Space Black Color Durability Issues

[ascender]

You need to measure durability over months and years...

I'm sure this new colour will be just fine as the others have been. Apart from the odd quality control issue, or scratches from cables, I can't remember the last time we had a proper, actual issue with the finish on a laptop?

 

[Mavrack]

Not having any luck here ladies and gents. 4th one in a row with scuffs straight out of the box…

View attachment 2312840

Exchanged this unit, new one is close to perfect, finally got lucky 🙂

 

[Filmx]

My 14" Space Black is perfect. The 16" just has that one scratch around the trackpad, which if I decide to go with the 16" I will exchange. Wondering about port wear though. I just can't get over how good looking the Space Black is and I am normally a Silver over Space Gray guy. I also went with the base M3 Max which will future proof for several years. Now just deciding on 14" vs 16".

what are your thoughts so far? I have a 14" 16/40/64GB/4TB space black scheduled to be delivered next week but am uncertain if I made the right choice. I'm coming from a 13" M1 and previously had a 16" Intel i9 MBP which I always found to be cumbersome to carry around. The fan noise on the 14" I've seen discussed is worrying me a bit along with the throttling and the space grey color "issues" (scratch potential). Have you noticed significantly more fan noise in the 14"?

 

[G&N]

The only thing is... how long will it have that 'perfect' look?

I planned to buy a 16" Space Black because it looks a bit more compact than the Silver model. However reading this thread convinced me to stay in the Silver camp

If you scuff the silver finish, it still shows the metallic color of aluminum, which is different than the color of silver finish. So yeah, it's just black MBP shows more than silver ones do.

 

[FrankySavvy]

what are your thoughts so far? I have a 14" 16/40/64GB/4TB space black scheduled to be delivered next week but am uncertain if I made the right choice. I'm coming from a 13" M1 and previously had a 16" Intel i9 MBP which I always found to be cumbersome to carry around. The fan noise on the 14" I've seen discussed is worrying me a bit along with the throttling and the space grey color "issues" (scratch potential). Have you noticed significantly more fan noise in the 14"?

You really have to push the 14" to get the fan to spin up. 99%. of the time it isn't on. I will say I'm siding with keeping the 14" over the 16" - but it's close. I do like the larger display for some work flows especially coding. Although every time I pick up the 16" I always hope it's going to be lighter. The speakers are slightly better on the 16", but the 14" already has amazing speakers, I feel the sized portability is more worth it.

 

[Royksöpp]

It's going to chip and scratch just like all of Apple's dark colored products. The chances of defects showing are even higher, especially with Apple's current QC. Personally I would stay far away from it. Silver is a classic and it's used for all of Apple's other Pro products. No offense to anyone that bought the Space Black, but it looks like a supersized Surface laptop.

 

[maka344]

Exchanged this unit, new one is close to perfect, finally got lucky 🙂

Close to perfect?

 

[Mavrack]

Close to perfect?

There’s an extremely tiny silver edge/dot in the coating around 2mm in length (looks like a spec of dust) near the exhaust vent crevice where you can’t see it unless you’re really looking. Might as well be on the inside of the machine at that point.

Rest of the machine is flawless. Think this is as close to “perfect” as you can get without whipping out a microscope.

Was very relieved to get a good one

 

[jav6454]

So I love the new Space Black, and I have owned the midnight blue air that suffered from being a finger print magnet and the color durability and wear being an issue especially around the USB ports.

I know that new space black color is anodized aluminum.

Anyone with any issues yet? How do we feel this color will hold up?

Expect niks and scratches to be quite visible.

 

[FrankySavvy]

I am liking the fact that we haven't seen much about scuffing around the USB-C ports like we did when the Midnight Black color launched on the MacBook Air.

 

[Filmx]

I am liking the fact that we haven't seen much about scuffing around the USB-C ports like we did when the Midnight Black color launched on the MacBook Air.

