Aluminum Cases for Mac Air: Dent Collectors!

[captainmuggles]

Aluminum cases for Mac Air: Dent collectors

So I saw this posted yesterday and got to thinking. I checked out all of my aluminum iDevices, 17" MBP, 13" MB from 2008, three iPads, no dents. No cases either, we just throw them in our regular briefcases. So today in the office, I asked a bunch of lawyers, all travelers to show me their Airs. 11 assorted Airs, all of them several months old or more. We put them all together and found one real dent and a few (3) tiny knicks. The one real dent came from dropping it on a concrete bench at an airport and nobody had even noticed they had the knicks. My admittedly anecdotal experience would say that aluminum macbooks are amazingly durable and denting is of much less concern than one might imagine from observing this thread. Sorry Cap. Please don't go all crazy on me. I am not calling you out. Just saying. I guess me and my friends are just pretty lucky to be mostly dent free.

I would never go all crazy on you for your post. It was logical, intelligently presented and obviously serious (because of the time and research you took before you made it). I thank you for the really nice way that you worded it. I believe every word that you posted and agree with the way that you and your friends went about checking it out. That's what this forum is all about! I could hang out with a person like you and benefit from it! Stay as cool as you are!

 

[theSeb]

I'm getting kinda worried. Somewhere I read that the aluminum case made the MBP a more solid computer than its plastic predicessor. If the MBA doesn't have such a good reputation for durability, I'm having second thoughts about owning one. The problem is, I need a new Mac laptop right now, and don't want a MBP (due to its noisey cooling fan). Plus I really dig the form factor of the 11" MBA. I would probably give up a little weight savings to have a less bendable, less dentable MBA.

Yes. You should be worried. I too base my buying decisions on the anecdotal evidence of one teenager, even if that evidence is refuted by the whole world and their dog. I shall not buy another Apple product because of this thread. You should do this as well. Then you will not have any worries.

 

[captainmuggles]

Yes. You should be worried. I too base my buying decisions on the anecdotal evidence of one teenager, even if that evidence is refuted by the whole world and their dog. I shall not buy another Apple product because of this thread. You should do this as well. Then you will not have any worries.

What a wise decision. I guess you will not be reading or posting on this forum anymore. After all, without possessing anymore Apple products or any interest in them. What's the point of wasting your time?

 

[chrono1081]

What's your problem? Don't call me a liar! You are the one who's statement is false. You admit that you toss it around all over the place. (I totally doubt that). Wouldn't you say that "tossing it around all over the place" is carelessness. Where do you live and frequent? Rubber houses and buildings with foam rubber walls, ceilings and floors. C'mon man don't try to be a wise Guy. Because obviously, you are not. (A WISE Guy) I'm sorry for the sarcasm, but you drew it out of me with that lame statement.

Your exaggerating and posting it as fact which is my problem, and your not the only one who does this. Others have already stated your exaggerations.

And yes, I toss mine all about because I don't baby my electronics, I expect to use them. I don't go throwing it on the floor but it goes in my backpack with nothing more but a thin sleeve where it lives with heavy camera lenses, I toss it into my car on the floor, it goes all over the place with me, and its been dropped several times. Not a dent. Not a scratch.

As for my Macbook Pro, it was on the floor beside my bed and I stepped on it, all 205 lbs of me, not a dent.

Threads like this create false rumors all the time.

 

[captainmuggles]

Your exaggerating and posting it as fact which is my problem, and your not the only one who does this. Others have already stated your exaggerations.

And yes, I toss mine all about because I don't baby my electronics, I expect to use them. I don't go throwing it on the floor but it goes in my backpack with nothing more but a thin sleeve where it lives with heavy camera lenses, I toss it into my car on the floor, it goes all over the place with me, and its been dropped several times. Not a dent. Not a scratch.

As for my Macbook Pro, it was on the floor beside my bed and I stepped on it, all 205 lbs of me, not a dent.

