My batch 1 Sage unit finally developed a small crack a little over a month ago (so that took about 4 months - but yeah, I did jinx it). I opened a ticket, was told they’d wait for the new-and-improved bottom cover to be available before sending a replacement (as expected), and I received one last week. That was quick, yay!
Except… today I was going to proceed with the replacement, checked the date on the new bottom cover, and it’s from 2025-05-23. The original one on my laptop is from 2025-04-25, so the replacement is newer, but it’s still from before the first batches shipped (June/July).
I contacted support to check whether there was an error when they sent the replacement.
Or, a possible (though 100% speculative) explanation: The issue was discovered during beta/dogfood testing and a fix was already being developed by the time the first batches went out, but needed more testing before getting the green light.
UPDATE: Support came back saying “while the manufacturing date may appear earlier than expected, the part you received is not affected by the cracking issue and is safe to install“.
So, in short: Don’t be surprised if you get a replacement bottom cover with a manufacturing date from even before the Laptop 12 started shipping, it should be fine.
(and this time I will NOT jinx it by saying I’ll keep an eye on any cracks forming on this replacement bottom cover… oh, wait…)