hairline crack white unibody macbook

has any1 experienced cracks on the lid of their white unibody macbook as i thought this problem was resolved?

craigmackem said:

has any1 experienced cracks on the lid of their white unibody macbook as i thought this problem was resolved?

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As far as I know...if you're talking the "back" of the display (the part with the Apple logo on it)...this part was never part of the problem (or at least not one of the parts that Apple will replace for free).

The two parts that are the problem are the display bezel & the "uppercase" the part that includes the keyboard and around the trackpad.

- Nick

oh dear....yeah its the part with the logo on. coming from the very corner of the hinge both sides where it is an exact right angle...its only ten months old...this shouldnt happen surely...??? p.s. thanx nick...

craigmackem said:

oh dear....yeah its the part with the logo on. coming from the very corner of the hinge both sides where it is an exact right angle...its only ten months old...this shouldnt happen surely...??? p.s. thanx nick...

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The material (plastic) that the lid cover is made of is pretty tough stuff & fairly thick. I don't believe that this part will just spontaneously crack. If it is cracked...this laptop must have been dropped...causing the crack.

Are we definitely talking a crack...or "crazing"...which are just "surface-looking" cracks...but really aren't cracks?

- Nick

there is 2 cracks from either side of the hinge around 10 mm long. i live alone and i have not dropped it. i am the only person who uses it. aged 38 no pets just noticed them when i cleaned it one day..will upload i picture...

craigmackem said:

there is 2 cracks from either side of the hinge around 10 mm long. i live alone and i have not dropped it. i am the only person who uses it. aged 38 no pets just noticed them when i cleaned it one day..will upload i picture...

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Awesome...pictures are always very helpful!...good pictures!

- Nick

got no idea how to upload a picture...? lol

lol nick...im trying it just asks for a url...need to do some reading up on how to upload a picture...lol

craigmackem said:

got no idea how to upload a picture...? lol

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I use a website called "Photobucket" to host the photos. Then I copy the web address of the photo & insert it into a Mac-Forums post.

Other folks use other methods.

- Nick

not sure how to put a pic on but found a very similar picture on the net...maybe im not alone...?

craigmackem said:

lol nick...im trying it just asks for a url...need to do some reading up on how to upload a picture...lol

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If you truly have cracks where you mentioned (not crazing)...this is pretty darn unusual. Regardless of what we determine them to be here on Mac-Forums (photos or not)...you should probably check with Apple. Either go directly to your nearest Apple Store...or contact them via phone.

If you bought this computer new...and it's 10 months old (like you mentioned)...then it is still covered under Applecare...and it's possible Apple will replace the lid for free. BUt you need to speak with them about it.

HTH,

- Nick

not quite as long as that but not far off....i am disapointed as i am so careful and believe that i have not done this.

Ahh...if that's where your cracks are (I thought you meant the corners of the lid, not near the hinge).

When ever I see this sort of cracking...the first thing I think of is...the user is being very rough with their laptop. What I mean by rough is:

- opening or closing the laptop lid with too much force or too quickly
- adjusting the angle of the laptop lid via one of the corners, rather than from the center top of the lid.

Many users don't think that they're being rough when they do this...but really they are. My wife does this all the time (adjusting the angle of the lid when open by just grasping one of the lids corners...and doing it too quickly). I "scold" her all the time for doing it!

When this is done...it puts a lot of "torque-stress" on the hinge area...and if done too often or forcefully...you get cracks.

I would still check with Apple about it...since it's still covered under warranty.

Thanks for the photo...that helped a lot,

- Nick

i am reading the net now and there is quite a few unibodys doin this after 3 months. mine was purchased on the 10th month last year so its about 7 or 8 month old...hmm i feel a bit better now as some other ppl have had theirs fixed under warranty things looking up. still tho its not great really i am so careful with all my stuff. my phone is 18 months old and would pass for new..same as my macbook would apart from the 2 cracks. otherwise i love it...! thanx nick. i will call in the metro centre apple shop and report back. thanx again

craigmackem said:

i am reading the net now and there is quite a few unibodys doin this after 3 months. mine was purchased on the 10th month last year so its about 7 or 8 month old...hmm i feel a bit better now as some other ppl have had theirs fixed under warranty

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Remember...when you search the internet...you can ALWAYS find folks posting about problems just like yours. But statistically...these folks may only represent a very very small proportion of all owners of a specific product. So 99.99% of owners may not have any problems...and only 0.01% do have a problem. Just mentioning this for discussion's sake.

