M2 MacBook Air smells sweet?

[raidbossreid]

I got an M2 MacBook Air in January 2023.

All was working great and then I started noticing a sweet smell.

Then I noticed prolonged use would cause headaches and sinus irritation.

Went to my apple store and they shipped it off to be looked at.

They had to replace my entire mobo/cpu and the wifi/bluetooth module.

Apple said it was likely damaged from a drop. I've never dropped this device nor mishandled it.

Now I have a (basically) brand new machine and I still get a sweet smell when it's stored in my bag for prolonged time.

Does anyone have this same issue? Is it normal? Is my computer gonna blow up?

Thanks

[BiotechBen]

13 minutes ago, raidbossreid said:

I got an M2 MacBook Air in January 2023.

All was working great and then I started noticing a sweet smell.

Then I noticed prolonged use would cause headaches and sinus irritation.

Went to my apple store and they shipped it off to be looked at.

They had to replace my entire mobo/cpu and the wifi/bluetooth module.

Apple said it was likely damaged from a drop. I've never dropped this device nor mishandled it.

Now I have a (basically) brand new machine and I still get a sweet smell when it's stored in my bag for prolonged time.

Does anyone have this same issue? Is it normal? Is my computer gonna blow up?

Thanks

What kind of sweet smell, is it fruity, is it like artificial sweetener sweet, is it like musky sweet(bacteria), is it more of a chemical sweet(either plastic or pcb)?

[johnno23]

Never heard of the issue but have had a sweet smell from my backpack after forgetting I had some mint tic tacs in there for months on end.

As for possible causes maybe you are sensitive to particular adhesives or something?

with a little heat the smell is noticeable and could possibly be the sticky substances on tapes for batteries tape to hold wires in place kaptan tapes covering circuits ?

 

 

[raidbossreid]

11 minutes ago, BiotechBen said:

What kind of sweet smell, is it fruity, is it like artificial sweetener sweet, is it like musky sweet(bacteria), is it more of a chemical sweet(either plastic or pcb)?

Artificial sweetener sweet. I had to change out an ipad battery once and it smells like that.

I assume it's the lithium battery.

[DrMacintosh]

Your computer is not at risk of exploding.

 

I’d like to ask if you use any moisturizer, lotions, etc. with a scent like this? Have you confirmed that it’s the laptop and not something in your space by taking it outside, using it elsewhere, etc.? 

[DrMacintosh]

Just now, raidbossreid said:

Artificial sweetener sweet. I had to change out an ipad battery once and it smells like that.

I assume it's the lithium battery.

Batteries don’t have a scent that I’m aware of. I would wash any bags that you put your electronics in with some good detergent. I think you’ve got a substance coming in contact with your tech causing the smell. 

[raidbossreid]

Just now, DrMacintosh said:

Your computer is not at risk of exploding.

 

I’d like to ask if you use any moisturizer, lotions, etc. with a scent like this? Have you confirmed that it’s the laptop and not something in your space by taking it outside, using it elsewhere, etc.? 

No doubt that it's the laptop.  If I pull it out of the sleeve and smell the keyboard it is strong and then goes away.

I've changed out an ipad battery before and it smells like that did. I assume it the lithium.

Maybe the battery is off gassing some in storage? Is that normal?

[ThousandBlade]

The smell could be something that came from your bag, not the computer it self.

Also could be off gassing from the Apple logo, legend says whom ever takes a big whiff of it will go to heaven and be granted eternal life.

people used to vigorously suck the charging port of Iphones just to get a taste of what you get everyday for free

your a luck man, I really envy you. Not everyone will come across a sacred artifact like this.
Spread this word far and wide, other apple user will go on a pilgrimage from all over the world to see this wonder.
 

 

both are just as likely

[johnno23]

If it were normal I would expect there to be thousands of online complaints and chatter. Been using macs since 1983 and never heard anyone say a mac smelled sweet.

 

[seanondemand]

This is… extremely weird. I wonder if something in the materials of your bag is reacting to the aluminum body somehow? Have you tried a different bag, just as an experiment?

[zwirek2201]

7 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Batteries don’t have a scent that I’m aware of.

They absolutely do. A sweet smell could indicate a faulty battery. Batteries containing lithium would often smell sweet if damaged. The sweet smell is caused by lithium escaping. As an fpv drone pilot I will usually smell my batteries after a heavy crash, if a LiPo smells sweet, in most cases one cell is dead.

I would have a look at how your battery charges and discharges. If you are getting a worse battery life than what you expect, one of the cells may be busted. I would also look at the laptop case to see if it's not bulging out from battery swelling. If underside of your laptop is getting warm while charging (and obviously not running at the same time), that would also be an indicator of a battery that's not okay.

Batteries can catch on fire and that fire is a bitch to extinguish. With that said, unless your battery was punctured or physically damaged, it will most likely not catch on fire. I would still take care of it and at the very least open the laptop and see what the battery looks like or give the laptop to someone who can safely open and check the battery.