MacBook Air M2 screen has unremovable oil-like residue

That is a very low quality picture. I know it is not easy taking a picture of screen defects on reflective glass, but a low res picture makes it worse. I cannot tell what is going on there. From the low quality picture, this looks like the screen coating has rubbed off, although it is a big area affected. Seeing it around the camera is not surprising since people tend to touch the glass when opening the lid. I don't know why the rubbed off area is so large.

Only a person with physical access to the device can properly evaluate it.

When it comes to Apple displays, it is best to avoid touching them at all, or at the very least minimize touching them (an Apple laptop does not have a touch screen like an iPhone or iPad). This even includes cleaning the screen with a soft microfiber cloth. The use of any chemicals will weaken that anti-reflective coating as well.

Marques510 wrote:

He also kept bringing up the fact that I have no protection plan and am out of warranty. OK SIR, YES, but thats because I do not expect APPLE to sell me a PREMIUM PRODUCT with a feature that is completely faulty.

What the Apple Technician has told you is correct. Every Apple product, regardless of the price, comes with a one-year hardware warranty against manufacturing defects. That would require the Technician to examine the device to verify that is the case, and not caused by user neglect.

You also had the option to purchase an AppleCare+ plan for your laptop. This would have extended that warranty for up to three years. Based on what you posted, you elected not to purchase one.

That leaves you with no recourse other than to pay (out-of-pocket) for any required repairs. We are all held to the same warranty standards. You are not alone.

Finally, we are all just volunteers here, we are not Apple employees. Although we can commiserate with you on this issue, there is nothing anyone here can do to assist you with this.

Marques510 wrote:

Yeah, the site would not let me post a bigger photo size. But it seems you were able to see exactly what I see. And this is my exact issue I want to resolve. Because why did the coating rub off so excessively in one area in less than a year?

It must have been a bad application of the coating.

1. Yes, it occurred in LESS THAN a year. I did not take it into Apple within the first year warranty because I had no idea it was a real issue. It looks like fingerprints. I did not attempt to wipe it off until months later. It was not in my mind at all that this was a defect until a year later. I thought it was fingerprints. because yes I do accidentally slightly touch the screen on the edges when opening/closing or adjusting tilt. But in no way shape or form have I ever been rough enough to have damaged the screen. I have had 2 MacBooks in the past, used them for 5-10 years each, iPads, iPhones. and I have never had any type of issue like this.

Then you got lucky and missed Staingate which affected the 2013-2015 MacBook Pro Retina models where Apple at the time eventually provided a free repair program to replace affected Display Assemblies (long expired now).

You should have had Apple replace the Display Assembly while under warranty. Now it will cost a pretty penny.

• Since the 2 replies here still have not offered any other logical insights, my hypothesis continues to be that the anti-glare coating is completely trash and did not adhere to certain parts of my screen.

Not really much else to say. I'm just guessing it is from the anti-glare coating being rubbed off. Only a tech which can physically examine the laptop can say for sure. I'm surprised it is covering such a large area though.

I also have not seen any anti-glare coating issues with Apple's laptops since the 2015 Retina models (non-USB-C models).

You will either need to live with the issue, or pay to have the Display Assembly replaced. These days it is highly unlikely you will be able to convince Apple to provide a free repair.