In the fast-paced world of social media, viral videos often highlight everyday mishaps that resonate with millions. Recently, a TikTok video by user @classicheidi took the internet by storm, amassing over 858,000 views in just a few days. The clip showcased a shocking discovery: her MacBook Air’s screen had mysteriously cracked after she innocently placed a simple piece of paper—described in some reports as a greeting card—between the keyboard and the display before closing the lid. Captioned with disbelief, “Is this common knowledge omg,” the video captured her reaction as she opened her laptop to reveal black bars, glitchy colors, and an internal fracture that rendered the screen unusable. She dubbed it “the biggest jump scare of the century,” sparking widespread debate and concern among Apple users.
- A TikTok user damaged their MacBook display in an unexpected way
- The issue was caused by a piece of card placed under the lid
- Even something as innocuous as this can break a laptop screen
For many MacBook owners, it’s a nightmare come true: you open the lid of your pricey laptop and switch it on, only to find the display is a mess, with black bars and glitchy colors everywhere you look. The screen has been ruined, and it’s going to cost a whole lot to put it right.
Worryingly, it’s actually a lot easier to experience this than you might expect: just one seemingly innocuous action can cause hundreds of dollars of damage.
That’s something TikTok user classicheidi found out the hard way. In a video uploaded to the social media platform, classicheidi explained that they had placed a piece of card on the keyboard of their MacBook Air, then closed the lid.
This is an unfortunate incident, but there’s a reason it happened. It’s not because the displays of Apple’s laptops (or those of any other manufacturer, for that matter) are weak or poorly made. But while they should certainly be treated with care, there’s another issue at play.
It’s what Apple describes in a support document as the “tight tolerances” of its laptops. Apple’s MacBooks are made to be as thin as possible, which means the gap between the keyboard and display is very small when the lid is closed.
Anything placed in that gap – even something as modest as a piece of card – can be pushed up against the display, with the resulting pressure leading to serious damage.
