Several incidents of the M1 MacBook Pros and Airs sustaining screen cracks are being reported. What’s more baffling is that, based on these reports, the cracks seemingly appear for no apparent reason, with many frustrated users discovering them when they open the lid to use their laptops.
According to 9to5Mac, several users on both Apple Support Communities and Reddit have experienced the same issue, with some receiving free repair or replacement while the rest being forced to shell out a few hundred bucks to get their screen fixed.
One particular 9to5Mac reader, Ian Probert, said they were asked to pay £570 for the repair.
None of the accounts in these threads has pinpointed the specific cause. In fact, most users who experienced the issue are still baffled by it. Although, a handful of users are being told by Apple Support that they must have accidentally shut the lid on a speck of something, like an object the “size of a rice berry,” according to one user.
Too small to see
While the possibility of a cracked screen due to debris is always a risk with laptops, it seems like the culprit is too small for these users to have seen or noticed.
One user has speculated that it could also be due to the frame that holds the screen being too weak to properly safeguard it from torque force as it’s being shut closed or carried around.
Either way, this could possibly be a problem in the design itself, which Apple is hardly unfamiliar with. Older MacBooks have suffered from massive battery issues and faulty keyboards. Any laptop screen, especially one of such a premium notebook, should have been robust enough to withstand tiny debris or screen flexing.
Apple has yet to release an official statement on the matter, but hopefully, it’s able to find a solution before the next generation of MacBooks roll out later this year.