Paint is fading off

How do you clean it? Windex?

its cosmetic but unless you scratched it some times they will still replace it because chipping is not really "wear and tear"

and no dont use windex. apple only says to use a moist cloth, the alcohol/water wipes, dont seem to cause any issues at all and that is what i use

-matt

I agree the button finish is different from the case finish. It might be something like a flash chrome plating or something like that, which is commonly done with small parts and leaves a very thin chrome plating on the part. I don't know what the underlying material would be, as this process can be used on a lot of things. It doesn't appear to be magnetic, and that's about all I can tell.

The fact that it's chipping off could well indicate a faulty process on that individual button. As to whether Apple would replace it or not, it's hard to say. The whole area of cosmetic flaws is a gray area, where some people have success in getting something replaced and others do not.

The keyboard keys are plastic - they are not anodized. The metal button is stainless steel - it is not anodized.

well seeing as the button on his has chipped i am doubting that it is stainless

and then if the keys are plastic then i cannot see how the finishes match, no way to match it and have it look the same

-matt

The button on my 17 inch MBP certainly looks like grain sanded stainless steel, and it shows no sign of chipping. I wonder if the same button is used on the 15 inch? If it truly is stainless steel, I don't see how the finish could possibly chip. If it's a type of flash chrome plating, possibly it could.

To my eyes, the finishes do not match perfectly. They are very close, but I see the plastic keys, the painted strip, the trackpad, and the case as being very slightly different in how they reflect the light. The mouse button seems to match the case most closely. I would guess that whatever paint they used was carefully formulated to match the anodized surface. I can see subtle differences in the shades, but they did a remarkable job of matching the color.

hmm well now in the light i am in now i can see a small difference, it is a very light specific thing. they got very very close some how and i dont know how.

i agree that the button looks to be very lightly brushed SS but the fact that the OP's chipped makes me wonder, maybe the SS just had a stress riser in it that finally won, where the light is it looks like the thickness of the SS is very very thin

-matt

Now I'm wondering what the button is made of. It does have the sleep light in it, and looking in with a strong light, the sides look like the anodized aluminum finish, although they could also be finished like the keys. I wonder if the button is aluminum or even plastic with the thin shiny coating bonded on the front? You are right--it is very thin, whatever it is.

you know what the finnish may be that would fit better than anything else, electrostatic paint. if you look close at the finish it has that very fine particulate (or kinda metal flake looking) to it, at least in strong light. that would answer how some people have chipping, explain how the pieces all match very well, etc

-matt

That would make sense for the button. I wonder if the OP would be kind enough to post back what was under the finish that chipped away--aluminum or translucent plastic? If the latter, I wonder if the sleep light shines through the chipped away part?