Cracked MacBooks: looking more closely underneath we find...

Photo source: ifixit.com

Over the weekend we noted that there's been what you could call an issue with cracks occurring on the casing of Apple's low-end MacBook laptops - frequently on the right-hand-side of the lower side.

We asked Apple about this, putting four five [thanks, EMComments] questions:

1. what structure is below the lower right-hand side of the MacBook casing (hard drive, power converter, etc)?
2. is Apple aware of MacBook case cracking as a product issue?
3. is Apple taking any action in its manufacturing to reduce the incidence of this cracking?
4. does Apple have any idea why this cracking might occur?
5. is there any manufacturing process reason why this cracking might occur (eg finish line of a mould, etc)?

Apple's response? "If a customer experiences an issue with their MacBook they should contact AppleCare."

I'm not sure though whether AppleCare (which I usually think of as a paid-for extended warranty) applies if you haven't purchased it. (The AppleCare, that is.) What if your machine is out of the 12-month warranty? I've asked Apple, which hasn't replied. So far.

Meanwhile it seemed obvious to look for some disassembly pics of a MacBook. And what do you know, ifixit has some. For example, choose to fix the right speaker on a MacBook and it will show you how to take the keyboard off the machine.

And there you find what lies on the bottom side of the right hand of the machine: its hard drive. You know, that thing that turns around and around and has to dissipate some heat - perhaps a bit more than the other space under that front area, which seems to be taken up by the battery. (Judge for yourself.)

So, a hypothesis: the hard drive warms the casing, and warms the strip at that point, which undergoes thermal cycling, eventually making it crack. This doesn't explain all the cracks that have been seen, but it's a start. Now, can Apple finish it?

Update: Apple has replied on the AppleCare question: "The customer can contact AppleCare regardless who will evaluate their case on an individual basis."

So we've answered (1) above here, and that might be the answer to (2). Three more to go!