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Apple Replacing Yellowed MacBook Palmrests

Andrew Nagy writes "I noticed recently (as did many other MacBook owners) that the palmrests and general surface of my white MacBook was beginning to yellow. I don't really find it a big deal, but thought I'd check out what Apple was doing about it. They now have a page in their support section dedicated to this issue, but since it just tells you to contact Apple support, I did. I took mine in to the nearest store, and after attempting (and failing) to clean the surface he told me they could order a new surface and replace it in the store... all covered for free under the warranty."

51 comments

  1. That's mighty white of them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    (It's a joke.)

    1. Re:That's mighty white of them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not a joke, actually. Worth to note is that also the iBook's suffer from this. Too bad they are far away from their warranty today...

  2. That is why white sucks by Tweekster · · Score: 1

    Good to hear it is covered, but that is exactly the reason you do not want a white surface if there is gonna be a lot of contact with it.

    Black/gray cant turn any other color...

    --
    The phrase "more better" is acceptable English. suck it grammar Nazis
    1. Re:That is why white sucks by TCM · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Black/gray cant turn any other color...
      Believe me, it can.
      --
      Of course it runs NetBSD. BTC: 1NT7QvbetmANwaMzhpVL6
    2. Re:That is why white sucks by CiaoYunz · · Score: 5, Interesting

      We have a G4 iBook in heavy use. It doesn't show any yellow stains on the palmrests. So I guess it's not a problem with white surfaces in general.

    3. Re:That is why white sucks by Junks+Jerzey · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Good to hear it is covered, but that is exactly the reason you do not want a white surface if there is gonna be a lot of contact with it.

      And yet this is only a problem with the new MacBooks, not the tens of millions of white iBooks sold over the last 5+ years.

    4. Re:That is why white sucks by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 1

      I take it that both you and your iBook are non-smokers? Or at least don't smoke non-filter cigarettes?

      --
      It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
    5. Re:That is why white sucks by Oopsz · · Score: 2, Interesting

      True that.

      I had a sony vaio with dark blue palmrests. After about eight months, they started turning grey/black.

    6. Re:That is why white sucks by Bastian · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Black/gray cant turn any other color


      I have a four-year-old TiBook that says you're wrong.

      That said, the level of discoloration is minor enough to not be immediately obvious, could probably be scrubbed off if I cared enough about it (I assume it's just collected oil and dirt), and certainly is not the ugly yellow that shows up on the MacBooks.
    7. Re:That is why white sucks by Ant+P. · · Score: 1

      Wrong.

      I can see the E-Coli on my black mouse.

    8. Re:That is why white sucks by Neoncow · · Score: 1

      I can't tell if you're providing supporting anecdote or trying to be funny. I'll assme the latter. It's funnier.

    9. Re:That is why white sucks by penguinstorm · · Score: 4, Funny

      It seems to depend on the amount and chemical composition of sweat. It used to happen to iBooks.

      If yours isn't discolouring it could be because you're not sweating as much: try typing faster.

      --
      Skot Nelson music is my saviour / i was maimed by rock and roll
    10. Re:That is why white sucks by moracity · · Score: 1

      Actually, this has been an issue with previous white iBooks. Like the current issue, it did not affect everyone. I think the current state of whining on the internet is partly to blame, so it's no wonder we're hearing about it more than before. Plus Apple is more in the spotlight now than it has been since OS X first came out.

      All these Apple rumors sites and digg-like sites are controlled by fifteen-year-olds with nothing better to do than complain. It's a different internet these days. Instead of actually calling Apple and explaining their problem, they post loser comments on as many websites as they can. I have no problem spreading the word on possible issues, but some of this is out of control. There are ALWAYS going to be problems with ANY electronic product.

      My first MacBook was powering itself on after being completely shutdown and turned off. I made a quick posting on the Apple forums to see if anyone else had experienced it. I didn't go over to digg.com and submit a story about "OMG!! MacBooks are alive!! Everybody run!!! Apple has created MonsterBooks!". I simply took my MacBook back to the Apple store, explained what happened, and was given a replacement on the spot. I updated my posting regarding my replacement and advised anyone with a similar problem to do the same. There have been several posts of people experiencing the same thing.

      Apple products come with a 1-year hardware warranty. So, if there is some sort of widespread problem, it will be addressed and it won't cost you a dime. Not every problem requires a revolution. You can get pretty far by contacting Apple and not being an a**hole when explaining your problem.