If some folks have had this repaired under warranty great...get to the Apple Store ASAP if you only have less than 2 months left.

But again...if you do get it fixed...in the future, don't adjust the angle of the laptop lid by grasping only one of the corners of the lid. Laptop lids & hinge mechanisms have always been a problem in many laptop models since the 1990's...and probably will continue to be a problem area.

Please let us know what Apple decides to do...so other Mac-Forum members that may have the same problem in the future will know what options they have available.

Good luck,

- Nick

p.s. The best way to safely adjust the angle of the MacBook lid is from the center of the lid...right where the webcam is.

i will do nick. i open it from the middle because of the cut out, but admit some od the time close it from 1 corner, not all the time, if i do close it from one corner it would always be the right hand corner. would this cause equal cracks on both hinges, or more on one side i wonder? i will report back on saturday as i am off to the metro centre then. if i dont report back then its good news as they sent it away for repair. heres hoping craig

craigmackem said:

i will do nick. i open it from the middle because of the cut out, but admit some od the time close it from 1 corner, not all the time, if i do close it from one corner it would always be the right hand corner. would this cause equal cracks on both hinges, or more on one side i wonder? i will report back on saturday as i am off to the metro centre then. if i dont report back then its good news as they sent it away for repair. heres hoping craig

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As far as the opening/closing the lid from one of the corners...it only takes one time for the cracks to start...then successive times may have made it bigger. So the full size of the crack probably didn't happen all at once.

As far as the repair...if you can...please report back either way (good or bad)...because then we have a record of it for others to benefit from.

Thanks & good luck,

- Nick

my only thoughts are that i have owned laptops for 8 years. various brands and prices. i have never owned one that has had a fault of any kind. if this fault is my doing then y have none of my other laptops ever suffered any damage. i wonder if the macbook is not as robust as apple would like to think? no matter wot they say on saturday i believe this to be a design flaw, i know the whereabouts of 2 of my past laptops and they are still going strong. one is 5 years old and 1 is 2 and half years old.

craigmackem said:

my only thoughts are that i have owned laptops for 8 years. various brands and prices. i have never owned one that has had a fault of any kind. if this fault is my doing then y have none of my other laptops ever suffered any damage.

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Different models...different designs...different weaknesses.

Another analogy can be made. Someone could have been a successful automobile driver for over 30 years...no accidents...no tickets...12 different vehicles.

Now all of a sudden they get into an automobile accident (their fault) with a 2011 Honda Civic. Is it the fault of the 2011 Honda Civic (with no known manufacturing or recall issues)...or is it the fault of the driver (who may have been speeding, run thru a Stop sign, or was talking on a cell phone & not paying attention)?

Trust me...we have lots & lots of folks here on Mac-Forums who own the white polycarbonate MacBooks...and I cannot remember the last time I heard of someone having cracking issues at the hinge area. I'm sure that it has happened...but it's not very common.

- Nick

haha. u are a true mac fan nick. i have commented on a post on this site tonight from a man with the same problem as me. i made the switch when i bought this one. the mac is so much better than a pc by a long way for one reason. OSX. the trackpad is brilliant, in fact its totally brilliant i just hope that this is not what happens when i am careful. aslo the mag adapter is awesome. i am just worrying that they are gonna say its my fault. there4 its like owning a BMW or AUDI. lovely to own, high maintenence, but lovely. A fiesta will also get u to work the same as a BMW or AUDI will. the fiesta would be by far cheaper to maintain. or throw away and buy new. i am a gud person and luck is usually on my side, otherwise i will run this till it dies as i imagine the repair bill cannot be justified