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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > Official Unibody MacBook Pro Loose Hinge Thread

Official Unibody MacBook Pro Loose Hinge Thread
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freudling
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Oct 30, 2008, 08:10 PM
 
That's right, there are others like you who have noticed that the hinge in the Unibody MacBook Pro does not hold the screen well.

I noticed it right away. I took the UniMBP out of the box, and then laid down with it tilted up on my legs and knees. The screen fell and stopped about 5" from the base. Repeated tests, same thing. I then went to the Apple store, and tested the demos: same exact thing. Even picking up the UniMBP off of a desk can/does cause the screen to sway and give way, either making it tilt all the way back, or come down forwards.

Reading Apple discussions, others are pointing this out, and are claiming that Apple intended for the hinge to function like this. While it may be easier to adjust the screen, one loses the sturdiness that keeps it in place when the computer is placed in various positions, or simply moved at a moderate speed.

http://www.fixthehinge.com/

http://discussions.apple.com/thread....art=0&tstart=0
     
Maflynn
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Oct 30, 2008, 09:00 PM
 
Sooo?

I generally do not hold up my MBP perpendicular to the ground like the video showed, It stays in the position I want it too and I don't hold up my laptop vertical while on and complain that the lid flops close.

Maybe I'm just an odd user but keep my laptop flat on the desk or my lap
~Mike
     
Kodachrome_Project
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Nov 2, 2008, 02:41 AM
 
After driving two 3" wood lags through the keyboard and mounting my MacBook Pro to the wall, I was quite distressed that my laptop did not perform well as a shelf.

To top it off, my buddy put his grandma's antique bong on it. The flimsy hinge did not hold so the family heirloom hit the floor at mach-speed, good thing his granny passed two years ago, Whew!

Guess we'll have to puff tough with a empty Pabst can again......
( Last edited by Kodachrome_Project; Nov 2, 2008 at 03:02 AM. )
     
shifuimam
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Nov 2, 2008, 03:43 AM
 
Originally Posted by Maflynn View Post
Sooo?

I generally do not hold up my MBP perpendicular to the ground like the video showed, It stays in the position I want it too and I don't hold up my laptop vertical while on and complain that the lid flops close.

Maybe I'm just an odd user but keep my laptop flat on the desk or my lap
I don't think it's so much that people typically hold their laptops like that; it's that the video is the easiest way to show just how loose that hinge is.

Normal laptops don't behave like that. The way that the display flopped closed when he picked up the new MBP is not normal - the hinge would have be damn loose for it to behave like that.

I can see that being a major annoyance when moving around with the laptop open - e.g. you shift positions on the couch, and the screen flops nearly closed just by tipping the laptop.
Sell or send me your vintage Mac things if you don't want them.
     
moep
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Nov 2, 2008, 05:03 AM
 
The price of buying a Rev A…
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Kodachrome_Project
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Nov 2, 2008, 10:58 AM
 
OK, I am up, getting some work done on here so I can get off of the computer and have a "real" life....that is why we buy these things...right? They are faster / better so we can get off of the computer faster and behave like a human, not a blackberry / iphone / cell phone / laptop using idiot who would not know what to do without their gadget?

Right?

I am in bed, it is rare that I use the laptop in bed, beds are for sleeping. There are lots of great places to use your laptop like in the living room, a cafe, other places, where you can behave like a human. But right now, I am in bed, knees up, pillow under them, lying down, keyboard is at a 25 degree angle, screen is tilted in about 85 degrees and is staying put.

If I want to be a lazy computer age idiot and lay down completely and still use the laptop, the screen closes as I would EXPECT it to!

The hinge design is good, it allows for smooth opening and closing and the need for the crummy latch is now gone. I am fine with it as will be most people. For crying out loud, they even increased the screen angle.

Apple thinks very hard about they way they design things, the screen no exception. Apple also makes innovations to make our lives easier, maybe to not spend so much time on the computer and actually participate in the real and natural world.

This world, it's impoverished people, the environment all need our attention. If you are spending SO much time on these devices that you are thinking it is the end of the world if you can not lie down in bed and use your laptop, you are in need of a life and have MUCH bigger problems to deal with...
     
Spheric Harlot
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Nov 3, 2008, 06:19 AM
 
Originally Posted by Kodachrome_Project View Post
OK, I am up, getting some work done on here so I can get off of the computer and have a "real" life....that is why we buy these things...right? They are faster / better so we can get off of the computer faster and behave like a human, not a blackberry / iphone / cell phone / laptop using idiot who would not know what to do without their gadget?

Right?

I am in bed, it is rare that I use the laptop in bed, beds are for sleeping. There are lots of great places to use your laptop like in the living room, a cafe, other places, where you can behave like a human. But right now, I am in bed, knees up, pillow under them, lying down, keyboard is at a 25 degree angle, screen is tilted in about 85 degrees and is staying put.

