Is the MacBook Air hinge located on the screen, or the bottom of the laptop?

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Is the MacBook Air hinge located on the screen, or the bottom of the laptop?

My MacBook Air hinge is completely loose, causing the screen to tilt back when I have it at an upright angle. I recently got the screen replaced (not even 6 months ago), and I just wanted to see if the loose hinges could be caused by something that may have happened during the screen repair process, or if they've given me a screen with terrible hinges. I just forked out $600+ for a new screen, and then had to buy a new charger as it burnt through itself (no idea how?) and I will be veeeeeeeeeeery cranky if it's going to cost me even more. I would never attempt repairing it myself even though I've seen lots of guides so please don't suggest that. My MacBook Air is a 13-inch, mid-2011 running Mac OS X 10.7.5. It is not under any warranty, which is why I had to pay for the screen.

Any suggestions as to how to go about this would be helpful.

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7.5), 13-inch, Mid-2011

Posted on Oct 15, 2013 5:57 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 15, 2013 6:08 PM in response to xtayla

Thats utterly normal, many people report that.

The hinge is UNDER the black plastic hinge cover, and attached to the body and the monitor.

Learn what you can do if you experience one or more of these issues with the hinges on your MacBook Air.

Unable to close lid completely.
Broken or cracked plastic near one or both of the hinges.
More than one inch (2.54cm) of free play while opening or closing the lid.
Lid falls freely into closed position from a 30-degree open position. (From a closed position, open the lid approximately 30 degrees and let go.)

END from Apple.com

*If you experience any of the 4 above, make a service call, otherwise all is normal

The hinge (pictured below) is the macbook AIR hinge, a friction hinge.

Due to the thin nature of the LCD backlit LED monitor on the Air, you would NOT WANT a very tight hinge.

Why? Excessive hinge resistance would cause the screen to BOW (and possibly crack), especially on a longer fulcrum from the hinge in the case of the 13" screen...... Ergo it is designed logically to be “looser than” a traditional macbook Pro's hinges for a very good reason.

Friction Hinge: A device with torque between two parts on a common axis.

A friction hinge is also commonly known as a:
Constant Torque Hinge, Position Hinge, Clutch, Torque Hinge, or Detent Hinge.

Common Applications include:
Laptop computers; lids, doors and enclosures; positioning device for controls, monitors, arms, seat rests

xtayla

My MacBook Air hinge is completely loose, causing the screen to tilt back when I have it at an upright angle.

Mine does the same, so have my 2 previous Air.

If you DO LIFT up your Air, any slight movement and the monitor will "flop open"...

NORMAL 😊

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Answer 2

xtayla Author

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Oct 15, 2013 6:10 PM in response to PlotinusVeritas

Thanks for the super quick & helpful response! 🙂

It's just very annoying as it always flops back when I'm trying to do things, or if I leave it open a little bit overnight, it will just close itself.

So you don't recommend taking it to the Apple store or anything of the sort?

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Answer 3

Oct 15, 2013 6:17 PM in response to xtayla

Yes, but youre moving it or lifting it when that happens.

what is "a little bit"??? 😊

Lid falls freely into closed position from a 30-degree open position. (From a closed position, open the lid approximately 30 degrees and let go.)

30 degrees is about 2.5 to 3 inches open

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Answer 4

xtayla Author

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Oct 15, 2013 6:14 PM in response to PlotinusVeritas

I'm not very good with angles... it's probably 30 degrees then.

It's only sort of recent that it's seemed "looser" but it's probably all in my imagination. 😝

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Answer 5

Oct 15, 2013 6:18 PM in response to xtayla

Apple demos open / close of the Air with a single finger,.....theyre all much easier to open than the macbook Pro which I also have.

On the thin screen and lightweight base, if the hinge was TOUGH to open, when you opened it, the bottom would lift up off the table 😊

I get that feeling after using a macbook Pro or my other laptops for a while, I sometimes forget it takes a feather-touch to open the Air.

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