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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

meanfish

Level 1

0 points

Jun 12, 2006 9:13 PM in response to Shannon Mcmahon1

Read the forum above and you'll find out...

Etiquette, people!

(To answer your question, no, not in the same sense. People are reporting "smoothing" of the black finish, but not discoloration. Please read before you post next time!)

michelb

Level 1

15 points

Jun 12, 2006 9:55 PM in response to meanfish

"Smoothing", Kinda like the finish is coming off.

Thanks

mb

Jun 12, 2006 10:23 PM in response to michelb

My macbook is almost a month old (got it in my birthday May 18th) and so far I have no issues with discoloration anywhere. I must say that I'm not a 'heavy' user (I use my G5 most of the time) Although I do notice some 'whining' noise when I rum WinXP. My serial number starts with 4H619... will keep you updated if something comes up (hope it won't)

Jun 12, 2006 11:27 PM in response to stauffere

I have a similar problem with my TiBook. The metal around the trackpad has horrible black smudges. I keep my hands clean. AppleCare suggested it was a weird chemical reaction between my unique body chemistry and the metal. Again, they pleaded "cosmetic" and wouldn't replace the plate (which is a lame exception in the warranty, IMO). I hate how it looks. Some others complained about the problem online. Someone in Australia even got Apple to fix his.

Yoshi73

Level 1

0 points

Jun 13, 2006 3:15 AM in response to stauffere

Sorry, answered...

Jun 13, 2006 3:53 AM in response to decisivemoment

Yeah, for reference I've not seen an iBook this skeevy. My iBook has done 3 years hard time, and a Mr Clean eraser removes 'shininess' and greying from the case. The white does sort of dull over time, but not enough for you to notice (unless you get a new battery, and can see old and new plastic side by side).
I've got a friend who smoked and had a 14". Hers didn't look this bad either....

I've had cheap white vinyl things develop strange stains in the presence of bleach, oils (sunscreen, in this case) or solvents. Its not uncommon for all sorts of vinyl.

Apple's obviously changed the type of plastic used, and hopefully they will change the covers of the macbooks affected for cases without this chemical problem. (I think they normally add TiO2 to prevent yellowing but I'm no chemist)

Jun 13, 2006 5:30 AM in response to Yoshi73

Yellow here. Commented on by lots of people, including my wife who thinks its nasty. Serial of 4H62. Any relief from above?

Jun 13, 2006 6:03 AM in response to stauffere

Looks like Apple is going to have a handful one this one.

Sigh, the perils of owning inaugural tools...

JonBruc

Level 2

216 points

Jun 13, 2006 7:08 AM in response to stauffere

Has anyone tried opening the case? If this is heat-related, there should be similar/worse discoloration on the inside of the case, under the palm rests.
I read may of the posts, but did not see anyone who's gone in looking...

PaulNYC

Level 1

105 points

Jun 13, 2006 7:16 AM in response to JonBruc

I doubt very much that this has anything to do with heat. The palmrests on these things are always cool with occasional warmth but definitely not enough heat to cause any discoloration. Also, plastics take time to get discolored from heat.

stauffere Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 13, 2006 8:00 AM in response to stauffere

Serial: 4H619____

angelp

Level 1

15 points

Jun 13, 2006 8:47 AM in response to Rohit Malhotra

I've had mine for three weeks and it looks the same as when I got it. I use it several hours a day as well.

Jun 13, 2006 10:33 AM in response to stauffere

Can somebody try this to see if it works:

- Use a Mr Clean Magic Eraser
- Slightly dampen in Ethanol (pure ethilic alcohol)
- Rub quite hard on the palmrest

It did seem to remove a lot of the residue from mine.. can still see a slight shadow but nothing like it used to be.

A few points

- I do clean my hands often
-My MB is 2 weeks old
- Don't try this with the trackapd button, seems to be made of a slightly different material and it now looks whiter than the rest, like if I had removed the plastic coating. So: only on the palmrests

Tell me when you've done it. Seemed to help mine

Jun 13, 2006 10:42 AM in response to stauffere

I have an intensely defective MacBook with palm rests starting to discolor, serial number is 4H620

This MacBook is kind of like Christmas, you open it everyday to find a new problem that you didn't expect.

Jun 13, 2006 12:08 PM in response to Zoolabs

I'm sorry this is your first experience. Apple traditionally has produced quality products but does have some mistakes. The PB 5300 should never have seen the light of day. They also are extremely tight lipped when issues arise until they have a fix. Some, as you might know, had to arise from a class action.

G5 2.3 DP &G4 533DP & MB(w) 2.0 & iBook 600 Mac OS X (10.4.6) I suffer on Windoze at work.

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Yellow Discoloration