2011 MacBook Air Screen Problem

EJOE · January 26, 2020

Hello, I recently bought this pretty beat up mid 2011 MacBook Air. It has this really weird thing with the screen going on. At first I thought it was dirt or something but then I couldn’t take it off. It feels like it’s a small dent. Or maybe it’s just super stuck grime? Is there anyway to fix these little spots? The only thing I’ve searched that looks similar is anti glare but that started in 2012. Thanks for the help!

TheSLSAMG · January 26, 2020

It looks like what I'd expect damage to a screen to look like, though it appears to be in some kind of pattern. Is it possible that the laptop had one of those keyboard covers installed previously, and it could have damaged the display that way? I know my 2015 A1502 Retina MBP has a small mark on the display which looks similar and has a dead pixel behind it.

EJOE · January 26, 2020

13 minutes ago, TheSLSAMG said:

It looks like what I'd expect damage to a screen to look like, though it appears to be in some kind of pattern. Is it possible that the laptop had one of those keyboard covers installed previously, and it could have damaged the display that way? I know my 2015 A1502 Retina MBP has a small mark on the display which looks similar and has a dead pixel behind it.

That's what I thought too. But when It's on it doesn't affect the display at all other than being able to see the small dots on the screen. And possibly, I'm not sure.

dnyank1 · January 26, 2020

2 minutes ago, EJOE said:

That's what I thought too. But when It's on it doesn't affect the display at all other than being able to see the small dots on the screen. And possibly, I'm not sure.

Those are basically scratches in the screen from the keyboard, happens when pressure is placed on the lid while closed, and then it's wiggled back and forth... Like in a backpack. Worked retail repair, and short of cleaning the screen with a cloth moistened with LCD Cleaner / rubbing alcohol there's not much you can do about it.

EJOE · January 26, 2020

6 minutes ago, dnyank1 said:

Those are basically scratches in the screen from the keyboard, happens when pressure is placed on the lid while closed, and then it's wiggled back and forth... Like in a backpack. Worked retail repair, and short of cleaning the screen with a cloth moistened with LCD Cleaner / rubbing alcohol there's not much you can do about it.

That makes a lot of sense. Used to be owned by a college student. Anyways, thanks. It’s too bad there isn’t a cheaper replacement. The screens online are worth more than the laptop haha

dnyank1 · January 26, 2020

1 minute ago, EJOE said:

That makes a lot of sense. Used to be owned by a college student. Anyways, thanks. It’s too bad there isn’t a cheaper replacement. The screens online are worth more than the laptop haha

What makes those particularly difficult is you need a clean-room environment to service those LCDs, there's not a sealed panel in a housing like... every other machine - the lid itself IS part of the panel. For a 2011, it's just not worth it. That being said, if you plan on keeping or even flipping it, you should absolutely check out dosdude's catalina or mojave patcher to get a modern OS on the machine.

http://dosdude1.com/catalina/

Ashley MLP Fangirl · February 3, 2020

On 1/26/2020 at 6:14 AM, dnyank1 said:

Those are basically scratches in the screen from the keyboard, happens when pressure is placed on the lid while closed, and then it's wiggled back and forth... Like in a backpack.

I doubt it's from the keyboard, likely dust or bits of food or something on the actual keys that's scratching the display.