The case of a broken Macbook Air

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief August 28, 2011 · 2 min read

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This was supposed to be a minor accident involving my new Macbook Air a couple of days ago but it turned out to be pretty damaging actually.

The adaptor of my MBA slipped from my hands and dropped around 7 or 8 inches from the keyboard (near the area where the power button is). Hit the F11 and F12 keys and bounced to the lower right corner of the screen.

The screen blurred and I got this.

Looks like a gash but actually the LCD is fine — no cracks or bruises. It’s the panel inside that’s affected and the display has that bleeding effect with some 15-20% of the screen area already unusable.

I think it was just bad luck. My old Macbook Air suffered much worse accidents in the 9 or so month I used it. This new one — barely 3 weeks.

Brought it to the store where I got it for a check-up and they admitted the screen is somewhat fragile to have that kind of damage for a minor bump but could not do anything except for giving me the number of the Apple’s Customer Support.

I know accidental damage isn’t covered by the warranty so either I return it for parts replacement (they tell me it will cost between Php25k to Php30k) or I just figure out a way to get one from eBay.

For the meantime, I’ve hooked this up on an external monitor so I can still use it. Despite having a desktop PC and a couple other laptops around, I just don’t have the urge to blog without my Macbook Air (oh my, am I becoming a ~~Apple fanboy~~ Macaddict?).

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

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106 Comments

Apple Lover · 11 years ago

Guest what happened? They test my charger for 2 weeks then after the result of test they said that my charger is a fake (Good a fake included in the box what the hell!!!) then I purchase a brand new one in the PowerMac Megamall (Authorized Apple Reseller) they don’t want to open because it was sealed and need to purchase first. I bought one for 1,199.00 php after I open the adapter… What is this the same with the fake one that you don’t want to replace. Guys go to service center and watch the reactions of the customer inside, then you can decide if you will buy another apple products?

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James Zhang · 14 years ago

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Bless · 14 years ago

Did u have it fixed? I got mine for my macbook 13″ unibody for 9k. Boy it looked like new. They used the same screen for a lower cost. Had it assessed from apple service center and valued the repair at 72k.. I was like, u kidding me? Dava?

Jethro · 15 years ago

As Vegeta have said…….
SAD FOR YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUU

Or:

Vegeta! What does the scouter say about the replacement price?
Vegeta:It’s over 9000!

joseph · 15 years ago

ito yung main problem pag bumili ka ng mahal na gadget pag nasira MAHAL din ang repair…

RAWR · 15 years ago

Sir halata ba yung crack? pwede naman siguro sabihin na lang na hindi siya nabagsakan/naaksidente para icover ng warranty..

I have a unibody macbookpro 13.3″…one day nagloko battery then hindi na mabuhay..Ayun motherboard daw 30-40k repair…thats 3months after warranty..ok ang apple sa design at innovations…

Should have buy that applecare! DAMN!

justine · 15 years ago

Yan ba yung latest na MBA? With backlit keyboard? Damn! That was an awful experience. Gusto ko din magka Mac! :|

jonaflormicfren · 15 years ago

That is part of change and it need to be change.

gary · 15 years ago

all of these gadgets are disposable… better save your money, rather than buying those crap.

anna mae · 15 years ago

hi sir yuga – pag ayaw mo na po give mo na lang sakin, kung ok lang :)

Kyle · 15 years ago

For the price of the replacement parts, you can actually purchase the HP’s 11.6″ dm1z, which offers a real-life battery length of 9+ hours and is considered a serious alternative to the 11.6″ MBA in terms on portability and usability in Anandtech’s review.

daniel · 15 years ago

wahahaha sira! mac pa naman. siguro kahit mayaman na ako di ako bibili nyan! nakakalito ung keyboard at OS! nabuhay kasi akong windows eh. hahah

enuh · 15 years ago

Hi Yuga, If you’re a member of philmug, I believe there’s a mugger who does repair services on Apple products and can fix this at lower cost- I saw a mugger enlist his help in fixing a broken iPad 2 screen. He has a shop in greenhills. I can’t remember his username but if you browse through philmug you’ll find his name and contact information there. :)

Lester Bambico · 15 years ago

Papirmahan mo kay Steve Ballmer lol.
Mr. Ballmer, would you sign my mac?

Rizza · 15 years ago

Duh, sir Yuga! You’re a macaddict already! =) most of your reviews on ‘other’ gadgets were photographed with your macbook air as the background.

Bunny · 15 years ago

Don’t worry abe.. Ki-clck ko ad$sen$e ad$ mo para dumami earnings and makabili ka ng bagong mac book air.

Bunny · 15 years ago

Don’t worry, I-click ko adsense ads mo abe para pangdagdag ng earnings at makabili ka ng ng bagong macbook air.

EdwinC · 15 years ago

Ok lang ‘yan, Sir Yuga. Wealthy ka naman. You can afford to do that to your gadgets and still be able to buy a new one.

Messie · 15 years ago

I don’t understand. I’ve always seen people praising Mac due to it having the best After Sales Customer Support, is this only the case for official Apple Stores and not for Apple Premium Resellers? Bad trip naman if accidental damage is not included in the warranty, seeing that it is the usual reason to damage your product. (Factory damage have very small probability due to good QC)

gmx · 15 years ago

@garz pricing of parts of Macs are average compared to other PC manufacturers. In some cases, like with Sony and Fujitsu, the prices are higher.

garz · 15 years ago

That’s one disadvantage of getting a Mac. Premium parts and services..

Benchmark · 15 years ago

WOW! The busted screen looks familiar! :) It happen to me in my 1 week old Acer notebook….I slept on it while surfing…worse I had a table fan on it while on the top double decked bed.