  3. "New Surface" /shady by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "Leftover paint gloss should do the job," thought Steve.

  4. To all the geeks out there... by sensei85 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...Thank you! It's people like you who jump on new technology and bitch about all the things that are wrong with it that make everyone else's lives easier. When I finally break the bank for a MacBook, I won't have to worry about any of this stuff :)

    1. Re:To all the geeks out there... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now, while I understand that at the pragmatic level, one should be cautious around first revisions or new technology. Ideally a product is a product. When you buy something it should do what they told you it would do, and if it does not, they should fix it. It's not "bitching" it's just getting what you paid for.

  5. Hey, this is America by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 3, Funny

    We fix what shows.

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  6. No, this is why Apple sucks by drinkypoo · · Score: 0, Troll

    First, I've got white hardware that's not discoloring. Use the right plastic, and you can do all kinds of fun things. Someone at Apple was too stupid to pick the right plastic.

    Second, for what Apple charges you for a three-year warranty, no onsite (they do not offer onsite service on laptops) I got a three-year warranty with onsite service. I don't even have to go to the Apple store, I just sit here and someone will come out and replace parts of my laptop. And the cost? Identical to MBP. MBP has FW800 and a camera, I have an ambient light sensor, a crypto module (built in with the TPM) as well as a smartcard reader and a fingerprint scanner, not to mention a superior keyboard (I have a Compaq nw9440) and pretty much the same display, same size and resolution. For another couple hundred I could have gotten superior-to-Full-HD resolution but it didn't seem worth it.

    Keep in mind that Apple's first response to this was "you're fucked" and they're only changing their mind because laptops are their only feather right now, the only place where they've made significant, rapid improvements in market share (not counting mp3 players.) Apple has a long history of telling their customers to fuck off when something wrong is discovered in their hardware.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    1. Re:No, this is why Apple sucks by Reaperducer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You can get onsite warranty support with an Apple laptop -- just buy it from a store that offers it as an option. I got it for my wife's iBook when we bought it at Micro Center. Just because it has "Apple" on the box doesn't mean you can't get an on-site warranty for it.

      --
      -- I'm old enough to have lived through six different meanings of the word "hacker."
    2. Re:No, this is why Apple sucks by drinkypoo · · Score: 1
      Just because it has "Apple" on the box doesn't mean you can't get an on-site warranty for it.

      I trust Micro Center just about as far as I can pick up and throw one of their trucks. Hell, make that one of their stores. The people who work in there are of approximately the same caliber as the people who work at Fry's - and that caliber is low. (For the one intelligent slashdotter who doesn't have the motivation and self-esteem to quit working there, sorry.)

      A warranty served by someone other than the people who made the hardware doesn't interest me.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:No, this is why Apple sucks by Reaperducer · · Score: 1

      I trust Micro Center just about as far as I can pick up and throw one of their trucks. Hell, make that one of their stores. The people who work in there are of approximately the same caliber as the people who work at Fry's - and that caliber is low. (For the one intelligent slashdotter who doesn't have the motivation and self-esteem to quit working there, sorry.)

      Your experience with Micro Center appears to be different than mine. Perhaps the one near you is sub-par. I've always had excellent service from their people and they've always come off as very well trained on their products. I guess it's store-to-store. But that doesn't really matter, because it's not Micro Center's warranty. They just sell a third party's assurance, just like just about every other non-OEM store. However, I do agree with you about Fry's.

      A warranty served by someone other than the people who made the hardware doesn't interest me.

      Then you've worked yourself into a corner. You desire something that doesn't exist. Life is full of compromises, and a statement like the one you made is the equivalent of a three-year-old throwing her peas across the kitchen in a tantrum. It must really suck to be you.

      --
      -- I'm old enough to have lived through six different meanings of the word "hacker."
    4. Re:No, this is why Apple sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Someone at Apple was too stupid to pick the right plastic.


      Actually someone at Apple did pick the right plastic but they got a bad batch from their vendor... Apple was able to narrow the issue down to a back of white MacBooks with specific serial numbers.

      Apple has a long history of telling their customers to fuck off when something wrong is discovered in their hardware.


      Simply not true...
    5. Re:No, this is why Apple sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      MBP has an ambient light sensor...

  7. Nope. White Rules. by astrosmash · · Score: 4, Informative

    My two year old iBook is as white as the day I bought it. Any marks can be easily cleaned.

    The problem with the original MacBooks is a specific manufacturing defect. It's not dirt and it can't be cleaned. That's why they're replacing it on warranty.

