Does your MacBook show a lot of wear?

Hello everyone,

I've Googled this and found some conflicting reports. Hope you guys and gals can help me.

I'm thinking of getting a MacBook (to run Ubuntu most of the time actually; it doesn't make too much sense price-wise in the US, I know, but it does where I live). I was wondering if the MacBook will easily show signs of wear.

For instance, I've read it will scratch easily, like the iPod. Is that true?

The other question is about the palm wrest area. I know some early models would lose color but also that it's a problem covered by Apple's warranty, so putting that aside: does the plastic in that area of your MacBook look very much different than when you bought it?

I would appreciate any response. Please also mention for how long you've owned your MacBook.

Thank you.

 

Yeah I seen some of the early models first hand and they look really disgusting. Made worse by the slack users (who aren't actually the owners) who don't bother to take care of them.

Important point is every laptop to a certain extent gets wear and tear over time, but if you treat it right you can keep it looking good for a lot longer and Apple laptops are no exception.

 

I've had my MacBook since May and its still nice and clean. The glossy lid has some (very very) light scratches, but it is not noticeable unless you directly shine a light and are looking for them. Actually, looking at it again I don't notice any. But they are there if you shine a flashlight at it.

The MacBook palmrest can get slightly "gray" after a while, but I just use a wet cloth, rub a few times and its all nice again.

 

Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but my wife recently discovered using Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on the inside of the MacBook (keyboard, palmrest, screen bezel) and I must say it looks like when we first bought it. You don't need to apply pressure either, just rub and go.

It doesn't seem to be made of any harmful solvents, but as always, try on a small portion of your computer first. We may not be aware of it, but manufacturers can switch material compositions on the fly without the consumer ever knowing about them.

Regards,
Paolo

For the outside of the MacBook, I just use a slightly damp towel.

 

That thing is an amazing tool. It cleans white shoes really well too!

 

Sounds deadly . If it cleans shoes...what's it going to do to my beloved MacBook?

Just kidding around, thanks for the tip, cvx5832!

 

if i had a nickel for everytime i've heard you say that Sam, i'd be a millionair! In other news you may want to check out the Skins for the MacBook- apparently they aren't the easiest to apply, but i hear that once you get em on they work pretty good. Might wanna ask Sam for a link if your interested... :] enjoy.

 

to add to this how about the aluminum of the mbp? when i had my plastic where i rested my palms seemed to get smudgy and idk just paint/finish was turning a different color and was wondering if the aluminum does the same.

 

well, it cleans walls well too, shoes, and mac books.. I'll bet aluminum is easy enough for this magic sponge. They rock

 

I've had my Macbook since I wrote the review back in November (?). The bottom of the Macbook shows a few light scratches, the top is just fine. The palm rests are very slightly discoloured as is the keyboard, but that is only noticable if you look really carefully in good lighting conditions.

I do take good care of my Macbook however. I keep it in my solid heavily padded Brenthaven case when I'm taking it around with me, and clean it whenever I smudge the white coating.

 

Well i know we are talking about macbook's but i have a macbook pro, which looks like new still, and i have really used it for over a yr (incase someone looking for a pro is interested)

I use my computer A LOT the keyboard is really broken in (not a bad thing really), other than that it looks perfect.

 

Nope, so far, on my macbook pro, no signs of it wearing off.

 

WOW! I'm obsessed with keeping my white macbook clean and at one point i was even contemplating buying a skin (to keep palmrests new) but after you suggested that Magic Eraser, i made my girlfriend have one on my desk by the time i got home home from work and DAMN does that work well. Thanks for the awesome tool!