Q: My Retina Display has stain damage, HELP!!!

Same problem here; the spacebar obviously leaves an imprint on my screen (mbpr 15"). I only noticed it a few weeks ago, when cleaning my screen. I thought it was fingerprints, but turned out to be some sort of scratch or imprint clearly in the shape of the spacebar. Apple claims it's caused by the user, but I have no idea how that is possible. I use it exclusively on a desk, where there is absolutely no way of causing excessive pressure to the screen/lid...

The computer is just over a year old, not cool...

Have this problem too. It's terrible how apple quality comes to nothing.

if its only the display then you can make it in to a desk top computer go and buy another display and connect it to the macbook then you will have a desk top computer but you will need a new keyboard  and mouse ,its gonna work like this ,without you macbook display

Exact same problem appeared a few months ago. The fist stain appeared right in the center of the screen, since then a couple more stains appeared closer to the bottom edge. 

Same here. And i have no clue how is this happened.

I have my MBP only 5 months. And this happened maybe 3months after purchase.

I just noticed today the same issue with my year old MBR retina 15".... Completely agree with strat266 that it's not a cosmetic issue but a major design flaw... On mine, as you can see on the picture, it corresponds to the aluminum casing surrounding the trackpad... not linked to any finger oil or whatnot...

Would just like to add my view on this as it seems a lot of people are confused. I have this same issue on my Macbook pro retina, it appeared instantly after cleaning my mac with Detol wipes (don't know why I did, only wipes I had in the office).

After this happened I spoke to a friend of mine who is an electrician and he told me that the alcohol in the wipes has removed the thin coating on the screen that is called a "oleophobicgate" - He said these are used to reduce interaction between the surface and substances such as water and oil (like a self cleaning layer so the screen does not look dirty all the time).

I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE DO THIS... but he told me if I do not want to spend out on a whole new top shell for my mac then the best thing for me to do is either leave it as it is or literally finish the job... So I carried on with the Detol wipes (took a while) but I have removed the whole layer and it looks like a new screen again.

Can you post some "after" pics? No residue left? I'm very curious as to what it looks like..don't want to make it worse than it already is

Thank you MrL22. Finally a reply that makes sense. And now that you mention the Dettol wipes I know how mine started. I have only ever wiped the screen with water and a cloth as recommended, but no one mentioned the keyboard. So I cleaned the keyboard with Dettol wipes (to be nice and hygienic) never thinking that the keys would come into contact with the closed screen. Obviously they do. And so the problem started. I have now started a daily cleansing regime – with Dettol wipes – to rid my screen of the remaining coating. A new lid is not an option for me.

And to those people who suggested that I just buy a desktop screen and use my "portable" as a desktop. If I had wanted a desktop Mac I would have bought an iMac.

Same problem for me. Bought my 13inch Macbook Pro Retina 5 months ago (May 2014) and stains started to appear around the bezel after the first month. Things progressively got worse, despite normal use. When major stains started to appear in the middle of the screen I decided to call Apple support:

In response to me referencing the complaints here and on MacRumors, Apple Support acknowledged that this seems to be a more widespread problem that is not necessarily due to inadequate usage. They sent me to an Apple store (or authorized Service Provider) to get my screen replaced; something they said should be covered by the warranty. Will post update when repair has indeed been completed.

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I am slightly relieved to have found this thread although it just indicates I am another macbook pro retina owner with a screen that is not fit for purpose. The suggestion by a Apple genius bar employee this could be just a cosmetic problem is ridiculous. Apple take great pride in their design ingenuity and the cosmetic and aesthetic performance remains a critical part of that. My own retina screen has started to encounter the same problems as other posters with the coating appearing to have been wiped off at mid center screen after normal non excessive cleaning with Mac store recommended cleaning products - MACBOOK clean kit solution and soft eco cloth. I am also out of warranty and feel a product of this high price point is not 'fit for purpose' under the terms of sale if it can so easily fail in use/normal cleaning. The fact we can not all be deemed to be isolated cases suggests there is a real manufacturing issue here that should be investigated and resolved by apple. Very disappointing.

I'm so glad I found this thread! Count me in as another with an early 2013 MacBook Pro Retina owner with a similar pattern of the coating coming off the screen. It's all around the edge of the frame and across the keys and trackpad. This is a refurbished machine I bought from Apple six months ago, so it's still under warranty. I won't be back in the states for another two months, but I will try to get it fixed under warranty then.

I've been using Apple products since the 1980's and got my first laptop in 1993. I've never had screen damage before and if anything I've treated this machine better than any I've had before. I'm disappointed that with so many complaining of this same issue, Apple has not owned up to the design problem.

I'm starting to see early symptoms on my screen but only if I hold a flashlight up to the screen.

Are any of you able to see the stains in normal light (i.e. no camera flash) or when the screen is on?

I am another person with the same problem. Moreover, since I buy them through work, I have two 15 inch macbook pro retina notebooks. The first one I bought towards the end of 2012. That has no issues whatsoever and I carried it back and forth from work for a year. The second one is, like all the others mentioned here, a ``late 2013" model. I have had it since March 2014. Since I have two, I have generally kept the late 2013 model at work and the 2012 model at home. That is until about 10 days ago, when I carried it home in the same protective ``wallet" that I used to carry the 2012 model in everyday. Well the result is that I am now in the same position as many of you. For now, the staining has only occurred in the black area around the actual screen, but I believe it is growing and I can confirm that I have ceased carrying it to and from work.

Tomorrow I will attach a photo so that I/you/they can monitor the progress.

ps I never use anything but water (damp apple recommended cloth) to clean the notebook, and my hands are the same as always. Indeed, if it were my hands, then the staining ought to have started on the left hand side of the screen as this is the hand I use to open the notebook. Instead it is at the top (near the camera) and bottom near the fan that the staining is occurring.

Correction, the staining at the top may well be due to my hands, but doesn't explain the staining at the bottom. Moreover, it does not explain why my 2012 model, which I open in the same way, has no staining.

Hi,

I have exactly the same problem. It looks terrible and getting worse and worse. I bought my MacBook pro retina 13'' exactly 11 months ago and it is under warranty. Unfortunately Apple Car said that it is my fault in daily usage but they won't explain how can I did it. I use only attached black cloth and sometimes water. Now damage is only right and bottom. Apple pls say if it is my fault what should I change in cleaning screen to avoid worse damage.