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JustinD · Feb 14, 2003, 01:22 AM

Okay - for those of us with the slight "bowing" of our 12" PowerBook lids, here's a quick fix that completely slipped my mind until now!

On mine, when it is closed, there's about a lil' more than 1mm of extra space between the little rubber stop and the palmrest. Not a huge deal, but it can be annoying! I'm lucky in that if I press down on that side slightly, that space gets evely distributed to the LEFT rubber stop - so I have a .5mm discrepency on both sides.

I SURE as hell don't want to see if Apple can fix this, and risk being computer-less for a week or more, or having it come back scratched up, etc.

Then I remembered Wildeepz!!!

http://www.radtech.us/wildeepz.html

I used them on an iBook way back when RadTech first released them and they worked like a charm - and they're the perfect thing to shore up little closed-lid discrepencies! I'm going to order some, and I'll post how it goes...

On a side note, before I start mutiliating my new PowerBook - does anyone know offhand how the little rubber screen stops are attached? I assume it would be a spot of glue, but I don't really wanna start prying until I know for sure!!

kcmac · Feb 14, 2003, 01:28 AM

They appear to be the same things we used on our cabinet drawers/doors in our kitchen to keep wood from hitting wood. Probably less expensive as well.

Good idea.

escher · Feb 14, 2003, 10:42 AM

Originally posted by JustinD:
Then I remembered Wildeepz!!!

I read about the WildEepz ages ago on the PowerPage and thought nothing further of them. Then, a few weeks ago, I decided to give them a try to address the "gap" in my iBook (Dual USB). Regardless of whether you think that $10 is worth it for 8 little pieces of silicone and some adhesive, WildEepz make a huge difference. My iBook now closes securely and the closed screen doesn't flop up and down anymore when you grab the 'Book. I highly recommend WildEepz.

Escher

AssassyN · Feb 14, 2003, 11:05 AM

Though I don't own one, it seems as if you've suggested a brilliant fix! Kudos!

JustinD · Feb 19, 2003, 12:51 AM

Nuts. got my Wildeepz today, and they are a lot thinner than I imagined...

So what I did first was, I put one Eep on top of each of Apple's rubber bumpers. While that fixed the slight bounce on the right side, it made the bowing much more pronounced!

So I stuck two Eepz together, and put a pair on either side of the latch - about halfway between the rubber bumper and the latch. Now I dont get that bounce when i go to pick it up, BUT the right-hand rubber bumper still does not make contact with the palmrest when closed...

Still not sure if I should take it into the Apple store to see if maybe the top screen casing should be replaced. Argh!

tonewheel · Feb 20, 2003, 10:31 AM

Ten bucks for 8 of those things?? Nice solution, but I found the exact same pieces at Home Depot for .59 cents for a pack of 10.

The ones I bought are meant to be placed on the bottom rear of picture frames so the frame doesn't scratch the wall. And they're the perfect thickness - solved my "gap" in my new 12 incher.

TheBum · Feb 20, 2003, 07:47 PM

Originally posted by JustinD:
Still not sure if I should take it into the Apple store to see if maybe the top screen casing should be replaced. Argh!

Have you tried the do-it-yourself remedy I posted over at the Apple discussion boards? When I appled the pressure described there (one respondent described it better than I did), I didn't even feel the lid changing shape; I didn't realize I had straightened it until I closed the lid. I actually overdid it on my first attempt and had to apply a lesser amount of force in the opposite direction to get the lid to just rest on the rubber stops without compressing them.

I wish I had tried this trick before I sent it in for repair. It came back with a dead SuperDrive (which worked perfectly well previously). It's now back in for service to repair that problem (but it closes up nice and snug now).

I hope Apple learns from this and makes the framing in the lid more rigid in later revisions.

JustinD · Feb 21, 2003, 11:23 AM

Wow, that DID work! Took long enough for me to build up the guts to try to bend the casing, but I ended up just semi-gently "massaging" it for a few minutes. And it worked. Now I'm just using the Wildeepz as cusions near the latch. Great find, Bum!

iChristopher · Feb 21, 2003, 01:25 PM

What part of the case are you bending? Did it come out of the box like that? What makes you think it won't happen again?

If this happens regularly, Apple will have to find a way to reinforce the case to prevent it, IMO.

