Warped lid?

Is it normal for the MBP lid to be a bit warped?

 

Yes . 10-character minimum filler.

 

How warped is it? Could you take a picture of it?

 

It's only a little bit warped. One side is a bit "higher" than the other one.

 

More than likely, it's normal. If you are concerned take the computer to an Apple Store. At the very least you can compare it to the store's MBPs for reassurance.

 

NOOOOO! You're computer is dieing!!!!!!!! Itz teh melting!1111!! Bendin' screenzorz = vista attacksoring!!!!1111!!!!11!1!1111

It's perfectly normal.....

 

Then its normal. A lot of the MacBook Pros have a slight warp. Not a good thing , but its not horrible.

 

I like the slight warping of the lid. It gives each MBP a bit of character .

 

I think I'll just live with it. With my luck, I'd take it in for a repair and come out with an even bigger problem. LOL

 

Repair what? Nothing is wrong with it. All MBPs do this. The geniuses at the bar would laugh at you.

 

So, it's normal for neither side to go all the way down when you close the lid?

 

This is a huge topic on some other forums. Technically, no it's not "normal". Obviously the screen shouldn't be flexing/warping like that. Some people swear the older ones never had this issue, and others say they do. Some believe it's just Apple cutting corners on manufacturing to save on cost. Again, a lot of opinions on this topic. There's actually a pretty funny video out there of a guy that was at the Apple store with his Macbook Pro talking to the sales people there about it. According to them, it's "within design specs" and perfectly normal.

Personally, I think that's a load of BS. Obviously it *shouldn't* be doing that, and it has been known to get worse for some people the longer they have the MBP. I don't know why they don't go with the magnetic closing route like most notebooks have these days. Anyways, the problem is far more apparent on the 17" MBP. I have a 15" and it's slightly higher on the left side as well. There is a company out there that sells these little rubber mounts you can put on the top of the screen so when it closes there is no flex. Not sure how well they work though.

 

"Normal" was probably bad word choice on my part. I guess I was just asking if it was a common design flaw.

 

Yeah it's very common. In fact, I don't think anyone has Macbook Pro that doesn't have a "warped" screen. I took pictures of mine brand new (had very little warp). If it gets really bad in the future I'm going to see if Apple will do anything about it, although I doubt it. From what I've read, Apple's repair side is pretty lame. I use to work for Geek Squad at Best Buy and some of the stuff I saw come back from HP, Gateway, and our repair centers was just sad. I'd never let those repair centers touch my computer.

 

I have never had this problem with other laptops. So far I am still undecided with the MBP...

The spacers are by a company called "RadTech".

 

Yeah that's the company. Thanks.

If you're getting a 15" MBP, I wouldn't worry. The problem isn't that bad and honestly I didn't notice it til I read about it, lol. As for the 17", I don't know. The gaps on those can be pretty bad from the pictures and floor models at Apple retail stores I've seen.

 

As long as the warping doesn't get any worse, I can live with it just fine. It's not all that severe.

 

I actually bent mine more because I didn't think it was warped enough =P

 

I razzed the geniuses at the bar about the ever-tauted "Apple quality" and aesthetics and they swapped mine out for one with a perfectly flat lid with no restocking fee.

 

Don't the lids warp over time due to heat or something? Or am I making that up? LOL

 

i got mine yesterday, it has the problem too.
just sad

 

It's not a problem. Every MBP is like that. Aluminum bends, if you want a perfectly straight lid, buy a plastic MacBoook.

 

Some people believe that, but no I don't think that's the case.

Just look at the lid when you close it. It's obvious where the problem is. The center part of the screen, where the latch is, is pulled in a lot tighter with the body of the MBP. The LCD screen hinges don't seem to want to go down much further so that middle part is sort of being "forced" in causing it to bend.

It's a very small bend though if you think about it so it's really just a cosmetic problem. Doesn't hurt the MBP in any way and the only time you can really see it is when you're looking for it. But again, paying for the hefty price tag you would expect a little better R&D or Q&A, but nothing is perfect I guess.

 

Good thing I bought the lowly plastic Macbook instead of the Pro

Seriously, I think this is a build quality issue. You mean to tell me things made with aluminum can't be made perfect? Even though I only have a Macbook without warping, I am disappointed to hear Apple is not doing anything about it and refusing returns/exchanges, being that I just bought my first Mac after 18 years of PCs.

