[se12]

I was really excited about ordering my MacBook this week, until I read an article from AppleInsider. It stated that the white MacBook after a 2-3 week period resulted in a dull ORANGE looking case around the wrist area!!! I could understand maybe a grey area, but orange? It was posted on the Apple Forums, and an Apple store sent one in to the depot to be examined. Should I just hold off on ordering, or is this just happening with a few MacBooks?

http://appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1802

[Macola]

That must be some nasty corrosive sweat

[se12]

No, its not sweat. It seems that it only happens on the Hotter MacBooks, this leads me to my theory....What happens to plastic when it gets hot? It turns a yellowish color. Hm, also, people with this problem, which IS farily widespread, can smell a strong smell of plastic when opening thier MacBooks. Could this be that the interior of the case is being burned by the heat? I think so.

[HarriganC]

Spray Tanners j/k, maybe now I can say I had a legitmate reason for getting black.

[se12]

Lol, yeah. I hope Apple gets this problem resolved, however the rep I spoke to said it would most likely be covered under warranty....well thats good news, but this still should not be happening.

[gh_productions]

whine till they send you a box. or just wait till a "Recall happens"

there has been no connection with serial numbers and laptops.

it seems just to be the pores in the plastic. a toshiba laptop was built from the same plastic and was showing the same discoloration and it was on a grey top converted by the power of your hands to a rouge top....


check the commentary

orange away!!!
i'd be ironic if an orange cleaner did it. yet. nothing does. it is a complete cosmetic change..

[masugu]

Go Blac!!!

[monteboyd]

So on the bus to work today i was thinking about my macbook which strangely the fedex tracking hasn't updated although it supposedly left china 2 days ago.

Anyway, I figure if this is widespread there will be a recall such as the white spots on my powerbook g4. And until then I thought that maybe if this polycarbonate plastic material is really as porous as some people are claiming, then why not help mask that color change with some white chalk or talcum powder gently rubbed into it?

Either way, there's no reason to panic about this because apple isn't going to let this go unnoticed if it is indeed real and widespread.

[hldan]

Originally Posted by cycloneguy2618

No, its not sweat. It seems that it only happens on the Hotter MacBooks, this leads me to my theory....What happens to plastic when it gets hot? It turns a yellowish color. Hm, also, people with this problem, which IS farily widespread, can smell a strong smell of plastic when opening thier MacBooks. Could this be that the interior of the case is being burned by the heat? I think so.

You know everything you said is just plain BS! The Hotter MacBooks??? Are there MacBooks that are not as hot?? C'mon man! The plastic turns yellow when the computer gets hot? The smell comes from the interior being burned?? Get real!

This crap is not fairly widespread, the majority of posters here aren't talking about their white Macbook turning yellow.

It's obvious you never purchased new electronics. Most new electronics devices especially ones that generate a lot of heat will produce a burning smell for the first few times of heavy use, this is due to the new components never being powered up before and need a break-in period. This happens on TV's, computers and stereo systems as the norm.

Sweaty palms from the computer's heat and unclean hands will produce discolorations on the white surface which can simply be removed using a clean damped cloth.

[rhashem]

Originally Posted by hldan

Are there MacBooks that are not as hot??

Uh, yes? My Macbook idles in the high 40s, and only gets up to about 72C under load. Lot's of people have reported their Macbooks going 20C higher than that at load.

C'mon man! The plastic turns yellow when the computer gets hot?

That is entirely a possibility. Plastics and rubbers do yellow with heat. It's not a result of them burning, but rather a result of the heat causing chemical reactions that change the color of the plastic. There is a reason they sell special plastics and rubbers that are designed not to yellow in the presence of high heat.

[nickw311]

Originally Posted by hldan

Sweaty palms from the computer's heat and unclean hands will produce discolorations on the white surface which can simply be removed using a clean damped cloth.

This is the farthest thing from the truth. I wash my hands multiple times per day and especially before using the computer. I have tried many cleaning products like the Clorox Magic Eraser and that doesnt take care of it. I have even gotten 00 Steel wool and tried gently getting it off, that does not happen either. This is a defect and it is fairly widespread. Open your eyes to the other posts on this forum and stories on other Apple web sites.

[Bobby]

Originally Posted by hldan

Sweaty palms from the computer's heat and unclean hands will produce discolorations on the white surface which can simply be removed using a clean damped cloth.

This has been completely ruled out as a posability. People who have this issue have tried everything to try to get the color off with zero luck to date...

I have a G3 iBook that is over 3 years old, and it shows no discoloration like what is shown in the photos of this problem. I even have a small 3/4" spot to the right of the track pad that is literally completely warn through the top coating from my hand resting on that spot while using the track pad over the 3 years, and I have zero discoloration like this (and being honest I don't exactly strive to keep my hands very clean)...

[markb8705]

oops

[harrisjamieh]

Why did you post those pictures in this thread...?
Edit: Thats better