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Yellow Discoloration

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I have a three week old Macbook. The plastic on the palm rest and on the screen bezel where you open the screen has begun to have a yellow discoloration. At first, I thought it was dirty so I cleaned it with the stuff that I used to clean my iBook with and it had no effect (tried several things, a damp cloth, Windex, Magic Eraser). I thought it was some dirt from touching it but then I noticed that it was starting to appear at the bottom of the screen, where I have never touched this thing. I am concerned that there is a problem with the plastic that they made the palm rests out of. It is a different material than what was used on the iBook, I think.

So, does anyone have any insight into what caused this or how to clean it off? I know it doesn't affect how it operates but I don't want a brand new laptop that looks like I chain-smoked three packs a day while using it.

PowerMac G5 2x2GHz, Macbook 1.83, Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Posted on Jun 10, 2006 11:00 AM

262 replies

PaulNYC

Level 1

105 points

Jun 11, 2006 4:18 PM in response to MacFan-Fl

yeah, my father's wallstreet from 1998 is still going strong! OS hasn't been reinstalled for the last 5-6 years and never a hitch. It just keeps working and working and working. Only thing is the hinges are getting a little loose, but they still work. everything else is still perfect.

I don't know what Apple is up to, but I am really beginning to doubt their expertise as a computer hardware maker. they can make great software, but their hardware is very lacking as of recently.

Jun 11, 2006 4:24 PM in response to MacFan-Fl

Now I am wondering about the plastic too.. the MB does smell very plasticy when I open it, but it's also brand new too.

It's not a hard plastic, so it makes sense it'd be outgassing. I wonder if it's a latex which does yellow, or a PVC like a shower curtain or even some sort of odd rubber. Or if it's just plastic, but textured.

Mine is not yellow but I can see how oils and stuff would get into it, because I did stain it with a gel pen (water soluable) and a small drop of oil, and it took a bit of hard scrubbing to get both out.

Nobody has posted pictures yet.

PaulNYC

Level 1

105 points

Jun 11, 2006 4:27 PM in response to Technarch

Yes, plllllleaaaase, post some pictures! Thanks.

Jun 11, 2006 4:33 PM in response to stauffere

yes, please, post some pics, 'cos I'm very sad about this new problem affecting our macbook. Mine is completely white, at the moment, but I've bought it on thursday, so probably it's too early...

Jun 11, 2006 5:24 PM in response to Technarch

Technard:

What did you use to get the stain out? As far as pics, I tried taking one with my digital camera but its hard to see due to the flash. And without the flash it seems to be one of those that are hard to capture. I'll try again tomorrow.

Mine is not yellow but I can see how oils and stuff
would get into it, because I did stain it with a gel
pen (water soluable) and a small drop of oil, and it
took a bit of hard scrubbing to get both out.

Nobody has posted pictures yet.

carl wolf

Level 6

14,625 points

Jun 11, 2006 5:28 PM in response to stauffere

"Or if it's just plastic, but textured."

Oh, you mean "textured plastic". As a matter of fact the term "plastic" includes many different compositions, including "PC/ABS" which is what the MacBook coverset is made of.

Jun 11, 2006 6:41 PM in response to MacFan-Fl

I used water.

But for stubborn **** I highly recommend castile soap. It works wonders at getting oil and dirt off, and is not some nasty toxic chemical. Get real castile, not fake. It's a liquid too. I would try dipping a bit of it on a moist cloth and scrub it in circles and see what happens. Thing is though, if it works, then it's uneven. You'll have to remove the entire palmrest cover so you can scrub it properly on the kitchen counter.

Carl: ABS eh. I wonder why they didn't go with hard and shiny like the exterior casing.

My book is a week 20, 4H620. Yellowers could look at their serial. See if a pattern exists.

tswartz

Level 1

0 points

Jun 11, 2006 6:48 PM in response to maurizio79

Took it into the Genius Bar today -- he hasn't seen this problem yet and wasn't sure what to do. I ordered my MacBook online, so he didn't have much help for me. He told me to get AppleCare to look at it, which I will try for tomorrow. Hopefully I don't have to be without a computer for too long -- after I shell out $1600 I don't want to wait for Apple's own errors to be corrected.

I'm not a smoker, nor am I ever around any. Here's some quick pictures I took, they aren't great but good enough to see the discoloration:
http://flickr.com/photos/tswartz/tags/macbook/

Pretty big issue if you ask me. Mine also kernel panics at its own will, some of the casing isn't on the MacBook and it moos more than a farm. I love Apple and all, but...

Jun 11, 2006 7:30 PM in response to tswartz

nice pics. this is the exact same coloring of my stain. kind of an orangy/pink. it can't be a coincidence that it's right on the area where the palms rest.

i think this is some kind of oxidation or other chemical reaction of the plastic with the oils from the skin. it's not a surface stain like dirt or something. i would think the extended furthur down INTO the actual plastic itself. which would be bad. they should've just used the same plastic as on the outside...

jisu Min

Level 1

0 points

Jun 11, 2006 7:38 PM in response to tswartz

Those stains are hideous. I'll bet a lot of white MacBook users are terrified of how their shiny pearl-colored handrests will look like a couple of weeks from now 🙂.

No seriously, I own one as well and want to know how Apple's gonna take care of the issue. This is ridiculous for a 1600 dollar toy.

Nick A

Level 4

1,522 points

Jun 11, 2006 7:45 PM in response to jisu Min

I'm not trying to be condescending, but how come the pcis look like a bad photoshop job?

tswartz

Level 1

0 points

Jun 11, 2006 7:57 PM in response to Nick A

Because everything that shouldn't happen to an electronic is "Photoshopped" until other people post pictures that look the same. Remember the burnt magsafe pictures that surfaced? Everyone said the same about that as well.

Nick A

Level 4

1,522 points

Jun 11, 2006 7:58 PM in response to tswartz

No, I'm just saying it looks like the spray paint tool of photoshop was used. I'm not trying to say they're false or whatever. If this is a widespread issue where are other photos for comparasion?

Nick

Jun 11, 2006 8:05 PM in response to tswartz

Wow those pictures are disgusting. I have gray discoloration in the same regions of my MacBook.

Looks like yet another problem to add to the countless that plague the MacBook.

Nick A

Level 4

1,522 points

Jun 11, 2006 8:16 PM in response to ArianBlackthorne

pics? Also take some windex to it and report back.

nick

Yellow Discoloration