Dell, on the other hand, is most helpful with any issues there may be. I got a Vostro with a loose battery. Called up Dell, in 5 business days a new one was built and arrived at my house. Guess what, the screen on the new one has a little play when it's closed. Got on chat with Dell, they're sending me another new one!

I'm a laptop nut. I play with one for a few months, when a new/better model comes out, I trade up. I've probably bought 20 Dell laptops in the past 2 years. I have an XPS M1330 on order, dying to get my hands on it. My Macbook purchase had a lot to do with the long wait for the XPS. Something to hold me over until it gets here. I will be keeping it though - I'm very excited to learn the Mac OS and Unix, never mind the restocking fee of returning it

I'm not afraid to buy a Dell - any issues no matter how small Dell has always taken care of one way or another. I am afraid of buying Apple after reading posts of Apple refusing to own up to their issues and exchange systems with defects/quality issues.

 

Yes, it is a build quality issue. This is an issue on Apple's part and I don't think anyone denies that. Most of the time, Apple will exchange or repair issues in your Mac, but the warp is very slight and if Apple were to replace all the screens just for a little warp they'd be dead! Once again, I'm not taking the blame off Apple, but if any other manufacturer had this issue they would probably do the same as Apple is doing.

Its great to hear you have a great experience with Dell, but let me tell you, there's tons of people who can't get Dell to budge at all when they have minor problems with their Dells.

 

Anyone who says this is not a problem, or is "normal", is flat out wrong. Apple is selling a defective product and should be responsible for fixing/replacing for every customer that complains about it. Any kind of structural instability, especially in the screen/hinge area is going to result in undue accumulation of stress wear in the places you don't want stress (the hinge!). This will ultimately lead to accelerated deterioration of the notebook no matter how "insignificant" the problem seems to be. When your hinge bites the dust a month after the warranty is up you won't think it was so insignificant anymore.

 

It's okay...I have 3 years to worry about that.

 

Well, our new aluminum iMac seems pretty straight (thank goodness)...

 

Applecare doesn't count

 

The hinge isn't even THAT bad, though. So, how would it bite the dust after only one year unless you abuse it?

 

I was just being dramatic, but in all reality this kind of thing will decrease the life of the hinge.

 

my macbook pro is a slight bit warped too, i think its normal

 

Well, its not normal in the sense that it should be warped , but yeah, its pretty common in the MBP. Possibly all MBPs have a slight warp, I don't know.

 

The million(s) dollar question for Apple is: will they break before the warranty expires.

But seriously, you need to figure if the defect will screw you before obsolescence.

 

Everyone, there is nothing wrong with your MacBooks! I had a PowerBook from 2005 and it had the same thing! It's impossible to keep aluminum that thin straight.

 

I'm sure they're fine, but if this was Dell or hp, people would be calling for heads. Apple seems to get away with a lot more than anybody else. Generally, other products work as consistently as Macs, but apple is the apple of so many eyes.

Vista comes out with weaknesses, everybody gets all over Microsoft. The iPhone is released, is found out to be hackable in like 30 seconds, and in my opinion contains immature technology, and it's the greatest thing since sliced bread!

 

I understand your point. But at the same time, no one's done anything revolutionary to phones like the iPhone has been. Seriously, a lot of people hate their phone. Nokia phones are better than say Motorola, but still doesn't mean they're great phones. Apple's truly made a phone that everyone can say is nearly awesome in all fronts except lack of 3G and price.

Can anyone think of the phone business in the same way anymore, after the iPhone launch? Competitors are now all eyeing the iPhone. These same veterans who've been selling phones for years and years, are now looking at Apple. The N95 is an iPhone-killer, supposedly. Why is Nokia, the leader of the cellphone world trying to kill a phone that was released not even two months ago? If the iPhone really was insignificant the iPhone would've been labelled the N95-killer, not the N95 being labelled the iPhone-killer.

Okay, I've blabbed enough .

 

Not true, you don't see Dell making an all aluminum laptop do you? when aluminum is thin, it's impossible to keep perfectly straight and aligned with everything.

 

The iphone is just an example. It's revolutionary, but immature. In many ways it is ahead of its time, but in six months to a year far better touchscreens should be around, memory will be cheaper, and iPhone Gen 2 will be out. But let's stay on topic.

