Design flaw in Macbook Pro late 2013?
Hi,
Looks like Macbook Pro late 2013 has a weakness, due to a design flaw. Let me explain:
My Macbook Pro late 2013 (13inch, Model: A1502) developed a dent (see attachment) and an Apple Store (Genius Bar) technician told me that this is a result of "excessive pressure" on the bottom case. He also mentioned that because the case is made of soft aluminium and it is only supported around the border (about where the screws are located), any "excessive" pressure in the middle may result into the aluminum case being damaged by the internal components; in this case the damage appears to have been caused by an internal bracket.
There is no sign of the bottom case being pushed inwards, there hasn't been any accident and I haven't stepped, or sat on, or otherwise mistreated my laptop, so I very surprised! Most of the time, it's sitting flat on a desk and only carried insider a padded pouch, inside a laptop-grade (padded) backpack! As you'll notice in the photo (and I can provide more photos, if needed), there is absolutely no other sign of damage, the curves look perfect, and the back plate is flat.
This is just a cosmetic damage and replacing the bottom case is the obvious solution but I still need to better understand the circumstances; I need to understand what went wrong and, if possible, how to prevent this from happening in the future .
I visited iFix it web site and carefully looked at the internals of the laptop, here:
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Retina+Display+Late+2013+Tea rdown/18695
It looks like the bottom base is only supported around its border. The middle of the bottom case has no backing to support it. While Apple could have designed a support structure around the battery cells and over the motherboard (logic board) and the back case, there is no support structure at all. Hence, pressing on the back of the laptop uniformly (e.g. while in a loaded backpack) will probably result to the back case being pushed inwards and, while aluminium does have some degree of elasticity, it can get damaged when hitting on a sharp object, such as an internal bracket. Hence, I guess the Apple technician is right, this is what probably happened to my laptop and I think this may have happened only in my backpack. But, how “excessive” can the pressure be on a Macbook Pro inside a high-quality, padded backpack?
If there are other MBPr users who have experienced this problem under normal everyday use, i.e. not due to an accident, could you please let me know?
I'd be grateful if Apple:
* Looked into this and provided a workaround, e.g. a more durable bottom case.
* Considered replacing our damaged cases for free.
* Published some numbers, to inform prospective customers about the durability of the laptop's case, e.g. in N/cm^2
* Took our experience into consideration when designing their new laptops.
Kind regards.
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013), OS X Yosemite (10.10.2), null