At first I thought it was fine seeing a small glass bump on the screen…when I turned it on…OUCH! Only 1/4 of the screen is viewable! :(

Funny thing is, I was able to play Plants vs. Zombie on it for a month before I finally had it fixed! Hahahaha :-D

I am not sure with your mac, it cost me 7k for the busted LCD at M.O.A. (I can’t remember the name of that repair shop, I think its SST…)

Unknown Soldier · 15 years ago

your blog hits can make money to buy a new one lolz!

nameless · 15 years ago

Bad luck. Hindi ako makakatulog kung ganyan ngyari sa akin. well, buti nalang hindi ako apple boy! :D

techguy · 15 years ago

I can’t believe it will cost that much for a repair. At that price you can buy a new tablet pc or a laptop. An sukli pwede pa pambili ng murang celfon.

machonurin · 15 years ago

Hey Abe, the tricky part here is the experience and knowledge to successfully replace a precision-fit screen in one of the slimmest designs in the world. The MacBook Air does stray away from Apple’s typical nearly bulletproof designs, but that’s part of thinner is better, and the push for lighter units, with slimmer screens. Have you had any luck with Apple directly? Might still be able to add AppleCare to a unit inside it’s initial ninety days’ warranty, and at least get discounting on the service. You’ll still have the remainder of the AppleCare warranty for any manufacturing or component defects.

I feel for you. Wanted to cry when I saw my two-week old iPhone 4 had a scratch. They got me a new one, and I walked right next door for some OtterBox insurance.

Keep at it. Someone somewhere is bound to be sympathetic to your plight, and in a position to help..

Num Lock · 15 years ago

That’s one of the cons of this pricey slim laptops. Unlike my laptop which has an aluminum casing, it dropped around 3 feet inside my laptop bag and it’s still ok although it is heavy and thick.

Teknisyan · 15 years ago

Like what they say… “Once you go Mac, you can’t go back!!” heheheh

PinoyShopaholic · 15 years ago

Sell it for around 20k+ then buy a new one. =)

Jam. · 15 years ago

Same, I can’t blog on other laptops except on my MBP. The Fanboy disease, meron na tayo abe.

BTW,
Ask the guys at Philmug. Some of them can offer parts at cheaper prices

watrboy · 15 years ago

pa contest nyo na lang sir yuga.. hehe.. kabit na lang namen sa external monitor :)

miguel · 15 years ago

i suggest buying this one Abe…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17DPJHNVx2Q&feature=related

it has the latest hardware apple can offer… :P

fr0stbyte · 15 years ago

Being a fanboy costs money. I’d rather save up money for my retirement fund. lol

Ed · 15 years ago

Time to buy a screen protector.

Iyan Sommerset · 15 years ago

Not sure how it applies to unibody Macs, but the HP I’m using right now is on it’s second motherboard. GPU fried a while back. I just ordered a replacement board online (eBay I think) from one of those random parts stores and had my aunt bring it back. Installed it and works fine now.

I’m guessing a screen replacement might either be easier or trickier depending on how the Air is built, but getting a replacement online and sticking it in would be way cheaper than having official Apple support do it I suppose.

*as a side note* …really? I guess that’s how fragile those babies can get when they’re that thin. No “give” when it comes to a bit heavier-than-normal-usage. I wonder if there are reports of Airs damaged by people with really big/heavy hands.

jhepoyski · 15 years ago

oh sayang naman yan. pero grabe. ang LCD repair with labor sa normal is around 8K tops or depending sa screen. hehehe parang isang malaking amoled screen ang ipapalit dian ah. hehehehe.

Lintek Na MB Air · 15 years ago

What? 25 to 30k for just an LCD replacement or something like that?

Dalhin mo sa Luneta, tapos tawag ka ng reporter na may kasamang camera man from those big networks. Tapos apak-apakan mo hanggang madurog!

flyah · 15 years ago

try ifixit.com they sell parts at a cheaper rate. I got my replacement lcd screen for my MB for less than $200. that includes shipping via fedex.

PPC Manager · 15 years ago

Ok yan ah $200 lang. How did you get it repaird btw? Like pinadala nila yung replacement LCD and were did you get it installed?

flyah · 15 years ago

I followed the instruction video sa ifixit. after 20-30 mins, ok na siya ulit.

tikyo · 15 years ago

sir yugs, pa raffle mo na lang yan hehehe

Cocopako · 15 years ago

Wawa naman!

bryan_mmx · 15 years ago

not worth repairing. apple murders your wallet when you bought a brand new gadget, and then they overkill it on after sales.

jankeifer · 15 years ago

from my experiences, it really is a damaged LCD screen, even though you can’t see the crack.

can i just have it? haha.. :D

PPC Manager · 15 years ago

I accidentally “cracked” my mac book air’s screen a month ago and the replacement cost they( cebu’s iStore) gave me was around 40k. Share mo naman if you can find an alternative sa ebay. Which store ka pala magpapa-ayos na 25-30k lang?

wingatu · 15 years ago

probably a damage flex cable from the display to the motherboard.

Loudell · 15 years ago

That’s pretty bad bro.. MAC’s are just like a delicate woman.. they are expensive and fragile..

nameless · 15 years ago

Yes! Macs are like those Beautiful, delicate and fragile women! Exclusively for rich but dumb boys! :p

boggart · 15 years ago

get a pc!

Je · 15 years ago

Oh my, Macbook Air is my dream laptop (I can’t afford to buy one for myself) and it can get broken that easily? The replacement parts are way too expensive, buying a new one sounds better.