Threads like this create false rumors all the time.[/QUOT
You are really starting to tick me off. I am not exaggerating anything. STOP calling me a liar. The fact that other people are posting the same view should tell you something. (That your opinion is no better than mine or the people that agree with me). Your opinion is based on your experiences and mine and ours are based on our experiences. Just because they don't match yours doesn't mean that they have no validity. You seem like a control freak to me. You must be 100% right 100 % of the time. I bet if I go back through this forum and check your posts they will probably all have the same pseudo superior tone to them. Something like "I am always right and don't you dare say that I'm not"! Well, I'm saying that you are not always right. Don't start a War here because this is not the place for it! And you wouldn't win it anyhow. The majority of people on this forum are too smart for that kind of Crap. Lose your attitude it doesn't become you (Or perhaps it Does)! I'm done with you. You have no credibility with Me!!!!!

 

[chrono1081]

Your exaggerating and posting it as fact which is my problem, and your not the only one who does this. Others have already stated your exaggerations.

And yes, I toss mine all about because I don't baby my electronics, I expect to use them. I don't go throwing it on the floor but it goes in my backpack with nothing more but a thin sleeve where it lives with heavy camera lenses, I toss it into my car on the floor, it goes all over the place with me, and its been dropped several times. Not a dent. Not a scratch.

As for my Macbook Pro, it was on the floor beside my bed and I stepped on it, all 205 lbs of me, not a dent.

Threads like this create false rumors all the time.[/QUOT
You are really starting to tick me off. I am not exaggerating anything. STOP calling me a liar. The fact that other people are posting the same view should tell you something. (That your opinion is no better than mine or the people that agree with me). Your opinion is based on your experiences and mine and ours are based on our experiences. Just because they don't match yours doesn't mean that they have no validity. You seem like a control freak to me. You must be 100% right 100 % of the time. I bet if I go back through this forum and check your posts they will probably all have the same pseudo superior tone to them. Something like "I am always right and don't you dare say that I'm not"! Well, I'm saying that you are not always right. Don't start a War here because this is not the place for it! And you wouldn't win it anyhow. The majority of people on this forum are too smart for that kind of Crap. Lose your attitude it doesn't become you (Or perhaps it Does)! I'm done with you. You have no credibility with Me!!!!!

You take things waaaay too personal. There are a ton of threads of people claiming product X is bad because its a dent collector, its a finger print attractor, its not waterproof enough etc etc when in reality its just people being careless with their electronics but don't want to admit it and instead just come here to complain about their own carelessness.

 

[theSeb]

Look, it's very simple. I asked you for pictures. Where are they?

 

[captainmuggles]

Look, it's very simple. I asked you for pictures. Where are they?

Who are you, C.S.I.? This is a forum, not an inquisition or a trial! It's very simple. NO!!!!

 

[captainmuggles]

You take things waaaay too personal. There are a ton of threads of people claiming product X is bad because its a dent collector, its a finger print attractor, its not waterproof enough etc etc when in reality its just people being careless with their electronics but don't want to admit it and instead just come here to complain about their own carelessness.

No Credibility!!!!

 

[bpaluzzi]

Sorry, facts are facts, no matter how many creative straw arguments you can come up with. I never had a sleeve or skin for my plastic made Mac laptops going back years. There was resiliency to the material. They took a knocking and kept looking good. Not a blemish. It was foreign to even be concerned about. The only cases out there throughout that time were regular laptop bags and backpacks. My very first Mac aluminum laptop got annoying dings, as did others, until I started taking part in buying from the newly emerging industry creating fashionable skins and sleeves that addressed preventative care.

Do you know what straw man means? I don't think you do.

I also don't think you know what you're talking about, w/r/t sleeves / skins. They've been around for far longer than the alumninum MacBooks/Powerbooks, and they're available for all models/makes of laptops.

 

[bpaluzzi]

You are really starting to tick me off. I am not exaggerating anything. STOP calling me a liar.

