Apple's controversial 2016 MacBook Pro is not out of the woods just yet. A new issue seems to be gaining some ground lately and it has something to do with a mysterious popping sound coming from the premium laptop.
A number of MacBook Pro owners have shared on the official Apple Support forum as well as on MacRumors that their laptops would sometimes make a sound that resembles the one made while slowly squeezing a plastic bottle. The experience differs from laptop to laptop though it is more common with the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar rather than the 13-inch model.
Some owners say the sound appears multiple times a day while it occurred randomly for others. There are also those who say that they can only hear the sound while playing video games, streaming videos or doing other intensive tasks. Another complainant said that the sound, described to be as loud as a trackpad click, would appear around 30 seconds after turning the laptop on. It will then appear every 20 to 100 minutes after.
As 9to5Mac noted, the exact cause of the peculiar sound has yet to be known though some people have given their theories. There are some who believe that the glue or plastic mount on the hinges have been compromised by the heat emanating from the laptop thus causing the weird sound. Another MacBook owner was told by Apple that the sound was caused by a "small dent on the bottom of the casing hitting the fan". Another source of frustration for these MacBook owners is the fact that Apple does not consider the dent to be under warranty so they had to cough out $130 for the repair.
Fortune reported that the owners bought their laptops at different times and that the devices' manufacturing dates differ. This indicates that the issue is not relegated to a particular batch that came out of the production line. This also means it will be harder to pinpoint the cause of the possible manufacturing issue.
Apple has yet to release an official statement regarding the growing issue with the 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. However, the company will be better served if it finds a quick solution to the mysterious popping sound before it releases its rumored upcoming flagship laptop.
