Black MacBook's paint flaking off?

There are some buzz about the black paint flaking off from the MacBook.
Anybody experiencing this problem with their black MacBook?
Here is the link:
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2397

but with all the problems I've been
reading about, I'm really tempted to wait for a
while... what with flaking of the black macbook,
discoloration on the white, mooing and noise with the
macbook pro and heating issues all around...
Dude! Remember where you are. This is a support site. That means if anything goes wrong, people come here for help. But people who are happy and content with their computers don't come here.
I don't know what percentage of problems the Macbooks are having. They are new, and Apple can't test out what everyone everywhere will do with or to their computer...so when people start doing whatever they do, problems appear that were not anticipated. In addition, this is electronics and with electronics, there is a percentage chance of lemons--that's for any electronics that come out from any company no matter how reputable. So no group of electronics is going to ever be trouble free.
This question is, have there been more problems with the MB than expected given this percentage and given that it's being field tested in mass numbers for the first time? If there are more problems...why and were they taken care of? There was reportedly one bad batch. From what I understand, there are no more of that bad batch so you're good to go on the latest ones--or so I've heard. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
My opinion, the MacBook is a FANTASTIC laptop and you should get one. The keyboard can't be beat, the trackpad is great, the screen is wonderful, the built in camera is fun. It is an AMAZING laptop.
No computer is ever guaranteed problem-free forever--and certainly none are ever going to look pristine forever. Like a new car, you will eventually get that first scratch or dent or flake. Laptops take a lot of wear and tear even if you baby them and keep them wrapped in protective covers. Nature of the beast. They go places and get scratched and bumped. But at least this laptop has a magnetic plug, so you know you won't be likely to jerk it off a table and have it crashing to the floor when you trip over the cord.
And you WILL trip over the cord. I did the first week I had it. The magnetic plut pulled right out and the laptop remained undamaged.
Laptops are more delicate than desktops. Again, nature of the beast. Go to an Apple store, test out a MB. If you want it and like it, get it. Cost-wise, it's a great deal for a laptop. Buy Apple care and you'll have it covered for 3 years pretty much no matter what happens.

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Macbook Pro - Finish flaking off... and now a problem with AppleCare

Hello,
So basically I am here due to that a year into having my 15" Macbook Pro the finish started flaking off to the left of the trackpad. It has progressively gotten worse and I figured being more of a cosmetic thing there was nothing that I could do about it. So I started researching it last month to find that a lot of people have this problem with the finish coming off the 06/07 Macbook Pro's. Some said that Apple have replaced the bezel around the keyboard or the entire top part of it that the flaking is happening.
So On October 2nd I called AppleCare and spoke to someone and described my problem to them. They said that it would be covered under the AppleCare Warranty and I was extremely happy to hear that. He then explained to me that the Apple Store who replaced a bad hard drive for me once only does things like hard drive replacements and ram replacements. Something as in depth as replacing the cover in question would need someone with more specialized training. With that being said I asked if there are any local places that could take care of it so the shipping in of my laptop and shipping back to me wouldn't be needed (hoping to speed things up a bit) and they said yes and gave me a name, address and phone number of a local computer repair place that is certified to service Apple products under AppleCare.
I think dropped off my Macbook and a week later get a call saying that Apple requested pictures of the flaking finish and then denied the service saying that it was normal wear and tear (even though other people I know with Macbooks that use them far more than I have no problem like I do). I did call and speak to a supervisor at Apple and got nowhere with him, insisting it was just normal wear and tear on the laptop and that his does the same thing.
Now when I dropped off the Macbook I did explain I had contacted Apple who assured me that this would be covered. When they called me saying the service was denied by AppleCare they did state my computer was already apart anticipating parts and the repair would be carried out. Now they are holding me liable for a charge of at least $45 since they normally charge $90/hr.
Basically I am writing this to find out a couple things. First off is the finish on the Macbooks a common problem, and if so have you had it fixed under AppleCare?
Who should pay the money to get my Macbook back? Since Apple first assured me it would be covered (on a recorded line) and then they change their mind.

This is a user forum and for everyone that responds you will only be getting an opinion. Try calling AppleCare and speak to a customer representative about the issue. Be nice but firm. I'm afraid they will have the last word.