Supposedly the openings of the ports are more rounded off to make insertion easier.

 

[FrankySavvy]

This is less about the color durability and more about QC on Apples part, but exchanged the 16" M3 Max for the higher end 16/40 version and there was a dent around the screen enclosure. See images attached. Very strange.

Will be exchanging tomorrow.

 

[Filmx]

This is less about the color durability and more about QC on Apples part, but exchanged the 16" M3 Max for the higher end 16/40 version and there was a dent around the screen enclosure. See images attached. Very strange.

Will be exchanging tomorrow.

Which config did you have originally? What was the reason for the change?

 

[MayaUser]

why is still exists even in late 2023?
You are buying MacBook pros as a tool or as an piece of art?
Even cars can have dents, scratches and so on if they are hit or touched
Buy a case if this is the most importing thing for you

 

[Lotuskid]

why is still exists even in late 2023?
You are buying MacBook pros as a tool or as an piece of art?
Even cars can have dents, scratches and so on if they are hit or touched
Buy a case if this is the most importing thing for you

its funny i used the car example in a similar way about leather cases in another thread. I do like the analogy that the car will eventually collect little dents and scratches during ownership, because its a tool, just like the laptop.

but if you bought a brand new car from the dealer would you accept a few dents and scratches? during ownership is one thing, but if i'm paying new price, i'd expect it to be, well, new

 

[nikster0029]

Posted this in another thread, but I thought it would be relevant here too. Love the colour, but I’ve had issues with my models coming with scuffs or marks.

First one had a inch long scratch, second one had the following scuffs:

View attachment 2312604

View attachment 2312606

Third one had the following (smaller) scuff and has a dead pixel, going to try and exchange it later this week:

View attachment 2312607

I have had the same exact scuff on the side of my laptop on two 16 inch pros exchanged weeks apart... time to go back to silver unfortunately.

 

[Thymio]

This is less about the color durability and more about QC on Apples part, but exchanged the 16" M3 Max for the higher end 16/40 version and there was a dent around the screen enclosure. See images attached. Very strange.

Will be exchanging tomorrow.

Yikes

but at least the anodizing appears strong

 

[mdhaus72]

This thread is pretty incredible to me. I can understand people being upset about a dent in the new device...but some of these complaints and comments are more than a bit elitist.

 

[pavinder]

its funny i used the car example in a similar way about leather cases in another thread. I do like the analogy that the car will eventually collect little dents and scratches during ownership, because its a tool, just like the laptop.

but if you bought a brand new car from the dealer would you accept a few dents and scratches? during ownership is one thing, but if i'm paying new price, i'd expect it to be, well, new

I agree that you don't want a damaged product, but some of the things people are complaining about in this thread are:

• ridiculously small, only infinitesimally affecting the aesthetic appearance of the device (like, does anyone ever regularly spend time looking at the back or underside of their machine)?
• of a size likely to be inflicted by the user themselves within a short time of using the machine
• absolutely not going to have any impact on the usage or function of the device

The fact that one poster has sent back 4 devices for such tiny "problems" screams not of Apple having terrible quality control but of an abnormal level of oversensitivity on his part.

 

[FrankySavvy]

Space Black Manufacturing Process Imperfections exist but are "normal".

Out of all the Space Black units I have seen in store, exchanged - I would say 80-90% of them have some machined type imperfections. The machined edges on a lot of the Space Black models can show the silver aluminum on the edge where it is cut/sculpted (see pictures attached). I have seen this around the trackpad, keyboard well, rear hinges, side vents, display lid and bottom panel edges. Some are nearly imperceptible and some are much more noticeable.

These imperfections are on all colors, but are most noticeable on the darker space black color. I spoke to an Apple Store manager and he said he had seen this on some of the in store models and it was just the nature of the manufacturing process.

