Of course it couldn't happen

Dell doesn't actually make the lids - no matter what the paint job. Of course, it's beyond the bounds of possibility (at least to most here) that the product did have a test production run, that the test run produced good results and that the problem arose with the manufacturer lowering standards after the contract was awarded.

Of course, if that were the case, then it wouldn't be such a wonderful opportunity for another round of jerking knees in Dell's direction.

So it probably didn't happen that way.