Black MacBook won't boot off OS Install Disc!

Hi all,
Just wanting to help out a friend here (who is not really knowledgeable in the area of fixing Mac faults)
The product in question is a Black MacBook (MacBook4,1) - 2.4Ghz, 2GB RAM. He had previously had the factory standard 250GB installed in the Macbook.
The MacBook had functioned normally until one day it had crashed. Upon a hard reset (ie using the Physical Power Button on the MacBook), the OS would not boot - a grey screen would appear with an Apple Logo, fans blowing at full speed. Diagnostics (AHT) using the Applications Disc would not boot either.
The following have been attemped, with no success in booting to the OS Disc:
* Clearing the PRAM
* Clearing the NVRAM
* Booting the OS Disc from another MacBook connected via Firewire (ie Target Disc Mode)
* Reseating the RAM Modules
* Using only one RAM Module
* Using a different (working 80GB) Hard Drive
* Repartitioning the 'different' Hard Drive (using a GPT Scheme / MBR Scheme)
* Booting into Single User Mode (Command-S) - would hang at the Grey Screen on boot
* Booting into Verbose Mode (Command-V) which hangs at 'appleintelcpupowermanagementclient'
Unfortunately the product is now out of the window of the standard 12 month AppleCare warranty provided as standard on MacBooks. I am now stuck in a rut, as I did promise him that 'it will be fixed'!
Would appreciate your thoughts.

Did you call Apple and ask for replacement disks (giving them your serial number)?
If not, and if you purchased the retail version at the Apple store online, then you may have a version that is older than what yours came with. And, macs cannot boot from an OS older than what they came with. I believe the latest retail version is 10.6.3 and yours might have had 10.6.4 or higher. You might want to check on your model to get the exact OS version; you may need to call Apple and request replacement disks.

Why did my black macbook 2006 just shut off while gaming. it wont turn back on and the battery shows no charge when indeed it was charging

Black macbook just shut down while playing warcraft 3. It wont turn back on and has no charge on the battery ( it was charging just fine). Any ideas?

This can be caused by faulty battery. Make Genius reservation and take the iPhone to Apple Store for free quick battery diagnostic testing.

Black Macbook Paint On Keys Flaking

I apologize if this is in the wrong place, but it is my first time posting in these forums and I have yet become acquainted with the layout.
My question has to do with paint peeling on the actual keys of the black macbook. I got my computer in about 2008, and have had it for about 27-28 months. I have had problems with it before, but this one seems to be ongoing and I am worried about the paint fully peeling from the keys and being illegible. The actual paint on the keys has begun to flake, so that the black paint if flaking leaving a patch of white and making it extremely hard to read what the key is. This has happened with the down key more than any, but it also beginning on the "S" and "D" keys. I am unsure if this is something that tends to happen with computers that are used often, because I am a student I use my computer for long hours and do a lot of typing on it, or whether this is a problem with paint on the keyboard and has the ability to be fixed (hopefully for not too expensive a price)
I am posting some pictures below of what has been , thank you very much for any help that you are able to give!
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a174/CanI_Get_AnotherAmen/DSCF4775.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a174/CanI_Get_AnotherAmen/DSCF4776.jpg
Message was edited by: Rose 0_0
Message was edited by: Rose 0_0

Welcome to Apple Discussions Rose.
I think you are in the right place.
I imagine that what is happening has happened to others. If you have the Applecare extended warranty it's possible that you could claim this under that program. Perhaps Apple might counter that it's fair wear & tear though that shouldn't be the case within the 3 yr extended warranty period.
It is a fairly simple matter to replace individual keys (with some care!) if you can find a discarded keyboard/Macbook of the same type. This might be cheaper than paying for the repair if you don't have the extended warranty.
Neville

Paint Rubbing Off Black Macbook

The other day, I found a small spot on the corner of the lid of my Macbook where the matte coat seems to have rubbed off. Today, I noticed that the spot has gotten slightly larger. It looks like it's peeling. Is this covered by the One-Year Limited Warranty?