    --
    ENDUT! HOCH HECH!
  8. Is Apple getting better? by shumacher · · Score: 1

    My Clamshell iBook arrived with scuffs on the plastic, running along the edge of the rubber. There were cracks around the Apple logo, and one of the feet hovered just above the surface. The Apple rep tried to convince me I was okay with these problems.
    I never even thought about going to Apple with my discolored palm prints.

    Is Apple getting a little better?

    1. Re:Is Apple getting better? by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 4, Funny

      There were cracks around the Apple logo, and one of the feet hovered just above the surface.

      Too bad it wasn't all of the feet that hovered. You probably coulda sold your floating iBook for a mint...

      --
      This guy's the limit!
    2. Re:Is Apple getting better? by InfiniterX · · Score: 1

      I owned a clamshell iBook that I bought launch weekend in October 1999. 4 months later, the flip-out handle was cracked (even though I rarely used the handle), and the screen housing was beginning to crack around the logo as well.

      I called Apple and they told me that they weren't going to fix it because it was cosmetic. I responded that the very CEO of their company had promoted this product at launch as being made of virtually indestructible polycarbonate, so strong that you could toss it into a backpack. If that were the case, then this thing shouldn't start cracking after four months of being treated well. It's a $1500 computer, not a Frisbee.

      After 30 minutes of driving that point home I got to someone who asked me "What would you like Apple to do to solve this," and opened a repair case. I had an iBook with a replaced housing a few days later.

    3. Re:Is Apple getting better? by shumacher · · Score: 1

      Yep. My Key Lime was ordered the day after the Stevenote announced it. Being a later model, the plastic on the handle showed some hairline cracks, but never turned into anything more, even though I did use the handle.

      I used to be on the P1 list, and it seemed like everyone with a Rev.1 had the handles falling to bits.

    4. Re:Is Apple getting better? by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      Until someone realizes it's just flipped on its back.

    5. Re:Is Apple getting better? by mkiwi · · Score: 1

      Don't go to an Apple rep. Most likely you went to a CompUSA (where I know for a fact this happens), met a pushy sales person who did not want to make an RMA, and were denied your rights as an Apple user. In the future, contact Apple and only Apple unless they suggest otherwise. 1-800-APL-CARE

    6. Re:Is Apple getting better? by DarkVader · · Score: 1

      That's not universally true. I know of at least one Apple dealer where if you show up with cracked plastic, discolored plastic, or whatever cosmetic issue, you will get new plastic.

      I've put in repair cases for cosmetic issues before. Apple has no problem with this.

      And if the repair part is in stock at the distribution warehouse, I can usually have your computer back in your hands the next day.

      As a side note, a noisy hard drive or fan can be covered under Apple warranty as well.

    7. Re:Is Apple getting better? by decadre · · Score: 1

      I have found that Apple's service has been great (I have only had an i-pod from them). I have put it through hell and they have always replaced anything that went wrong with it. My qualm with the i-pods is that the headphones after some time (2-10 months it seems), one of the buds "fails", going all fuzzy, but they have always replaced it straight away...

      Hell, they even totally replaced my ipod when after 11 months I complained about the battery life

  9. Battery Recall by Ford+Prefect · · Score: 4, Informative

    ... More importantly, they're doing a battery recall for many MacBook Pros.

    Mine is one that's affected. Apparently, a new one will arrive in the post in a few days, and I need to send the old one back to them. There's not meant to be any safety issues, but still...

    --
    Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
    1. Re:Battery Recall by kebes · · Score: 1

      It's not a safety issue. The issue was the MBP logic board would sometimes "not realize" the battery was there. In particular, if you left the computer unplugged long enough for the battery to drain to zero, the notebook would stop recognizing the battery at all and would thus not recharge it. The end result of this is that you no longer have a "portable" notebook because the battery is useless. This is what happened to me, and after a quick phone call they shipped the replacement. The new battery arrived within a day and I sent off the old one. I knew it was kinda risky buying a "rev 1" apple product, but luckily they were very fast with the replacement part. Just tell them the serial # and they ship it same-day.

  10. Apple, the retro trendsetter, is switching... by PFI_Optix · · Score: 3, Funny

    Somewhere in California, even though the location is irrelevant--Apple's attempt at evoking nostalgia for Hypercolor T-shirts has backfired. The color-changing palmrests, like the shirts that preceded them, have begun to "stick" in their yellow color instead of reverting to white as intended.

