New MacBook Pro. Guess what? It’s got a top case alignment issue

When I drop close to two grand on a laptop, I expect perfection – or at least close to it. I noticed this case alignment issue with my new MacBook Pro about two hours after opening the box.

Notice the gap on the left side? The rubber contacts should be solid around the entire enclosure. I’m pretty sure it’s the top case and not the latch as well; slightly pressing down on the top of the unit shifts the gap to the right side of the laptop.

For size comparison purposes, the gap is slighly smaller than a 1/8″ stereo jack. I probably wouldn’t be concerned if I’d had the laptop for a few months, but I’d rather not get dust on the screen when it’s closed.

Apparently this problem isn’t completely unheard of online, but most of the posts seem to be from 2007 or older and are filled with far too much Internet lawyering rage. Since it’s a new unit, and I’d rather not have it in for repair right out of the box, Apple has claimed that they’ll email me some FedEx shipping labels so I can perform an exchange. They unfortunately won’t cross-ship the replacement, so I’ll have to blow away the drive tomorrow and re-copy all my music onto the replacement system when it arrives.

For what it’s worth: the labels have yet to show up in my inbox yet, but it’s the long weekend so I’ll cut them some slack.

Does anybody think I’m overreacting, or agree that this is something that shouldn’t happen? I never had the same issue with my white MacBook, so I’d at least like to see equal build quality between the two units. Not quite angry yet: just disappointed at the QC.

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