JustinD · Feb 21, 2003, 03:58 PM

iChris - click on TheBum's link to the Apple discussion forums for more info. I put my thumbs about an inch to the right and left of the latch, put the rest of my hand behind the left and right edges of the screen, and pushed outwards. Voila! Just make sure to NOT PUSH TO HARD, as you do not want to discolor/crack the LCD! The way I did it was, I applied "pulses" of pressure every few minutes, applying more and more pressure gradually - and gradually, the casing bent, so now it closes perfectly flush!

davi · Feb 21, 2003, 07:31 PM

Originally posted by JustinD:
The way I did it was, I applied "pulses" of pressure every few minutes, applying more and more pressure gradually - and gradually, the casing bent, so now it closes perfectly flush!

worked for me!

jmatero · Feb 22, 2003, 09:39 AM

I have an even BETTER solution: Return it for a new one!

I can't believe there are people spending $2000 for a new laptop and buying stick-on rubber nips to attach all over to adjust "1mm" of space that's off. If it's not right, return it. Apple won't know it's an issue worth addressing if people settle for these defects and do what you're doing.

TheBum · Feb 22, 2003, 01:12 PM

Originally posted by jmatero:
If it's not right, return it. Apple won't know it's an issue worth addressing if people settle for these defects and do what you're doing.

If you have a BTO machine like I do, it'll likely take weeks to get a replacement -- if Apple will replace it at all (they may contend that the warp is "within tolerance"). If I had bought a stock machine, I might have tried to exchange it.

JustinD · Feb 22, 2003, 03:50 PM

I buy tons of Apple stuff for a private K-12, tons of iBooks particularly, and I'll tell you right now that they DO have tolerance rules for manufacturing. Heck, I once recieved an iBook whose lid was sooo bowed (more than 2mm up on either side) it looked RIDICULOUS. And I had to literally FIGHT Apple to get a replacement! Maybe it's because I was dealing with Apple Education, which is a 50-50 chance of satisfaction (haha) but they DO have tolerance rules - and I'm betting that since my 1mm bowing/gap didn't harm the machine at all - I just had an obsessive problem with it - there's no way they'd replace it, especially after having it for 2 weeks...

But I agreee that this bowing IS A REAL ISSUE with the iBooks, and now the 12" PBs - perhaps we should just call Apple and tell them! The more people that call the better! Or talk to one of the Geniuses at the bar at a Store, and they can call the Apple peeps on the red phone.

kcmac · Feb 23, 2003, 01:22 PM

This really does work.

I opened the lid at about a 45 degree angle, placed my thumbs just to either side of the magnet/latch and my hands at the edges. I gently pushed my thumbs and pulled with my hands. I just held this for about 10 seconds.

I closed the lid several times to check my progress. Took several tries but now my lid sits tight against the rubber nibs.

Thanks everyone. Just be gentle when doing this. Take your time. Now, let's see if it is a permanent fix.

betaCat · Feb 23, 2003, 04:05 PM

Originally posted by JustinD:
I buy tons of Apple stuff for a private K-12, tons of iBooks particularly, and I'll tell you right now that they DO have tolerance rules for manufacturing. Heck, I once recieved an iBook whose lid was sooo bowed (more than 2mm up on either side) it looked RIDICULOUS. And I had to literally FIGHT Apple to get a replacement! Maybe it's because I was dealing with Apple Education, which is a 50-50 chance of satisfaction (haha) but they DO have tolerance rules - and I'm betting that since my 1mm bowing/gap didn't harm the machine at all - I just had an obsessive problem with it - there's no way they'd replace it, especially after having it for 2 weeks...

But I agreee that this bowing IS A REAL ISSUE with the iBooks, and now the 12" PBs - perhaps we should just call Apple and tell them! The more people that call the better! Or talk to one of the Geniuses at the bar at a Store, and they can call the Apple peeps on the red phone.

Right on! I'm hoping to have my screen replaced at the very least. This is my very first Macintosh system and other than the bowing issue (and the fact that my battery doesn't sit entirely flush with the bottom of my computer), I'm very satisfied with the build quality of the computer (great keyboard, nice finish, sturdy casing, etc). I just got off the phone with an Apple rep who advised me to take my computer to the Apple store to have it looked over first. Hopefully, I'll get a replacement (for the lid at least). *crossing fingers*