I think they're painted and then a matte coating is sprayed on. My problem is that some of the coating has come off. It's small but it really bugs me and I'm afraid it might get bigger because it seems like it's flaking off.

Black MacBook skin flake off?

Does anybody with a Black MacBook have a similar problem?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13388265@N00/147998842/
On a sidenote this link of resources has been incredibly helpful, thanks kaidomac
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=211953#post211953

Hello Jim,
There is a little button right over the pictures that you can use to view the larger images. This shows the image in full size.
He has two pictures that show the flaking (click on the browse button to the right to see the others).
Using the full-size images, it looks like those are just more flaking points. It doesn't look like chips in the plastic. Just exposed plastic or primer coat.
I even downloaded the full-sized images, and zoomed-in on the different points, and it still looks like removed paint. It could be that he bumped it, but it is hard to say.
Someone would have to sign-up with a flicker account to ask him. And, I just don't care enough to sign up with that service just to ask questions.
It appears though that Apple has decided to use paint rather than black plastic.
That's unfortunate.
It's possible that the PC portables use paint as well. But, the PC portables have a finish that is very durable.
It appears as though Apple has once again proven that they don't care about durability. Instead it appears as though they took another short-cut.
I would like to see Apple go back to their roots, and build solid, durable products.
It is possible to have a durable product that still looks nice. But, as long as people keep buying things without demanding that they have a durable finish, then Apple isn't going to change.
I had a couple of the iMac G5 systems, and an iPod that both couldn't be touched without damaging their finish. The iBook we have is just as bad.
They need to consider that people do touch their computers (it's impossible to use a portable as a portable without touching it), and design their surface accordingly.
I don't understand why people like the white polycarbonate finish. I would prefer to have something that is durable instead of something that was glossy white and looked like it dragged on the pavement.

It's less than three weeks old and the paint.s already flaking off..

Imagine my embarassment! Here I am telling all my friends how great my new Macbook is---the high quality---and the mat finish "paint" is already flaking off to the left of the mouse pad. My God! It's like a bad used car! I may hate the Windows OS and love this MacBook but I had no idea that it had some sort of sprayed on finish. Now it looks like crap; it looks old, used and cheap.
And it's not even three weeks old!
Hmmm...has this happened to my three year old HP laptop? No. How about my four year old Gateway? No. Maybe my six month old Toshiba? Nope. Only my over priced MacBook.
Now...why am I posting here? Because I can't get the lame on line service request system to accept my request for assistance in any mode.
"Painted on quality"...worse than the blue screen of death.
Since I can't get any support---the phone number doesn't offer a choice for my problem---maybe I should drive an hour to the nearest Apple store---and stand outside showing everyone who comes by what a seventeen day old MacBook looks like.
Cheesy and disapointing....never again!
MacBook Mac OS X (10.4.8) First Apple....Probably my last

Listen, it really is too bad that this has reportedly happened to your new machine. I am sure that if you take it to a certified apple technician they would send it away for you to be fixed or maybe replaced. I also have dealt with APPLE CARE on the phone and they have been great, in the past. Try to phone the apple care number again and talk to a real person, forget the menu. Having said all that, I still wish that my APPLE was made in USA, even though I would have to pay more, I would.
bm

Paint coming off black iPhone 5

Hi i have black iphone 5 and been in a case since i bought it in sept 2012 & after reading this forum i checked mine and the paint is all off edges front & rear
What Are My Chances Of Getting It Exchanged It Looks like A 5yr old phone ,i have iphone 3 & 4 and they dont have a mark lol any help welcome

Waist of my Time ,Why Tell You Over Phone Ooh That Not Right make You Appointment To Visit Apple Store .
On Arrival I Was Met With Rep At Door ,And She Said What A Nice Case You Have On Your Phone .
Then Manager Met Me And Said Did You Read Apples Report On Nov 2012 About Paint Coming Off , I Said No ,She Then Said Apple Are Not Covering This Cosmetic Defect As The Are Calling It Normal Ware And Tare
I Advised Her We Are Supposed To Be Advancing Forward Not Going Back ,If A 5yr Old Phone Looks Better Than A 5 Month Old Phone.
I Showed Her My First Iphone 3 Without A Mark To Prove I Look After My Phone ,She Then Said It Was My Case , I Showed Her Mi Wife's White Phone Same cover Without A Mark On it ,
She Just Told Me There's Nothing I Can Do She Is Not Replacing It And To E-mail Complaint To Apple If I Want But It Wont Get Me Anywhere .
Last Penny Apple Will Get Off Me
I Thing Samsung Have Right Idea Stick To Plastic Case's