If I want to be a lazy computer age idiot and lay down completely and still use the laptop, the screen closes as I would EXPECT it to!

The hinge design is good, it allows for smooth opening and closing and the need for the crummy latch is now gone. I am fine with it as will be most people. For crying out loud, they even increased the screen angle.

Apple thinks very hard about they way they design things, the screen no exception. Apple also makes innovations to make our lives easier, maybe to not spend so much time on the computer and actually participate in the real and natural world.

This world, it's impoverished people, the environment all need our attention. If you are spending SO much time on these devices that you are thinking it is the end of the world if you can not lie down in bed and use your laptop, you are in need of a life and have MUCH bigger problems to deal with...
While that's nice and all, do you think it might be able for you to accept that different people have different usage, and that the poster you replied to might just be genuinely annoyed that something he enjoys doing and that didn't used to be a problem is no longer possible?


Your rant takes place on a computer forum, and talks about what is for most people a luxury item (apart from those who actually make their living with it). To suggest that his concern about the hinge resistance is out of line because of the impoverished people in the world is uncouth, bigotted, and nothing short of insulting to those very people (and us).

If you're concerned, I suggest you start researching alternatives that don't contain precious metals whose mining profits are used to fund civil wars. Good luck.

     
freudling  (op)
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Nov 8, 2008, 05:11 PM
 
Kodachrome_Project:

Leaving MacNN so soon? For some people with disabilities, not being able to lay down with the computer is a problem.

I also lay down and work from home sometimes. I play lots of ice hockey, and I frequently get injuries. Just came off a fractured rib and before that a torn miniscus. I can't always sit up with these injuries, so I lay down. With the unibody, unfortunately, it hampers this practice and compromises my ability to work.

As for your rant about too much focus on a computer, this computer is my life: it is my tool that puts food on the table. Even slight increases in speed will increase profitability, etc.

Now, why don't you go out and live "life", and help those in need, instead of chastising others on an internet forum.
     
Malachi_Krieg
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Dec 4, 2008, 05:51 PM
 
So I just received my new MBP, the first Mac I have ever bought. And you know what? I am writing this message on my Asus Windows laptop. Why? Because the hinges on this laptop at least keep the screen in place.

You know, all the people talking about "lives" and "wealth" and all the other non-sense being tossed about really need to realise one simple fact: We paid for these laptops. That means they should be able to do what laptops should be able to do.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, some jack-hole is probably going to give me grief because "they can do what laptops should". Well, no, it cannot. See, laptops are MOBILE computers. This means that they move. I don't care if you are sitting, standing, showering, or break-dancing when you use your laptop, the screen should not flip shut on itself.

Was I doing anything special when the lid snapped down on my hand? No, I was reaching for the manual sitting on the table next to me. I had the LAPtop on my lap of all places! *Gasp* The horror! The minor movement in my chair of me reaching forward to grab the disks and manual caused the screen to shut. Now no matter how you try to slice that, for $2000 that is idiotic.

I don't care what "angle" you use your laptop, when it is susceptable to closing on itself just through minor "movement", regardless of incline, then something is wrong. Period. I agree, using a laptop while standing in some funky position is a little off, but this thing's hinges are so loose a good breeze from behind could close it. That's unacceptable on a mobile unit. What about the people using these at meetings, on airplanes, on trains and buses?

Everyone got so caught up in the "incline angle" (or just calling each other names or insulting one another) that the point that very little force is required to close the lid, even it the computer it sitting flat on a solid surface. The minor movement of pushing the laptop back away from me on the desk upon which it now rests made the lid begin to close. If you're happy with shoddy workmanship, good on you. However, for the money I spend (and the products I review) I expect a little more. Call me all the names you want, but if I can't put my laptop in my LAP and lift the foot rest portion of my recliner without the lid coming down... it's shite.



Malachi Krieg
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Cloud
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Dec 4, 2008, 06:41 PM
 
I just bought the new MBP and upgraded the processor to the 2.8 and added the 4GBs of RAM....


I am very worried at this point.
     
Big Mac
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Dec 4, 2008, 06:47 PM
 
Just more confirmation of my view, but I feel for early adopters.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
Malachi_Krieg
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Dec 4, 2008, 07:07 PM
 
Now don't get me wrong, the rest of the laptop is fantastic. Especially considering that I purchased a $2800 MBP for $2000 thanks to catching sales. But seeing something as stupid as shoddy hinges really leaves the taste of an unfinished product in my mouth. I've reviewed more tech than I care to count in my years and this one feels like so many others that gave me the impression that someone must have said, "Well, the design is pretty much done. Now we just need to finish a few...huh... it needs to go to press now? Okay" *slap slap crunch" "Done".

