Alcantara Worn

[haigboardman]

I bought a surface laptop back in January (3 months ago) and the right hand side of my palm rest has started to wear (see attached images) - at the moment it's not that bad but considering this is only 3 months old i find it to be excessive, whats it going to look like at 1 year old? or 2?

I got in contact with Microsoft and showed them the pictures; was told this is "normal wear", in fact see part of their response below:

"As mentioned in my previous email the keyboard alcantara material can wear over time. It's a soft material, even on hard surface material the paint can dissapear over time from it. This is how the material acts, some people can sweat a bit more then others, movement over the material like hand movement can make the material look more finished. I hope that my details where usefull for you Haig."

I find this insane - a £1250 laptop that has a wear patch after 3 months of light use.. and then get told that this is to be expected?!

Any advice on what i can do? anyone had a similar problem?

 

[tgp]

I don't have a solution for you, but I remember that the wear on the Alcantara surface was a question right from the beginning, even before the device was released. I guess you have your answer! :amaze:

 

[haigboardman]

Lol, lesson learned I suppose!

I knew eventually it would wear - but I would imagine after a year or so... not 3 months.

 

[xandros9]

Yep, guess soft fabric isn't the best material choice for a high-wear surface and Microsoft probably deemed it good enough or worth the differentiation.

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Laptop+Teardown/92915

Kinda unfortunate replacing it isn't really a practical option either.

 

[Jcmg62]

send it back. make a huge noise, threaten to contact every tech website and send them those pictures along with Microsofts response. scream from the rooftops until they offer a replacement. Then......don't go for another alcantara device and ask for an equivalent surface book 2. that alcantara stuff has worried me from the outset. fabric is always going to be a problem wherever a hand, palm or wrist rests on it frequently

 

[anon(8532178)]

Dang good thing my siblings bought surface books instead.

 

[Richard Chacon1]

I convinced a friend of mine to buy the surface laptop. He had concerns about alcantera as well. But, I did tell him that "look, I like it, it forces you to think twice about using it while your hands are dirty, and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while using it". To me, it's not a minus, but a plus. I guess I am alil OCD, but any laptop is major investment, so I tend to protect them, and I am always aware that if you take care of your laptop, it will take care of you.

 

[kylealden]

For what it's worth, my palms seem to be a bit more corrosive than others, and I noticed slight wear on my keyboard I got a bottle of this stuff (Sonax Alcantara Cleaner) on Amazon and it sorts it right out: https://www.amazon.com/Sonax-206141...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3746805

I just clean the fabric with this and a paper towel once every 3-4 months and it looks like new.