“First it was swelling batteries, now some Apple computer users are reporting a very different problem, with their pristine white MacBook’s displaying yellowish stains in the area around the keyboard where their hands rest,” Louisa Hearn reports for The Sydney Morning Herald.
“The MacBook was introduced to the market early this year and, while there are several references on Apple’s own user forums to the stains, a number of blogs devoted to flaws in Apple hardware have complained that the company has blocked or closed some of these discussions,” Hearn reports.
Full article here.
Apple Discussion Thread: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=516645&tstart=0
According to Damien Barrett, writing for TUAW, “This discoloration is not dirt and cannot be cleaned by anything that people have tried, and the list is extensive: iKlear and similar cleaners, hot water, Windex, diluted bleach, a Magic Eraser…the list is long. There definitely appears to be a problem here with the plastic that Apple has used for the palm rests on the first-generation white MacBooks.”
Full article here.
Some photos of the yellow stains: http://flickr.com/photos/tswartz/tags/macbook/
MacDailyNews Take: Natural oils from the users’ palms reacting with the particular plastic used in the MacBook case? If not, then why is the yellowing happening only on the palm rests? Heat affecting the MacBook plastic? A possibility perhaps, but, again, why only on the palm rests? There isn’t a plastic-warming processor directly under each palm rest. What do you think?
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I think people need to wash their hands. Apples fault? Dont think so.
Hey they’re just trying to look like the original 128k Macs from 1984.
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the stains appear to go into the keyboard area (notice around the page down key) why would someones hands be in such close proximity to the keyboard while using it? this looks like another attempt to taint the apple image.
I read this somewhere else… maybe Daring Fireball…. and I seem to remember reading that NOTHING cleans it off. I seems as if the plastic is being affected by heat and turning color. At least, that’s what I read… I haven’t seen the problem firsthand, so who knows. I’m just passing on what I read.
I knowed dat day wuz yella. They jus’ skeared ’tis all..Give da lil’ fellers a break..
That dude needs to take a shower or else he does not deserve an Apple.
At the BestBuy near my house that MacBook is always on and people are always playing with them and nothing has happened to its color since it got in.
TAKE A SHOWER and stop cryin’!!!!
My Macbook seems to turn yellow whenever I eat a hot dog at my desk. It also seems to produce tiny pieces of onion and relish. Weird.
We will use any means necessary to keep our hegemony intact.
If you think this or the iPod nano scratch or the sweatshop claims or the MacBook heat stuff or the Mac virus fakes were dirty moves, you’re super naive.
We fscking invented dirty pool and we haven’t even started to play, yet.
Watch and learn, little rebel Mac-using boys and girls.
We didn’t fscking get here by accident.
What do you think?
That it’s time to go back to either titanium or black plastic.
And that it’s pretty lousy of Apple to quell discussion of the problem. Apple, NOBODY EVER WON by trying to cover a problem up; it always makes things far worse. What are you turning into, an auto maker?
Oils may be the problem — but more likely is that some people (even after washing) secrete certain types of organic acids in their perspiration.
Some do — some don’t.
Acids will definitely have a negative impact on certain plastic formulations.
Non-acetone nail polish remover
Wear gloves if your nicotine oozing pussball of fermenting fecal matter. You dirty little ape you.
Wash your hands with dish soap to get rid of the ‘motion lotion’ before touching your white precious, no the other white precious you horny monkey you.
A friend of mine had this problem after only a couple weeks and I think Apple will have to address this one. This was not an issue with previous consumer Apple laptops (iBooks). Perhaps a finishing phase was skipped or the new material not fully tested. If it was simply user grime it could be remedied with some sort of cleaner. It’s likely oil from the skin and the material has been left too porous.
Ah, yes, Meesah, Jobs. We make special prastic just for you!!
You Americans alrays compraining. Buy the brack Macbook instead.
I worked with a woman who was issued the exact same laptop as me (an HP). She was with the company for only six months but when she returned the computer, the palm rest areas, below the keyboard, looked like they were covered in a thick film… which is odd because these laptops had black plastic cases. It looked awful and we initially assumed she never washed her hands even though she always appeared very well groomed.
When we tried to clean it off, nothing worked! In fact, it turned out the discoloration was caused by some sort of chemical reaction to the skin cream she used. The plastic had fine hairline cracks running deep into the surface.
In the end, we used a dremel tool to buff it smooth and painted the areas with a little plastic model spray paint. It looked OK up until it died three months later — it was an HP after all.
I suspect there is a similar chemical reation happening with the MacBook profiled in the article. Unfortunately, I don’t think you’d get away with that on the white plastic MacBook case.
For my own personal system, I’ll continue to stick with the Aluminum Pro models
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I know this is offtopic, but I just found out that Apple Computer (under Steve Jobs round #1) actually SAVED MICROSOFT FROM BANKRUPTCY!!!
In 1977 Gates and Allen sent a letter of protest to MITS, whereupon MITS got a judge to restrain Microsoft from disclosing 8080 BASIC code to any third party. Microsoft was saved from bankruptcy only by payments for the 6502 BASIC from Apple Computer.
http://www.vanwensveen.nl/rants/microsoft/IhateMS_1.html
Very Very interesting read!!!
Ok back to your dirty Macbooks.
more info here http://www.stainedbook.info/
I read something about this awhile ago and apparently this phenomenon was also seen on someone’s peecee keyboard. The cause may be related to the amount of acidity in some people’s sweat.
From what I remember about the article, nail polish remover removed it easily.
Please, PLEASE don’t tell me we now have the fanboys out in force again. I’ve used white keyboards (plastic) for over 20 years, including the last 18 months on a standard-issue Apple, and all of them obviously have been in contact with hand and finger oils the whole time. No yellow EVER on any board. The Apple looks like new.
And wash your hands before each use? WTF! It’s a damn computer! Am I supposed to wash my hands before I turn on the radio or the stove, or maybe before I touch the steering wheel of my car? Wear gloves to type? Please. Don’t I remember the mantra that Macs are supposed to make life easier? Not if washing your hands all day long is the solution.
Apple should address this issue, It seems to me that between the heat from the MB and the oils of ones hands are turning the the MB yellow.
Cook me some eggs
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what’s the matter with typing with gloves on?
I always knew Mac users were ‘yeller.’
With my typing speed, If I had to wear gloves, it’d probably be quicker for me to deliver a letter in person than send an e-mail.
Apple should coat that part of the MacBook with the same sort of clear plastic coating used with the MacBook Pro.
I think this is a quality control issue. I had a white iBook for years without a problem. More field testing is needed for these products prior to making them available to the public. That’s tricky with Apple’s well-known secrecy.
I hope they addess these issues promptly and maturely. I want a MacBook, but this is just embarrassing.