defense against posting snarky comments.
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6-13-2006 @ 2:48PM
Andy Shafer said...
Wow, Damien. Those 60 hours seem to be getting you a little cranky. Maybe you shouldn't be so harsh with your readers.
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6-13-2006 @ 2:50PM
cbuck said...
To remove the "spots" on my iBook, I used a white pencil eraser. It worked miracles.
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6-13-2006 @ 2:54PM
Thayne Miller said...
I've owned a white macbook since the day apple released them. I've spent countless hours typing, gaming, video editing, you name it, on this machine, and I see no discoloration of any kind. One thing I'm suspicious about is the contrast between the GREY plastic of the macbook and the WHITE keys is *much* more drastic in that main photo than it is in real life. I suspect some color altering has been done on that picture to bring out the color of the stains. honestly, one can barely tell the difference between the white and grey in real life, but in that picture, it's day and night.
I think it's been exaggerated.... and trust me, noone has put more use on their macbook than I have.
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6-13-2006 @ 7:01PM
michael said...
HA! HA! Once again Apple built a portable machine that looks great but it is not portable.
The yellowing issue is reason number 4 is a product focused company and not a marketing focus company.
HA! HA! Suckers! Ol' Steve is going to enjoy jetting around the country thanks to all of you who purchased another lousy Apple laptop.
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6-13-2006 @ 7:17PM
Zweihander said...
Apple introduces new iSkin
Cupertino, CA
June 15, 2006
In light of the recent discoloration in their new MacBook personal computers, Apple has placed the blame squarely on the users. "The human skin is covered in ugly beige," Apple CEO Steve Jobs quoted today. "This is the 21st century, we should not be using such dull skin."
Apple released their new iSkin, a plastic replacement for the human epidermis. In addition to being hypoallergenic, the iSkin will not discolor the user's Apple products. The iSkin is available in two colors, white and black, and the covers for the eyes have a glossy coating. It comes with an antenna, for better reception of the Apple RDF.
Rumors began at the product's announcement of an "iSkin Pro" which was dropped after a tester tried to go sunbathing in his silvery new skin, and experienced heat issues. John Dvorak also announced that he believed that Apple was going to merge with Cyberdyne Inc, though no one really cared what he said as his new custom iSkin was fitted with volume control technology.
It's a joke, laugh.
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6-13-2006 @ 7:50PM
Reg said...
My BlackBook is perfect.
Fitted it out with 2GB RAM and a 7200rpm Seagate Momentus 7200.1 drive.
Fast and silent as a nighthawk, and as stylish as a black ferrari dipped in essence of Gucci.
One of the best laptops I've ever owned, and I have had everything from Toshibas, ThinkPads, Motion Tablets and from a PowerBook 100.
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6-13-2006 @ 8:49PM
Dean Welsh said...
My Girlfriend accidentally dripped some of this
http://www.coppertone.com/detail_of_45lotion.aspx
onto her white G4 ibook and incredibly it cleared it right up.
-dean
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6-13-2006 @ 9:27PM
Stephen said...
I've had my white macbook for a couple of weeks now, and it has performed like a champ. No overheating, stains or crashes. Mine works, so my advice is to take the funky ones back for an exchange.
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6-13-2006 @ 10:33PM
Pixel said...
Looks more like the burn/dodge tool. Pretty obviously actually since the darker the light gets, the darker the stain gets. Anyway, I'll go out on a limb and say that hand grease does not turn that color unless you've been using a little too much sunless tanning lotion. Comparing the color the stains that have slowly devoloped on my iBook, I feel pretty safe saying that we're looking at something other than body oils.
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