Q: My Retina Display has stain damage, HELP!!!

I had this problem on a refurbished 15" rMBP (Late 2013) for a few months. Finally, I bothered to get an appointment at an Apple Store today - the stain damage was very minor, only in parts of the top left border, but they still replaced the display free of charge. Incredibly they managed to do it in less than 2 hours! I managed to pick it up the same day, despite the store in central London being very busy. I'm very impressed from Apple's service - just go and get it fixed at the Genius Bar.

I am from the Philippines and I have a late 2015 Macbook Pro that has this problem. I have noticed it a few months back but every time I try to clean them out, they seem to be worsening until I dug deeper and researched. Luckily, we have a microscope here in the lab and here is what it looks like up close. It is clearly the AR coating peeling off, as if reacting to something. I clean it every other week with just the soft black cloth that came with the unit and yet after 7-months, this is the current state.

I'll check with Apple here and check-out how long it will take to repair this. I'll feedback in the future.

Hi I have late 2015 MBP retina and also suffered of stains in retina screen (antiglare coating)

Went to apple centre and the representative made Job card for ordering new replacement screen. They told me that replacement will be free of charge. I am waiting for their call to bring my rMBP for screen replacement.

But quality of antiglare film is terrible. It just peel off. My screen in Samsung.

Thanks DonDexter for the photos. I'm not a chemist, but suspect what it's reacting to is that highly corrosive gas that we're all so fond of breathing, oxygen. Makes sense as these screens seem to be disintegrating over time.

Anti-reflective coatings are a standard part of all manner of optics, and I've never seen this problem before in any of my telescopes, binoculars, or microscopes, so I don't know what Apple is doing. I'm guessing that  this problem will haunt even those of us who have had our screens replaced unless Apple has addressed the fundamental underlying issue, whatever that is. Apple doesn't comment, so we have no way of knowing whether they've fixed the problem of just replaced screens with the same coating material (which is my guess).

I preferred the matt screens in the past, but Apple no longer offers those.

If there are any chemists reading these pages, I would love to hear their thoughts.

Just wanted to state that at least on my unit the 'peeling' is more pronounced on the top half of the the screen which is closer to the palm rests and trackpad. I wonder if there are chemical emissions from the batteries reacting to the chemical composition of the anti-reflective coating. It is most pronounced though around the trackpad interfaces and I would understand this as there are tiny gaps around the trackpad for it to allow for movement during actual pressing. On the bottom half of the screen there are fewer 'peeling' and this portion is closer to the motherboard when the macbook is closed.

Got the same problem MBP 15 " late 2013

Same problem as everyone here.  Mac book pro 15" early 2013. Very disappointed ... Especially for a such price machine ... Cleaned weakly with a humid microfiber towel and bit of love !  I cleaned my old mac book pro the same way, without any problem before. Tim, please help us !

I am having this issue on the Early 2013 15" Retina MacBook Pro. I called AppleCare and was told that I needed to take it in for inspection. After reading some of these replies, I was hesitant to waste a trip to the closest Apple Store (about an hour both ways) unless I had some sort of guarantee that I could get a discount or something, due to the large amount of people having this problem. I am out of warranty, but this should be in a replacement program.

EDIT: Went to the local Apple Store today and got a replacement screen at no charge on the spot! It took less than an hour. I am extremely satisfied with the level of service I received.

discovered the same problem, it's a pity

Apple support asked to send them some pics 

it's only a beginning of the problem i suppose , and it will not get better in future

now waiting for the result )) hope they can fix it without a dispute

Hey! They should replace your whole screen free of charge, since it's faulty.

I discovered this issue last week on my rMBP, whilst I was cleaning the screen. My screen already had minor stains from before, but after wiping them with a slightly wet cloth, the stains got a lot worse.

I was shocked as the stains wouldn't come off, and at the time I didn't know they were permanent. I thought they were old smudges and bits of dust that simply didn't want to come off. I did some google searches and came across several articles along with this discussion page and then realised that the issue was serious.

Later in the evening, I contacted Apple Support via online chat and explained the issue as well as how it happened. They simply booked a Genie Bar reservation with my local Apple store. At the store, the technician checked out the screen and said that it will be replaced free of charge through a program. (Sorry, I don't remember the name of this program).

The technician took my rMBP in and replaced the whole screen within four days. I'm using it right now and it feels great to have it back. The service at my local store was fantastic and the staff were very kind.

*Just to mention, I did get asked:

- How long have I owned my rMBP for

- Where did I purchased my rMBP from

- How long have the stains been on the screen for.

*I pushed the points of mentioning that:

- I've been cleaning my rMBP the same way I used to clean my old MBP, which never developed any stains on its screen.

- Many users experiencing stains are having their screens replaced free of charge.

I have exactly the same issue with my 15 Inch MacBook Pro retina display and It looks like so many people having same issue. Definitely this is not the user fault as some many people having same problem. Apple should address this issue for their loyal customers and  keep running their business. We all want to hear the solution from Apple. ...

I have the same problem here.

It's a Retina, 13 inch, Mid 2014.

I'm going to the store to try my luck, but my expectations are not high.

Thanks for the update!  We are all anxiously waiting further news.

Hello there,

I also got the same problem with my 15” MBP late 2013. (bought August 2014)

It started a long time ago only around the iSight camera and the right corner above.

But since the last 2 weeks it getting worse and worse, if i clean my screen i can’t say the view is getting better

It’s good to know I am not the only with this problem.

Thanks for sharing the action which needs to be taken!