Black MacBook not turning off except by power button

Hi all,
At the beginning of the summer, I purchased a Black MacBook. However, it is difficult for me to turn it off sometimes. I will go the apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and select shut down and confirm. Everything will leave the screen except for the background and my cursor. However, they will not disappear. Is this a problem I can fix by just rebooting my mac more often (once every other day) or is there a way I can keep it on without rebooting for longer periods of time?

sorry for the repeats

Flaking black macbook case

My macbook that i have had for around 2 years is starting to have structure issues. Starting 3 weeks ago all of a sudden cracks in the main casing started to form. I don't really move my laptop (ie no wear and tear) its mostly stationary. The first crack was on the left side, top of the frame at the edge where you normally rest your left wrist when typing. The rack was 1mm inset from the edge running 2 inches vertically. This piece ended up flaking off a day later now exposing a small amount of metal i assume from the hd. I attributed this to a oh well issue. Now today in the bottom right of the enclosure where my right wrist sits, the same is happening.
so questions are. 1. is this happening to anyone else?
2. its obviously happening from the friction my writs are making contacting it. It there any way to repair/ prevent.
3. Is this covered or would i have to replace the enclosure to have it fixed.

Your image link doesn't work, unfortunately.
However, based on what you mentioned in your initial post, what you're seeing is a fairly common problem that is unofficially acknowledged by Apple, so you have a decent chance of having the part replaced at no cost. These cracks in the case near the trackpad are caused by the bumpers in the display.
Only the folks at the store can say for sure if the replacement is free, so you'll have to make an appointment and bring the computer in.
~Lyssa

Iphone 5 black paint chipping off?

hi i have a iphone 5 in black and i brought it about a week ago of one /of my best mates it was in a sealed box not opened and all the black anodising is like coming off will apple cover this on my warranty? and replace it or fix it

Take it to Apple and complain to them about it.
Allan

How do i clean the Black MacBook?

hi,
i was wondering how to clean my black macbook...the flat black paints holds alot of finger prints and they don't wipe right off the way they do on the white macbook with it's smooth finish.....
any advice is well appreciated...
thanks...
MAC BOOK BLACK Mac OS X (10.4.7) 2 GHz 2GB DDR

Nothing but a microfiber cloth and a little water if needed - applied directly to the cloth and never anything sprayed on the machine.
Also, avoid paper products as they are remarkably abrasive.
Although I am sure it works well, I refuse to pay the price for OmniClean. A microfiber cloth gets rid of everything on my MB and I will never have to buy refills or replacements.

Black MacBooks - Experiences?

I'll be buying a new MacBook as soon as Apple announces the Leopard upgrade (and provides a voucher for a free bump). I really like how the black MacBooks look, and the price difference (only $50 more for black with a similar configuration) isn't that big of a deal. The postings that I've read about paint flaking and chipping have me concerned, however.
For those of you who own black MacBooks, would you recommend them? Would you buy black again after your experiences with your existing laptop?
I plan on keeping this for a few years, and know that the white finish holds up really well - just want to make sure, given the cost, that it will still be presentable after a couple of years.