What gets my ire up even more than a complete failure of a product is one that makes it 99% of the way there then fizzles out. At least a complete failure is a complete something.

Malachi Krieg
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Maflynn
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Dec 4, 2008, 07:15 PM
 
Originally Posted by Big Mac View Post
Just more confirmation of my view, but I feel for early adopters.
Don't feel bad for me, my MBP is near perfect, I have no complaints. Its a great computer and I recommend it highly to any and everyone.
~Mike
     
Cloud
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Dec 5, 2008, 11:13 PM
 
Does anyone know if Apple will cover the hinge problem if you have it? Especially within the first few months?

Is that covered under warranty or do you have to get apple care?
     
TheoCryst
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Dec 6, 2008, 12:39 AM
 
Originally Posted by Cloud View Post
Does anyone know if Apple will cover the hinge problem if you have it? Especially within the first few months?

Is that covered under warranty or do you have to get apple care?
There doesn't seem to be any indication (beyond the occasional complainer) that this is an actual problem. I just received my new MBP a few days ago, and while the hinge is much looser than my old MB, I wouldn't consider it a flaw by any means.

Any ramblings are entirely my own, and do not represent those of my employers, coworkers, friends, or species
     
thechidz
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Dec 6, 2008, 01:08 AM
 
after getting a new unibody a few weeks ago I promptly sold it on ebay and bought a prev gen 2.5 mbp. I really think the older design is far superior
     
Brien
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Dec 6, 2008, 01:35 AM
 
I don't have any problems with my MBP's hinge.
     
spiff72
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Dec 7, 2008, 06:35 PM
 
I have had a 17" Powerbook (1.67), and a 17" MBP. The screen on both of these computers has done the same thing that they showed in that video. If you tilt the main portion of the laptop up at more than about a 45-50 degree angle, the screen will flop closed. I mentioned it at one point when I sent my Powerbook in for service, and they supposedly tightened it, but it still did the same thing.

I figured this was normal on the 17" models.
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Ted L. Nancy
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Dec 9, 2008, 12:22 PM
 
Call. Apple. They. Have. Always. Fixed. Hinge. Issues.
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Malachi_Krieg
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Dec 16, 2008, 11:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by Ted L. Nancy View Post
Call. Apple. They. Have. Always. Fixed. Hinge. Issues.
That's all I am really waiting for: new hinges. The problem I have heard, as mentioned above, is that any work done right now returns the laptop with the same issue. So I am just waiting it out until Apple releases a new set of "hinges", which they are usually good about doing not too long after a product releases.

Other than that the laptop gets a stellar review from me.

Malachi Krieg
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quoctp
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Nov 13, 2009, 05:21 PM
 
I went to the Apple store to have a technician take a look at the loose hinge (they told me that they could fix it over the phone when I set up the appointment). The technician gave me the BS that it's all within spec and tried to give me a demo on another MacBook Pro. The loose screen snapped open and slammed on the counter. Oopps. Within specs? This is an example to show why the screen should not be moving all over the place.
     
reRESERVEDMD
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Mar 8, 2010, 08:51 PM
 
I just ordered a new unibody MacBook Pro and noted that the new hinge is very flimsy and also falls down when I put the laptop past 90 degrees. It's probably caused by the glass screen which weights much more and plastic casing as opposed to the metal one previously.
     
AKcrab
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Mar 8, 2010, 09:35 PM
 
Originally Posted by Ted L. Nancy View Post
Call. Apple. They. Have. Always. Fixed. Hinge. Issues.
Apple won't agree that this is a "Hinge Issue". This is considered "normal" behavior. The people complaining in this thread are SOL according to Apple.
     
Eriamjh
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Mar 8, 2010, 10:45 PM
 
If the display stays up in any position when the base of the laptop is mostly flat, there is no "hinge issue".

What a bunch of whiners.

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iloveipod
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Mar 9, 2010, 05:02 AM
 
I haven't seen any problems either.
     
squarcles
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Jul 26, 2010, 12:17 PM
 
I have had this issue occur on a MacBook Pro 15 inch mid 2009 model and I agree with the other users that this is def an issue Apple should address. The hinges are too weak resulting in the screen flopping down whenever the base of the laptop is not flat to the ground. Seeing that to date nothing has been done to fix the problem I have decided to look into developing a hinge clip which will keep my screen in the same position regardless of the position of the base. If you are interested please visit my site.

Kind regards

Squarcles | A Fix for your MacBook Pro Hinge
     
kylef
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Jul 27, 2010, 02:34 PM
 
FYI my brother had a loose hinge (under warranty) and the Genius guys actually replaced the screen as opposed to just tightening it..
     
   
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