macbook air cracked screen

I faced the same dilemma as you. Do I pay a fortune to get the screen replaced and risk another spontaneous failure (and yet more cost) or do I give up and throw a 6 month old MacBook Air away. One option that you have is to turn your Air into a desktop computer by plugging in a large external monitor and then look around for something more robust for your everyday laptop. This is what I did with my 13" Air. I got the screen fixed, but it is now deskbound as I don't dare take it out of the house.

It is an expensive lesson, but the MBA and MBP-Retina models have to be treated much more carefully than what we have been used to with our old Macbook Pros. It's just a case of the laws of physics. The thinner you make things, the less inherent strength and resistence to deformation (twisting and bending etc) they have. Whilst aluminium is a lot stronger than plastic, as it gets thinner and thinner it eventually will become tinfoil. For a stronger Mac laptop, the only option left is the 13" Macbook Pro (NOT the retina model). It has a glass panel fitted in front of the screen which provides much more rigidity and protection to the LCD sitting behind it. You would have to really mistreat it to break that screen. To get an idea of just how much stronger it is, next time you are in an Apple store line up a Retina and non-Retina Macbook Pro next to each other. Then take your index finger and very, very gently press on the screen of each and notice what happens to the screen. Whilst the 13" MBP may have lower specs and lower screen resolution than the Retina models, at least you don't have to worry so much about it breaking in your backpack or in the overhead locker.

Same here, all our machines are getting old (7 computers and devices) and I was planning a general upgrade but now, I'm putting everything on hold.

I just don't recognize the company that stood behind me and everything it did. This is not that company anymore and it means a lot of computer reshuffling. I can't even Eco mend Apple in all good faith anymore. The past year or two, I limited my judgement to hardware only, software, at your risk. Now, it's nothing unfortunately. Thankfully, Linux has gotten better and ready for prime time.

Something similar happened to me. I was playing crashdrive 2 and my mac froze on the loading screen, and it was also pretty hot. So I shutdown my macbook air and loaded it back up, but as soon as it turned back on the whole screen was grey,black and white with dead like pixles on it. I PANICKED! So my dad rang up Apple and they said that I would have to book a genus bar appointment. I was so upset and I only had it for two weeks. So I bought it into the Apple store and they technition said that I may have had my thumb in there or something. But I strongly remember just closing it and turning it back on. When the "genus" told me the price I was furious and I though how will my family afford this if it keeps happening. IT COST ME $600 AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS! Im only 12 and treet my mac like it's my brother and all my stuff is in great condition and I can use my stuff even after about 6 years. I never bash up or treat my stuff with disrespect and I rarely break anything, not even other peoples stuff. I am really annoyed with Apple for not just saying it was a faulty product, because I have an iPad, iPod Nano and an Apple TV and they are in wonderful condition, I also had an iPod Touch and it never broke or had a cracked screen, sadly it fell out of my mums bag when we were in a taxi and the person/people who came in after us may have saw it and decided to be dishonest and take it, and all of those products I had them for about a year and I still have my iPad and my iPod, and I got my Apple TV for christmas,still, that is longer than two weeks.

I love Apple products and refuse to use Windows, Samsung, Lg, Sony, Nokia, Telstra phones, Panasonic, etc, with acception of TVs, BlueRay players, fridges, mircowaves and other household appliances. ACCEPT SAMSUNG I will never use Samsung. If the happens again I won't bring it into Apple I will take it to a repair shop and they should give me a lower repair price.

iPad, iPod Nano, as you mention, have surfaces meant to 'roughed' a bit, and even touched on purpose.

None of that is the case of the Macbook Air LCD screen.

Its both never meant to be touched on purpose and has an alloy outer shell for a reason.

1. Did you ever/ often pack your Air in a bag or backpack? Thats the likely reason.

2. Did you ever lift/ move etc. your Air by holding it from the LCD? Thats also a very high likely reason.

Hi Connor,

I'm sorry to hear that and I can only imagine how distraught you must be. Indeed, I'm hearing a lot more about cracked screens on MacBook Air. I still hope they will repair mine.

<Edited by Host>

Hi Nicolas,

Thanks for the support, I have ordered a shell case and keyboard cover off eBay and I hope that will give my mac a bit more protection, I'm not expecting it to be super strong or anything but I hope it gives my mac a bit of protection just when it's in its bag of on a desk. Also the keyboard cover is pretty soft so when I close my mac the screen will hit the soft cover not the hard keyboard.

Hi,

I have never put my iPod or iPad in with my mac in its bag, and when I was 4 my dad got a family computer and my parents told me, ever time I picked it up, never to hold it by the screen and they still do it now, do I have kinda gotten into a routine to never hold it by the screen.

Connor220 wrote:

I have kinda gotten into a routine to never hold it by the screen.

This statement therefore indicates that sometimes you in fact DO carry it by the LCD display.

This should never be done, not even once.

Considerations for the long life of your Macbook Air. Handling and environmental care tips

No I didn't say I did hold it by the lcd I just said that my parents always told me to not hold it by the lcd

I don't think anyone is saying you do, although I reads like it. I reread all the emails in my inbox.

I uderstand your distress at your MBA screen cracking for no apparent reason. You just don't expect expensive computers to be that fragile. I beleive the cracked screen problem is much more common than many people (including Apple) will have you beleive. The large number of places now offering replacement screen repairs for MBAs suggests there is a thriving market for this service.

How to prevent it from happening again ?

Getting a plastic shell cover is a good idea, as it helps protect it in your backpack/locker etc.

However, I would worry about any keyboard cover as the gap between the keyboard and the screen when the MBA is closed is very thin and anything that comes between them will put stress pressure on the screen.

I would also recommend never closing the lid if your MBA feels hot. Turn it off or to sleep with the lid still open and then only close it once it has cooled down. My MBA screen cracked after closing the lid when the computer was quite hot from gaming (Minecraft).

We have another cracked MBA screen no sign of anything being dropped on it or any other stress put on it. We have only had it for two weeks and now it is has a cracked screen. $550 to repair it? We are trying to decide what to do. Having read all these posts I will go back to the apple store again and quiz them a bit more thoroughly about this. The MBA was recommended to us by the apple store for our daughter to take to school. I asked many questions about its strength and durability and was assured that it was as durable as any other lap top. This seems to have been totally false. When having suffered no impacts at all and for no obvious reason the delicate screen has cracked after only 2 weeks! Any recommendations on affordable repair options $550 seems too much.

Sounds like there was some kind of impact or stress put on the screen.

Hi Hughg63, I have the same problem. I can't even use my laptop anymore as most of the screen is failing. I'm a jounralist and treat my MBA like it was my child. I desperately need it for work, but can't use it. Unfortunately, I can't spend $400 to 550 to repair it. Mine had a faulty mother board after 11 months, then the hard drive died after another three months. A year later the screen cracked on its own. I've been dismissed at the few stores, as well as by a few members here. I'm using my 2003 PowerBook in the meantime, which still works flawlessly save for a broken key 🙂

I'm shocked to have been treated like this by Apple. 😟 I don't have hammer at the end of my arms and don't have the luxury to bash my laptop around.

Maybe a dust corn?