Dear Mac Users,

My regular clients and readers ARE NOT GETTING THIS MESSAGE!  This is exclusive to you and you alone….

There is a growing problem with Apple’s MacBook laptops.  The plastic area where you rest your wrists has been known to chip off in sliver like pieces.

On my MacBook, purchased in Feb. 2008, a 1.5 inch by 1 mm. slice of white plastic came off of the keyboard cover on the right wrist rest.  Similar issues are affecting thousands of Mac Book owners.   Typically the affected area of defect is exactly where the magnetic closures above the screen meet the wrist rest area, ie. when the screen is closed.    You did not do anything wrong if this happened.  Note:  this does not happen to all MacBooks.

If this affects you directly:  your local Apple Store’s Genius Bar, aka. tech support, has been authorized by Apple to fix the problem.   Due to their work flow it could take them 3 to 5 days to fix this.   It is a multi-hour process and the keyboard cover section will be replaced for free if you are still under your Apple Care warranty.    Your laptop came with an 1 year warranty when you purchased it.   I likely recommended that you buy the extended Apple Care plan which gives you 3 total years of warranty, phone support and service from Apple or authorized facilities.   On the 13 inch MacBook this warranty costs $249 retail, but could be cheaper if you shop around.  The student / faculty price is $183.  Buy it.  This is one of the few extended warranties I’ll recommend buying because all of you live near an Apple Store — in the event of warranty repair service becoming an issue.

Note:  MacBook Pro laptops, with the aluminum casing (15 and 17 inch models) are not affected.