Yes, you are exaggerating. I have a 2007 Macbook Pro. It's been dropped, crunched, transported, and in general: used. Not a dent on it. The only signs of wear on it are marks on the keys where the paint is literally wearing away, and some scuffs on the palm rest.

Yet, you claim that "even the slightest knock or tap will immediately result in a ding or dent." and "With normal use, you can ding or dent your laptop no matter how careful you try to be, and aluminum will ding or dent with very little effort".

These are exaggerations. Or, FUD. Or, untruths. Depending on how rigorous your standards are.

 

[jmoore5196]

I'm not sure if I'll have credibility or not, but here goes:

I've owned at least one of virtually every PowerBook/MacBook Pro/MacBook Air iteration since the Titaniums first appeared. I admit I'm one of those guys who is "super careful" with expensive electronics, but I also use the heck out of them.

I've traveled around the world with PowerBooks and MacBook Pros. I own sleeves and use them. The only time I've ever managed to dent one (a PowerBook, in 2004) was when a metal object fall on it from about five feet above. I've had a TSA agent scratch the cover of a PowerBook by throwing shoes on top of the machine as it went through the x-ray tunnel.

(That little incident is why I refuse to remove my laptop from the sleeve when I go through airport security ... even if it necessitates a pat-down, and it often does.)

My point is this: If you're going to spend $1500 to $2500 on an aluminum laptop, spend another $40 or $50 on a sleeve to protect it. Then use the bloody thing. Most of the Mac users I know who find dents in their machines are completely surprised by them, meaning that the dent did not occur during normal use. Why they would make the sort of investment an Apple portable requires and then not bother to protect it is beyond me.

"Dent collectors?" Hardly. Careless use and operator error create the dents; the aluminum MacBook lineup lacks the ability to acquire dents out of thin air.

 

[chrismacguy]

PEOPLE OF THIS THREAD: Okay now I have your attention. Stop getting into a massive fight over whether aluminium dents or not, and the best way to look after a notebook. Lets face it, the title might by justified or unjustified, but (a) Its a title jeez! and (b) Its justification is in the eyes of the OP, and is subjective anyway.

Okay, Personal experience across several aluminium laptops: My 15" Aluminium PowerBook G4 isnt great at holding up to dents, even inside a Incase sleeve designed specifically for it, and yes the dents were my fault in that had I not moved the laptop it wouldve been fine, but its a laptop, and the dents dont bother me as well, dents are dents the machine is fine. On the other hand, Ive dropped my 11" MacBook Air and my 15" Non-Unibody MacBook Pro repeatedly, and their dent-free. What does this tell me? Well it seems to suggest that its not how much you drop it, its how it falls and more importantly what it is it hits at the other end of the fall, as to how much it dents or does not dent. If yours has been abused and is dent free, then your obviously not abusing it right, as aluminium evidently can dent, but its a little harsh to immediately assume based on a sample of 1 or 2 laptops or even several hundred that "Oh because my clients havent managed to dent their laptops every single laptop made by Apple wont dent" and its also unfair to go "Oh mine is covered in dents therefore every single Mac worldwide will be massively dented instantly". Both sides need to chill.

(Also, I have a protective case for my PowerBook 1400, bought in '96. That things plastic didnt dent if ropped.. instead it fractured, so the cases did exist, but to protect against bits falling off instead of stopping small dents appearing - the Aluminium Casing is a lot better at staying in one piece than the plastic they used to use. Its not as good as the rubber G3s, but its better than the plastic before that).

 

[captainmuggles]

Yes, you are exaggerating. I have a 2007 Macbook Pro. It's been dropped, crunched, transported, and in general: used. Not a dent on it. The only signs of wear on it are marks on the keys where the paint is literally wearing away, and some scuffs on the palm rest.

Yet, you claim that "even the slightest knock or tap will immediately result in a ding or dent." and "With normal use, you can ding or dent your laptop no matter how careful you try to be, and aluminum will ding or dent with very little effort".