I know Apple makes fine products, and I know that say Dell also makes fine products. My perception is that MacBooks are higher-end machines in terms of quality. But they are not perfect. When other manufacturers make a notebook of high-quality, people manage to find the faults. And they should. These are expensive products, and ideally they can be improved upon. I just think that Apple products don't receive the same scrutiny. An issue like that from a PC maker would be all over the place. Warped lids are very unnerving, even if the problem isn't serious.

One could say that making a super-thin notebook out of flexible material without proper reinforcement is a SEVERE design flaw. But hey, it looks sexy and is easy to market. Who cares about engineering?

Don't kill me, I am sure the MacBook Pro is a fine laptop with an acceptable number of flaws. And I'm ranting like crazy.

 

Hey guys, I have a similar problem, only my base on my machine i think is warped, not the lid. Whenever I set it down on a flat surface, the bottom right foot (bottom as in closest to me when using it) sits about a millimeter above the table, so it rocks with the opposite foot when any pressure is put on that part of the computer. Is this also a common problem like the lids being warped, or is this a much more isolated case? I think i might go return my new MBP and ask for another one if this keeps bothering me. I would rather not have my 2000 dollar computer rocking back and forth when I'm using it ;[

 

If everyone collectively makes enough noise about it, maybe Apple will do something about it...When i get mine i will look for it.

 

That, my friend, is FUBAR. I would take that back to Apple or call them up to have it sent it. Definitely not a common problem. Are you sure the table you're on is perfectly flat (stupid question I know)?

If you do send it in, make sure to take detailed photos of it from every angle.

 

Hmm perhaps you are right, it is a false alarm on my part. I had tried it on different surfaces and was pretty sure it wasnt the surface, but it seems i was mistaken. I had tried my hardwood floor, which is known to have a slope in it ( :[ ), and the table I am on now has had a lot of weight put on it for many years, and despite the fact that its still very sturdy, it is the one at fault here. So I tried a few other very sturdy tables and it seems that there still might be a very slight warp, but not enough to be noticable at most times. Luckily, the screen half is not warped at all, so if I did trade it in, I'd probably be asking for trouble.

 

Well, it sounds pretty okay now, but yeah, you had a legitimate reason to be complaining, I would be pretty miffed if my $2000 investment was like that.

 

Hi! I have the same problem, my screen turns upwards about 7mm (metric system) thats like 0.3 inches, on both corners, this is simply unacceptable.
I have a late '07 MacBook Pro, bought it last august, and now i actually saw it and it shouldnt be like that. The MacBook Pro is not as advertised, and that could be enough reason to sue them (i'm dead serious!). I'll go to the store within the next 2 weeks and let hell go out of my mouth. I'll tell them i didnt pay 2300$ (apl care) for this bull**** and that it is not as advertised, dirt can get through the gap, and when you have cables in your notebook bag, some can fit through the gap and even damage the screen. Especially thin Cell Phone charger cables. Well anyways, i'll get some pictures up in a sec.


EDIT: Forget the Pictures, my camera seems to be unfindable?!?!?

 

Uh you have a factory defect. It happens. The normal gap between the lid and base is about 1mm. If there is the slight warping it can be a 1.5-2mm gap at the edges. My 17" is pretty even all around, maybe 1.5mm off the edge right at the corners, and 1mm all around. It's like that because they are not supposed to close flat since they use hooks to close and rely on a spring to open.

However yours at 7mm is just a serious defect. Bring it back and ask for an exchange, don't get so angry at something that can be fixed so easily. It's not worth getting so upset about, and more then likely they will give you no trouble at all with replacing it.

IDK about you though, but if the store customer support isn't giving someone a hard time and they start yelling and going nuts like you said you would I, and everyone I know just thinks that person is a crazy prick... it's really not going to help your case, and the Genius Bar dudes will probably have a good laugh when you leave... and everyone else will probably have a laugh in the middle of it. I know I would...

 

but a factory defect is a defect isnt it? Defect=not acceptable

does this mean apple sells defect devices?

 

yes it does. along with every other company on the face of the earth. it's impossible to mass-produce a product without a few defects slipping through. Why do you think they give you a warranty that covers FACTORY DEFECTS.

 

well, then wish me luck and the diplomatic skillz to get my unit fixed/replaced. *thx for the quick replies!

 

You won't need luck man. Just go in there and tell them your problem, and they'll take care of it. Apple Customer service is some of the best around.