MacBook Pro 2023 M2 Loose Screen Issue

Hello Apple community. Enormous problem with the new MacBook Pro, the screen is very loose. If you put any case on it, even the most lightweight case, such as that sold on the apple website, your screen will drop shut when about 3-5 inches away from closing, and sling open to an obtuse angle if you lean forward while using it on your lap.


VERY unfortunate issue, considering my model cost over $4100…..


Apple store *refused* to touch my computer when diagnosing the problem, so I ended up placing my case on the computer in store to confirm it is not an isolated issue with only my computer. I tested this with 2 cases.


Not to mention the computer has no touchbar, yet you can toggle touchbar settings in the system preferences. Moreover the charger box is SO big, when connected to the wall, it rotates on its fulcrum like a see-saw and unplugs itself.


GINORMOUS design flaws which design and developer teams at one of the most prestigious and well-respected company’s to be accepted to work for should have caught in the design process. Unbelievable.

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 13.2

Posted on Mar 1, 2023 10:22 AM

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Posted on Mar 1, 2023 8:03 PM

Apple does not design their laptops to work with any cases. The laptop's hinges are designed to work with the weight of the screen as designed by Apple. Changing this characteristic will of course change how the hinge works. I haven't worked on too many Apple Silicon Macs so I don't know what the hinge design on these newer models may have changed. I'll have to remember to look more closely on the next Apple Silicon laptop.


In fact all of the laptops I see while supporting our organization's thousands of laptops where the user installed a protective case....every one of those plastic cases/covers are cracked which causes the case to be loose. So loose in fact, that many times I have almost dropped the laptop on the floor as the laptop slid from the case while I was holding the laptop. I also have encountered issues when trying to remove the cover from the Display as some of them are so tight I am fearful of actually cracking the LCD Panel (even if the plastic cover is cracked).


In addition, those cases will get all sorts of dirt between them and the laptop...many times grinding away at the laptop's finish or even grinding that dirt into the laptop's metal where it cannot be cleaned. A lot of people would be extremely disgusted by what they would see after removing the plastic covers after a couple years of use.


If you need to carry around your laptop, then use a laptop bag to protect the laptop instead. There are some sleeve like bags out there so they are not bulky.


As for your charger rotating in the electrical outlet....I'm guessing it is due to the Duckhead adapter which Apple provides by default with the laptop. The Duckhead adapter's prong are weak since they pivot, so they tend to twist especially if the adapter it in any other position than vertical. I despise these Duckhead adapters for this very reason and the fact I have seen so many of them become damaged where they start to arc at the pivot point of the prongs. You can get a Power Extension Cord (aka AC Cord) to use instead and in many regions will also provide a grounded connection (if it has three prongs). Here is the one for the US region, but there should be one available for each other region Apple supports:

Power Adapter Extension Cable - Apple


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9 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 1, 2023 8:03 PM in response to DeanMacSha

Apple does not design their laptops to work with any cases. The laptop's hinges are designed to work with the weight of the screen as designed by Apple. Changing this characteristic will of course change how the hinge works. I haven't worked on too many Apple Silicon Macs so I don't know what the hinge design on these newer models may have changed. I'll have to remember to look more closely on the next Apple Silicon laptop.


In fact all of the laptops I see while supporting our organization's thousands of laptops where the user installed a protective case....every one of those plastic cases/covers are cracked which causes the case to be loose. So loose in fact, that many times I have almost dropped the laptop on the floor as the laptop slid from the case while I was holding the laptop. I also have encountered issues when trying to remove the cover from the Display as some of them are so tight I am fearful of actually cracking the LCD Panel (even if the plastic cover is cracked).


In addition, those cases will get all sorts of dirt between them and the laptop...many times grinding away at the laptop's finish or even grinding that dirt into the laptop's metal where it cannot be cleaned. A lot of people would be extremely disgusted by what they would see after removing the plastic covers after a couple years of use.


If you need to carry around your laptop, then use a laptop bag to protect the laptop instead. There are some sleeve like bags out there so they are not bulky.


As for your charger rotating in the electrical outlet....I'm guessing it is due to the Duckhead adapter which Apple provides by default with the laptop. The Duckhead adapter's prong are weak since they pivot, so they tend to twist especially if the adapter it in any other position than vertical. I despise these Duckhead adapters for this very reason and the fact I have seen so many of them become damaged where they start to arc at the pivot point of the prongs. You can get a Power Extension Cord (aka AC Cord) to use instead and in many regions will also provide a grounded connection (if it has three prongs). Here is the one for the US region, but there should be one available for each other region Apple supports:

Power Adapter Extension Cable - Apple


Mar 1, 2023 10:51 AM in response to DeanMacSha

Do not use cases or "skins" on a Mac.


