TUAW Poll: Does your MacBook exhibit discoloration?

ye........ive had my mac book for about two months, and i noticed it like the first week of school, when i took it out, the lights are brighter then my home, so it could of happened earlier than that, just never realized it, a friend pointed it out to me.......i talked to a student teacher and hes starting to scare....he said call Applecare up......so i did....i got a case number......and now i got to bring it to the apple store....he said there going to ship it away.. to determine what is wrong with it........this is so dumb! just replace the stupid plastic for me! has any one succesfully had this problm resolved? if so....how?

It's pretty well known amongst guitarists that different people have very different "sweat chemistry" - because one person's strings will last them a few months and another's will rot out/go "dead" in a week.

I imagine this is a similar phenomenon.

-j

After 3 weeks of daily usage (8-9 hours a day) I can see it slowly start on mine as well, especially on the left lower corner where I rest my palm. And yeah, like a lot of others I thought it was a hoax and I wash my hands loads of times each day.
It's not the end of the world, it just makes my Mac look like a cheap piece of crap.... not fun, especially seeing as this is the first company Mac I pursuaded management to get.

The Black MacBook DOES exhibit a similar "affliction" - visually, it shows up as that shiny "wear and tear" that you see on iBooks and PowerBooks after say, 1+ years of nonstop use. MY trackpad has a shiny, almost textureless spot, as do my Apple, Space and W keys. It is in no way grease, oil or anything of the like - a multitude of cleaning products and different cloths prove that.

My biggest gripe is, it kills the resale value. I treat my laptops like babies, but it exhibited this only after 5 days of use!

I don't have a macbook, but my iBook shows slight discoloration to the left of the trackpad, under the WASD keys. Probably from playing too much Halo.

I have very dry hands, and while my macbook runs hot, its not very hot in the wrist rest area so I don't think its a heat related issue. Despite this, I am getting the discoloration. Its not as bad as the pics I've seen but it does look like my macbook is blushing. My various other mac products such as ibook 12, powerbook, and mac keyboard aren't discolored so it does seem specific to the macbook though.

On the other hand, I've seen powerbooks and dell laptops with the metal paint on the wrist rest worn through and ibooks with the keys worn invisible so I don't think its too bad an issue.

I work for a company which uses a plastic compound (similar to that used in the white MacBook) in the manufacture of medical devices. Certain chemicals used in the formulation of the plastic react with metals, e.g., copper, zinc. We have observed that the white plastic discolors when handled by individuals who have recently handled coinage, i.e., loose change in the pocket or a recent payment with coins or metal cutlery. Individuals who have thoroughly washed their hands prior to handling the plastic do not initiate the color change. Is this perhaps what is causing the MacBook plastic discoloration problem?

I have had something similar to my iBook G4. It's not as bad, but the trackpad and area to the right and left of it is discolored. I used a disinfectant wipe with some sort of alcohol on it to wipe the part where my wrists will usually rest. That took care of most of it. The trackpad is still sort of darker than it used to be, though.

I've had my white MacBook for 8 days and it runs hotter than a mother. I haven't had any discoloration but I'm not voting in the poll yet because they could still develop, I guess. I'll give it about a month without any problems before I say I don't have them.

Also, it has been said that non-acetone nail polish remover will remove the discoloration/stains. Is that true? Because every photo I've seen saying it works shows an iBook and not a MacBook. I know they're similar but I'm sure there are differences and the iBooks stains probably didn't develop in a couple weeks.

Just by looking at the pics it seems that the soft plastic itself is becoming discolored and not stained. If so, then I don't see how anything could wipe it off or clean it.

have a macbook bought the first day they came out-it moos, but no stains/discoloration anywhere. Caveat: I don't type with my hands resting on the wrist area, but do use the trackpad/trackpad button exclusively (not a mouse), so that area gets a lot of use, as does the lower left edge where I rest my hand. (yeah, I've been paying attention to my habits since I first read of the issue :p)