    When contacted for comment, an Apple spokesman said "Hi, I'm a Macintosh. I understand that sometimes people just aren't willing to sacrifice for fashion, so we're going to go ahead and switch those palmrests. But it's okay; I'm still better than a PC because I do all these things that PCs do and I don't do all the things PCs...haven't done since Windows ME was dropped like a bad habit.

    A poorly-dressed spokesman for the PC inudstry responded with "Hi, I'm a PC. Yeah I don't look as trendy as Mr. Mac over there, but then I don't change colors when your palms get all sweaty. But do me a favor and keep them off of me anyway, okay? That's just gross."

    --
    120 characters for a sig? That's bloody useless.
    1. Re:Apple, the retro trendsetter, is switching... by SinGunner · · Score: 1

      how was this modded "insightful"? the old alice bots could have read this and figured out he was trying to be funny, and they were just fucking call and response programs.

    2. Re:Apple, the retro trendsetter, is switching... by PFI_Optix · · Score: 1

      As I understand it, the funny mod doesn't affect karma. If you want to give someone good karma for a funny post, you have to use insightful or interesting. ...or they could have seen through the humor to a little snipe I took at the claims Apple makes in their commercials.

      --
      120 characters for a sig? That's bloody useless.
  11. Well thats good by fullphaser · · Score: 1

    I guess as opposed to not fixing a clear flaw in their hardware's pretty coating. I mean it would be a PR disaster if they ignored the problem woulnd't it?

    --
    Did someone say cake?
  12. I wonder by krell · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've got a pretty nasty old toilet-seat I'd like to have replaced. I suppose I could send it to Apple and say it is one of those clamshell Macbooks and ask for a replacement.

    --
    Where were you when the voynix came?
  13. Actually by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You'd probably get punched in the face and told to go waste somebody else's time.

  14. damaged in transit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In Japan they return the product to apple if the box is damaged. So that why all apple mail order has an outside and inside box.

  15. Info on if its fixed on new shipped macs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Any information on if Mac as fixed the problem on new shipped Macs. Or are they are still shipping Macs that will eventually discolor and you will have to contact them to get it replaced?

  16. More Macbook Surfacing Problems by schwatoo · · Score: 2, Informative

    There seems to be a new problem with the white Macbooks reacting to the sweat in their owner's skin: See: http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageI D=2819568 and (self link) http://toxicsoftware.com/blog/macbook-tarnishing/. I have some photos on Flickr showing the damage. So far I've only found one other case like this - but i imagine there will be more. Whatever material Apple is/was using on the Macbooks they really need to test it better.

    --
    I have trouble with passwords among other things.
    1. Re:More Macbook Surfacing Problems by squidguy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      There seems to be a new problem with the white Macbooks reacting to the sweat in their owner's skin:

      Either that, or surfing too much pr0n.

  17. Blueberry over here. by MsGeek · · Score: 1

    My aunt gave me the first-gen iBook she took quite literally around the world. The handle has cracks, but that's the only thing that happened to it after almost 7 years of use. It was in great shape otherwise and after a major upgrade (30GB hard drive, a 512MB SO-DIMM bringing the RAM up to 544MB) it still is quite useful after all these years. I run Panther with all the upgrades. I could run Tiger but it would require using X Post Facto because of the lack of FireWire.

    And people still look at it as if it is the kewlest little lappie ever made. "Aww...it's so CUTE!"

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
  18. Question by skinfitz · · Score: 1

    Now that Apple have acknowledged this pro^H^H^H issue, is it ok to believe in it now?

    Also I recently bought a new MacBook battery. Am I supposed to include this in my inventory list for my forum signature or is this still ok?

    15" MacBook Pro
    2Ghz Core Duo
    2GB 533Mhz DDR2 RAM
    128MB Video RAM
    100GB Seagate Momentus 7200.1 HD


    Also I need guidance on which items should be in bold.

    1. Re:Question by IntergalacticWalrus · · Score: 1

      Your forum signature is not long and/or retarded enough. You need to add more stupid details nobody gives a shit about, like the brand of your RAM. Your e-penis depends on it!

  19. In another news.... by Fengpost · · Score: 1

    Apple has found that the stains on the Mac Book are usually on teh right hand side and returned customers are usually male......

    --
    The purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity....Calvin
  20. They replaced mine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I brought my white macbook into tha apple stoor and they happily replaced the surface of the laptop... so i got greedy and brought it back saying that the top and bottom were getting very scratched, they replaced both parts without conflict