06-13-2006, 11:14 AM

I have a friend who works at an Apple store who has told me that the stores have had a memo come from Apple HQ asking them to look for dis-colouration on the display MacBooks and return those felt to be showing serious colouration issues.

I was planning on buying a new MacBook and having had a quick play i loved the feel of the unit as it has a soft velvety painted finish.....though this whole issue of turning yellow is really putting me off. What i suppose is more annoying is that Apple are taking the tact of removing the affected units from display but not then changing peoples affected machines hiding behind the cosmetic clause.

I am pleased to leave in the UK though as under British consumer laws we have a full 28 days to return goods and we can demand replacement in 12 months if the product fails to be fit for purpose. Its a shame so many American Mac owners are suffering at Apples rather poor customer service.

It reminds me of when my imac fouled up due to a recent update, i had to pay £35.00 to get tech support only to find that they did not fix the problem, they then went on to release the smc firmware update (aka the mystery update) yet refused t refund me, even though they had no solution and would not tell me what installed the smc would do.....come on Apple do the right thing by these macBook owners!

06-13-2006, 11:40 AM

Glad I'm getting the black one...I've kind of been holding off because off all the initial release problems that have been reported (mooing, whining, color/flaking issues, heat issues, etc.). For now I'm going to finish my Intel Mini, which hasn't had any problems yet aside from somewhat poor Airport reception

06-13-2006, 11:45 AM

And off-white Mac doesn't quite have the same effect, eh?

06-13-2006, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Taylor

And off-white Mac doesn't quite have the same effect, eh?

Haha, it's the new pink!

06-13-2006, 12:22 PM

Mac should go back to the thing that started selling iBooks and iMacs in the first place: Multi-colored cases!

Who whouldn't want a electric blue or fire-engine red MacBook?

06-13-2006, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by eddiddiums

Mac should go back to the thing that started selling iBooks and iMacs in the first place: Multi-colored cases!

Who whouldn't want a electric blue or fire-engine red MacBook?

That'd be awesome! You can always get ColorWare to paint it if you really want it that bad though

06-13-2006, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by kaidomac

That'd be awesome! You can always get ColorWare to paint it if you really want it that bad though

I wish it wasn't so expensive, though. Even though it is high quality.

06-13-2006, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by eddiddiums

Who whouldn't want a electric blue or fire-engine red MacBook?

Umm, I wouldn't.

06-14-2006, 06:40 AM

Originally Posted by Smartz

I have a friend who works at an Apple store who has told me that the stores have had a memo come from Apple HQ asking them to look for dis-colouration on the display MacBooks and return those felt to be showing serious colouration issues.

I was planning on buying a new MacBook and having had a quick play i loved the feel of the unit as it has a soft velvety painted finish.....though this whole issue of turning yellow is really putting me off. What i suppose is more annoying is that Apple are taking the tact of removing the affected units from display but not then changing peoples affected machines hiding behind the cosmetic clause.

I am pleased to leave in the UK though as under British consumer laws we have a full 28 days to return goods and we can demand replacement in 12 months if the product fails to be fit for purpose. Its a shame so many American Mac owners are suffering at Apples rather poor customer service.

It reminds me of when my imac fouled up due to a recent update, i had to pay £35.00 to get tech support only to find that they did not fix the problem, they then went on to release the smc firmware update (aka the mystery update) yet refused t refund me, even though they had no solution and would not tell me what installed the smc would do.....come on Apple do the right thing by these macBook owners!

You dont have 28days to return goods, it is within a reasonable time, but companies tend to state around 28days. Within a year you cannot demand a replacement, you have to give the company a reasonable time to repair or replace the goods(the companies choice not the consumer)

06-14-2006, 06:47 AM

Originally Posted by Smartz

I am pleased to leave in the UK though as under British consumer laws we have a full 28 days to return goods and we can demand replacement in 12 months if the product fails to be fit for purpose.

Arguably some discoloration does not fail to make it "fit for purpose." You're still able to do what you bought it for, and that's to use the computer. I think you'd have a hard time returning it on those grounds.

Not trying to defend Apple, but just pointing out the likely outcome. They will claim cosmetic defect which doesn't decrease performance.

06-14-2006, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by schweb

Not trying to defend Apple, but just pointing out the likely outcome. They will claim cosmetic defect which doesn't decrease performance.

Quite right, it doesn't make the machine any less fit for purpose, unless the purpose is simply to look nice :-/

I am also not in the least surprised by the apple store's policy of swapping out dirty ones - they're trying to sell these things, not showcase their faults. I wouldn't expect any less of any electronics store.

I noticed yesterday that the keyboard cover is not as 'shiny white' as it was new, but the case itself it still as good as always. I'm going to try the various cleaning methods described elsewhere to see if they work. If they don't, it's not exactly the end of the world ...