I surmise this is the reason Apple refused to touch it. Neither would I. Remove the case and bring it back to Apple. They have a very specific test for the concern you have.


Do not reinstall the case, and don't tell them you ever had a case on it either. If Macs needed protective cases Apple would have built them that way.


Moreover the charger box is SO big, when connected to the wall, it rotates on its fulcrum like a see-saw and unplugs itself.


Consult with an electrician to have that receptacle evaluated and replaced. What you describe is not normal. Acceptable tolerances for insertion / removal forces are published standards. Receptacles can wear out after a number of years and must then be replaced. It can be a fire hazard.

Mar 1, 2023 10:28 AM in response to DeanMacSha

We are other end users, not Apple not their complaint department, and cannot fix those things. Apple—in spite of a confusing forum name—will not see complaints here.


If you wish to place this before an Apple Employee, I invite you to take advantage of this Apple feedback kink:


Feedback - MacBook Pro - Apple


Be persistent when dealing with what to me can be a warranty issue.

Mar 1, 2023 9:54 PM in response to HWTech

I appreciate your cordial response, thank you!


Before I address the case debacle, check out the "ten-one side facing plug" it is a great alternative to Apple's awful duckhead, but do note, it does not fold, so it is a bit cumbersome to carry around in a sleeve for example..


Now I can't blame Apple here, we live in a free-market and they are a private entity providing products, services, and employment, which without them, would not exist. I am also a consumer which consented to spend more than $4000 on this fighter jet of a beast 38 core MacBook Pro with a jaw-dropping 96 gigs of unified RAM. I am okay with that, fine, I accept the fact that Apple knows people like me are going to buy that darn extension, even though it's added lunk to carry around in my backpack. Apple also openly admits to incorporating planned obsolescence in their products, but again, that is their prerogative, don't like it? Go open your own Apple or buy a computer somewhere else...


The difference here is that a loose screen on millions of laptops is absolutely not going to increase your revenue... At the end of the day, these crap chargers, constant port changes which necessitate dongles and adapters, planned obsolescence, etc. all drive revenue. Loose screens on the other hand, do not... And if the product has a fault which does not drive revenue, that is almost guaranteed because it was on accident or poor planning, aka a design fault...


Apple boxed these laptops in the same boxes from last year for petes sake... Why are they cutting corners and messing up so much, where did the care to attention and fine details go? Fe. how do you botch-up so bad as to leave the option to edit the touch-bar in the system settings, when the computer has no Touch Bar...? For crying out loud, imagine a student making such a silly mistake in an operating systems class or a software engineering class, the teacher is going to deduce points.... These devs and designers are the brightest of the bright, the sharpest tools in the shed, the cream of the crop, yet they can't make a sturdy screen and get the software right? Do me a favor and hold yourself to some type of standard, if you don't want to set the bar, so be it, but don't stoop down so low.


Regarding your assertions regarding cases, I totally agree cheap cases are loose junk which trap dirt and gunk that scratch your computer overtime. But I do not buy such cases, my 2015 MacBook Pro looks like the day I bought it, brand new, pristine, and it had a Thule cases on it for the past 8 years. A good case goes a long way.


Indeed I am inline with your opinion, however this is only an opinion, the fact is apple has MacBook cases they recommend on their website. If their computer is going to be incompatible with those cases because the screen falls down due to their weight, they should either not be recommending cases, or create computers which can be used with the cases they recommend.

Mar 1, 2023 11:08 AM in response to John Galt

Thank you for your reply:


You state "If Macs needed protective cases Apple would have built them that way." This is your opinion on the matter, but objectively speaking, by that logic iPhones do not need cases. Indeed this is not true, so your logic here is flawed.


Regarding then charger, there is no need to design such an inconvenient to plug in the wall box period.

Mar 1, 2023 12:07 PM in response to DeanMacSha

If your power receptacle is defective, it should be replaced. Until then you can use an extension cord, which will not exert as much force on the receptacle. For some illustrations refer to this Discussion: MacAir charger too Big to stay in the wall power outlet - Apple Community


iPhones do not need cases either. I have never used any. You can use them if you perceive such a need though. They will not damage anything.

Mar 1, 2023 12:23 PM in response to John Galt

John, be honest with yourself and the world. Experimentally drop an iPhone with a case, and drop an iPhone without a case. Complete this experiment 100 times and get back to me. If you do not find a statistical significance supporting my hypothesis (cases reduce product breakage), then I will change my mind. Til' then, your response did not contribute to my post, but thank you for your time.

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MacBook Pro 2023 M2 Loose Screen Issue

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