I have personally exchanged a few models due to some more noticeable imperfections and the latest model I have is the cleanest I have seen. It has a slight exposed silver edge near the rear left hinge and a very slight silver exposed edge on the bottom right front, almost imperceptible. As I have seen this on almost all Space Black models, I have come to terms with it being "normal" for the color. Only other choice is to go with silver which my OCD definitely has me debating, but the Space Black does look amazing.

On a side note, one of the models I had exchanged showed a chip around the USB-C port after being used only once (see image attached), so I would recommend using the MagSafe port for charging or if you do use the USB-C port, get a magnetic adaptor like this to reduce the amount of times you are attaching and removing the cable.

Space Black definitely is more susceptible to showing wear so be very careful or just go with the silver color.

 

[JackNL]

At first I planned buying a space black 16" however I grabbed the silver one yesterday, just because I know by experience that they can look as new even a few years in.

 

[FrankySavvy]

That's my worry. How is everybody else doing with their Space Black?

 

[mdhaus72]

Space Black Manufacturing Process Imperfections exist but are "normal".

Out of all the Space Black units I have seen in store, exchanged - I would say 80-90% of them have some machined type imperfections. The machined edges on a lot of the Space Black models can show the silver aluminum on the edge where it is cut/sculpted (see pictures attached). I have seen this around the trackpad, keyboard well, rear hinges, side vents, display lid and bottom panel edges. Some are nearly imperceptible and some are much more noticeable.

These imperfections are on all colors, but are most noticeable on the darker space black color. I spoke to an Apple Store manager and he said he had seen this on some of the in store models and it was just the nature of the manufacturing process.

I have personally exchanged a few models due to some more noticeable imperfections and the latest model I have is the cleanest I have seen. It has a slight exposed silver edge near the rear left hinge and a very slight silver exposed edge on the bottom right front, almost imperceptible. As I have seen this on almost all Space Black models, I have come to terms with it being "normal" for the color. Only other choice is to go with silver which my OCD definitely has me debating, but the Space Black does look amazing.

On a side note, one of the models I had exchanged showed a chip around the USB-C port after being used only once (see image attached), so I would recommend using the MagSafe port for charging or if you do use the USB-C port, get a magnetic adaptor like this to reduce the amount of times you are attaching and removing the cable.

Space Black definitely is more susceptible to showing wear so be very careful or just go with the silver color.

I’m sorry…but if it has gotten to the point that the advice being given to people is that we need to “not use our ports as much” because there may be a tiny, almost imperceptible amount of imperfection that appears as a result, then this is proof-positive that this debate has gone completely overboard. I have a 16” Space Black model. Does my unit have any insanely small imperfections like mentioned in this thread? Maybe…I don’t know - Because it ultimately doesn’t matter!

If you get your new MacBook and there is a huge gash, broken screen, faulty keys, or something similar on it, fine…do a return. Store returns are meant for significant failings of that type. But the things being shown and described in this thread as reasons for return are just WAY over the top.

There is ALWAYS going to be a certain amount of wear-and-tear on these machines as they get used...WHICH IS FINE. It’s not the end of the world! Your MacBook will still look great and other people are not going to be inspecting your machine in public or judging you because of a tiny, insignicant chip that occurs around a hinge or port.

By returning your laptop over and over again for something that is so insignificant, all you are doing is wearing yourself down mentally with stress, while also increasing costs for yourself and all of us, and decreasing inventory of great, wonderful units. Just relax…It’s a laptop! It’s not life-and-death!

 

[mdhaus72]

At first I planned buying a space black 16" however I grabbed the silver one yesterday, just because I know by experience that they can look as new even a few years in.

The Space Black units will look fine a few years in…just like every other model. Going with a color you don’t like as much because of a fear of something cosmetic that ultimately means little to nothing is silly and over-the-top.

 

[JackNL]

The Space Black units will look fine a few years in…just like every other model. Going with a color you don’t like as much because of a fear of something cosmetic that ultimately means little to nothing is silly and over-the-top.

To each their own.