I haven't had any problems yet with mine, and it was a Refurb... Some people say that the edges are "too sharp" and it hurts when your hand/palm sits on them, but they really aren't that bad and you shouldn't be having your hands resting in that area anyways (If you aren't typing you can move them elsewhere, they are your hands...).
I think this is where people were getting the peeling (where it first started) and also it is the same area that you use to open the MacBook up with your fingers (possibly causing the "paint to peel" effect).
But I don't think there are that many people compared to the number of Black MacBooks out there, that actually have this problem. My suggestion for if it starts happening, and I wasn't going to freak out about doing a "minor" fix to my laptop, I would just take some clear nail polish (or the "top coat" that they sell) and use it over the exposed area and over the edges of the matte black coat a bit. Make sure it looks smooth on the edges at least (even if not a straight line), the material underneath is supposedly Black too, just more shiny/polished like the white MacBooks, so the clear polish shouldn't make it much more shiny/glossy than it would look without a fix.
This way you at least get to seal it, and possibly reinforce the areas that were peeling (by adding another layer of material with different thickness and durability) as well as possibly preventing the top coat of the MacBook to keep peeling (just think of a bad sunburn and how it peels, if you can get it when the edges of the coating are still flat and attached- which will soon lift up and tear more- then you can possibly nip it in the bud).
Also, if you were to do this, you would want to make sure that you were really careful, have it in a safe place where it wouldn't be disturbed and could stay to dry for hours (away from pets etc), make sure everything could still be opened up ("don't paint the windows shut") and all that type of stuff. But just thinking of this offhand, I don't see any real problems in doing this (you would want to make sure that the nail polish wouldn't "eat away" at any of the layers of coating of course) and it is cheap and should be great for catching any areas from peeling before it gets too bad...

Shall i put a 7200rpm hard drive into my black macbook for logic pro?

hi, i bought high spec black macbook refurbished which came with a 5400rpm drive inside it.
Im using logic pro, and its been running fine with small projects, but when i have a medium sized project using several vst instruments and exs24s using many audio samples, all of which are running off the internal.... i get error messages, system overload messages...and i am unable to bounce to audio file (in logic pro)
im thinking its the slow hard drive which is causing the main problems.
I have 2gb ram. It also takes sometimes over 5 mins to open this logic file. And then some!
Or is this poor performance par for the course, if using just ONE internal drive, for both system files and audio storage....... ?
Are there possible probs which may arise from taking out the 5400 drive and fitting a faster 7200 drive in to my macbook? I hear it will heat up more....so could this mess with other macbook componets?? the excess heat...... or are macbooks bulit to handle 7200rpm drives too??? dont remember is 7200 was an optional upgrade with my model or not......
2.4ghz intelcore2duo.
Anybody fitted a 7200 drive into their macbooks???? all running ok??
Would i simply put the new hard drive in..... and then boot up from boot dvds and my time machine backup....to have a full up to date system, all apps and file intact as they are now???? Im worried it will get messy and problems...... my current drive is packed to rafters with apps and files and work i have done......i dont want to lose a thing.....would it be a simple easy fool proof transition to faster hard drive????
And could i still use the current hard drive? With an enclosure??
Ive heard people have ripped out the opticla dvd drive and fitted ANOTHER hard drive into their macbooks, so the laptop housing two hard drives..... that sounds good...but crazy..... maybe later ill do that....as i hardly use the cd/dvd drive...... and you can always hook it up with wire if need be......
any tips or advice....would be most kind and helpful.
thankyou.

I used Carbon Copy Cloner- do not use Time Machine for this- to make a bootable clone of the drive inside my Macbook Pro, and then installed the new, faster drive. I then booted from the cloned drive, and cloned that back into the fresh internal drive. That being said:
1) I only did this since I bought the laptop used, and didn't get the install OS discs. I would have started fresh and installed everything myself, but then again, it wasn't my laptop, and I didn't care about what was on it. You might.
2) You need to clone to an external Firewire drive if you want to make a bootable clone. Do not use USB. Do not use Time Machine, as its backups are not able to be booted from.
3) The whole replace the internal DVD drive with another sounds pretty iffy to me. Just use the Firewire drive you'll now be having at you disposal for a variety of things, including possibly recording to. I can advise once I know what your interface is, if any, and if you've got a Macbook or a Macbook Pro- I forgot to look.
You will get much better results with a 7200 RPM drive, by the way. You can certainly use the old drive in some sort of enclosure, although it's still a slow drive and all, so I wouldn't really invest much into it. Maybe put it in a USB enclosure and use it for backups, or for transporting material, or for cracking walnuts, maybe, if you have a walnut tree.
Even in this fancy computer age, there is still nothing better than a freshly roasted walnut or pecan. Good luck, L

Black MacBook's paint flaking off?

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