I thought you might find this interesting. I bought my MacBook the day they came out at the San Francisco Apple store. I’ve had major discoloration with it (partly because my work environment is so dusty).
I was going to take it to the Apple Store (as noted they will replace or do whatever with the plastic). Then, today, I looked at the dirty edge of my MacBook, and it was — for lack of a better word — fraying. With a little nudging, the “surface” of my dingy MacBook began to peel away, revealing a beautiful white plastic underneath.
My MacBook had been running very hot for about 30-45 minutes before this happened (I was doing some heavy processing). Since my MacBook has cooled it has stopped peeling.
So, either someone somewhere forgot to take the protective coating off my MacBook, or I’ve burned through an intended layer of plastic. This is odd, as I’ve previously tried various ways of “cleaning” my MacBook to no avail — strange it should just start to peel now.
I don’t know if this is the reason for anyone else’s discoloring, or if mine (with this layer peeling away) will start to discolor in different ways. In any case, that’s my story.
Sorry the photos are so blurry, the only camera I had on hand was my Pocket PC (ick!).
Four larger (albeit blurry pics) after the jump…
(Contributed by: Tim Nevits)

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Apple has released another SMC firmware update, this time it appears to be just for the MacBook and not the MacBook Pro.

The SMC Firmware Update adjusts fan behavior in the MacBook. After this update has completed successfully, your SMC Version will be: 1.4f10.The updater application will be installed in the /Applications/Utilities folder.

Apple – Support – Downloads – MacBook SMC Firmware Update

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Evidence of battery, logic board-related issue Further evidence is appearing that would seem to indicate that at least some SuperDrive issues are related to problematic batteries or logic boards. Readers continue to report improved function after receiving replacement batteries and/or logic boards.

MacFixIt – MacBook and MacBook Pro SuperDrive failure (#3): Evidence of battery, logic board-related issue; PMU resets working for some; mo

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I haven’t experienced any problems with the SuperDrive in my MacBook Pro, but others have:

A surprisingly high number of readers have responded to our initial coverage of an issue where the SuperDrives in both MacBooks and MacBook Pros fail — generally with an inability to mount or read data from otherwise viable media… in most cases, the problem affects CDs, but issues with DVDs have also been reported. The problematic discs mount properly and can be read from other Macs, but fail the same processes when inserted into some MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

MacFixIt – MacBook and MacBook Pro SuperDrive failure (#2): Battery-related?; Try PMU reset; more

technorati tags:MacBook, MacBookPro, SuperDrive

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It appears that Apple is on track to release Merom-equipped MacBooks and MacBook Pros as soon as next month. Merom, you’ll remember is Intel’s new cooler-running Core 2 Duo mobile chip with 4MB L2 cache for notebook computers

Sources at PC and notebook component makers indicated that Apple will launch its MacBook laptops using Intel’s new 64-bit Merom CPU in September, with associated OEM makers, such as Asustek and Quanta Computer, expected to benefit from that, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.

DigiTimes >> New Merom-based MacBooks to boost orders at Asustek and Quanta

technorati tags:Intel, Merom, Core2Duo, MacBook, MacBookPro

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One of my clients found themselves overdue for ordering new PC laptops for their business, but were out of options: the Dell Latitudes they’d bought over the last five years had not held up well, and the HP laptops they bought more recently couldn’t accommodate reasonable upgrades and were heavy and unpopular with users.

I arranged with Apple Enterprise to obtain four MacBooks for a month long trial to determine if Apple’s new Intel based laptops could replace PC laptops in a business environment running Windows. Here’s an introduction to what I learned in using MacBooks and BootCamp to run Windows.

Roughly Drafted >> Do MacBooks Make Business Sense as PC Laptops?

technorati tags:MacBook, PC, Notebook, Intel, Windows

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One of our readers has sent us an Apple’s internal document providing additional information concerning the MacBook palmrest issue. This information is valid world-wide. To have its MacBook case exchanged, the following points have to be met…

Hardmac.com : Le “Macbidouille” in English

technorati tags:MacBook, Palmrest, Discoloration

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Some weeks back a reader sent a link to an Apple forums thread where some White MacBook owners reported discoloration of the palmrest area (the thread was pulled IIRC). Apple now has a kbase doc titled About white MacBooks’ palmrest area

Accelerate Your Macintosh! News Page – 7/24/06

technorati tags:MacBook, Discoloration

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DynaPack International Technology is confident its monthly revenues will continue to grow in the second half of this year, thanks to substantial orders for battery modules for the MacBook and a new customer, according to the company.

DynaPack attributed strong revenue growth in May and June to the rapid growth of MacBook shipments. The company is positive about its shipments not only for MacBooks, but also from new orders and anticipated demand growth driven by the back-to-school season.

DigiTimes > Battery maker DynaPack sees robust sales from MacBook

technorati tags:MacBook, Battery

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Looking for the perfect fit for your new MacBook? Look no further than the small Alley shoulder bag made by STM and distributed by RadTech. I like to keep my mobile load light and this bag weighs in at a svelte one pound six ounces. More than just a laptop sleeve, the Alley has a nice zippered compartment in the outer flap, the ability to hold letter size documents and a small phone pouch on the strap.

Priced at only $39.95, the Alley is as much a bargain as the MacBook itself. This vertical shoulder bag reminds me of the similarly bargain priced TiBag, designed specifically to fit the Titanium G4 PowerBook a few years back. While STM does not deliver the high style of fellow Australian bagmaker Crumpler, they provide a trim understated solution that protects your MacBook with a minimum of fuss. It is available in black or green and my only suggestion would be to replace the green with a light gray or silver color and to provide a contrasting lighter color fabric for the bag interior.

Combine the small Alley case with a BT510 mid-size Bluetooth mouse, to keep your MacBook mobile and light. Available in black or white to match the MacBook I find the size and simplicity of this mouse a perfect compromise between portability and useability. In fact, this mouse and bag combination seem tailor made for the new MacBook and it would be hard to find a better fit for what may be the best Apple value ever in a notebook computer.

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