These are exaggerations. Or, FUD. Or, untruths. Depending on how rigorous your standards are.

You need to calm the heck down, or leave this board. We don't take kindly to short-tempered, ill-informed people here.

I only get upset when provoked. I am also Not Ill Informed. By the way, your ultimatum about leaving this board is a perfect example of provocation. I don't take kindly to someone with no authority whatsoever giving me a choice about staying on this forum. But I'm not mad, just disappointed that you chose to say that. But it doesn't phase me in the least!

 

[Dogpilot]

What do you people do to these things? I am a geologist and work from aircraft in really remote places. So I am in and out of beat up 4WD's and being hurled around airplanes in the most wretched places on earth. I work in field camps that are dust, gritty and primitive for months on end. I don't beat up any of the Macbooks I drag along to hell with me. They all look nice and un-dented. I guess jostling about for a latté is just hell on equipment.

 

[FX4568]

"Apple simply has access to new components earlier, before anyone else in the world can gain access to it in mass quantities to make a consumer device. One extraordinary example of this is the aluminum machining technology used to make Apple's laptops - this remains a trade secret that Apple continues to have exclusive access to and allows them to make laptops with (for now) unsurpassed strength and lightness."

I think that says enough about Apple's superior technology...

 

[theSeb]

I don't know who you are, so I cannot take a chance! But I hope you are not faking me out! Peace Man!

You're either trolling or have some bipolar disorder.

 

[captainmuggles]

You're either trolling or have some bipolar disorder.

What would you do after being told it's not your choice. I am new on this forum. But I have checked out a certain person's MacRumors profile and I am not that worried any more. I thought he was Mr. MacRumor. But I guess not!

 

[Carouser]

hey bro is there anything to this thread beyond

1) it is possible to dent aluminum
2) the MBA case is aluminum
3) it is possible to dent the MBA case

Because that's all I've seen besides the OP getting a workout.

 

[captainmuggles]

hey bro is there anything to this thread beyond

1) it is possible to dent aluminum
2) the MBA case is aluminum
3) it is possible to dent the MBA case

Because that's all I've seen besides the OP getting a workout.

You are entirely right. This thread is burnt out. Aloha!

 

[theSeb]

Who are you, C.S.I.? This is a forum, not an inquisition or a trial! It's very simple. NO!!!!

Why not? I am curious to see all of these dents.

 

[captainmuggles]

Why not? I am curious to see all of these dents.

I never said that I had a lot of dents. If you were paying attention to this thread you will see that I said that I personally had 1 BB sized ding on my Air caused by my wife as she was moving a Boston Rocker near me as I was opening the lid on my Air. As for my two friends they have more dings which you will never get to see. Your attempt at badgering amuses me! Let it alone man, you are only trying to stir up trouble.

 

[ritmomundo]

Okay so I JUST had a clumsy moment with my MBA. I was holding my MBA open in front of me and walking through my building's lobby (not the smartest thing, I know, but I needed to check on something real quick), was not really noticing where I was going, and hit the laptop lid hard on a jagged wall fixture (some kind of ugly statue). My first thought was "oh crap" and I was reminded of this thread. However, I dunno if I was just lucky or if the aluminum is more resilient than you claim, but theres not even a scratch, let alone any dents.

Unfortunately, this was not my first mishap, but fortunately, you'd never know it by looking at my MBA. If my MBA can survive unscathed with my carelessness and with my chronic butterfinger syndrome, then you're likely blowing this whole "dent collectors" thing out of proportion or you're doing something wrong. I'm not doubting your rocking chair story (so don't "stop calling me a liar!" at me), but I am saying that the MBA's aluminum is not as delicate as you say.

 

[xkmxkmxlmx]

But it doesn't phase me in the least!

Actually, you seem quite "phased".

I never said that I had a lot of dents. If you were paying attention to this thread you will see that I said that I personally had 1 BB sized ding on my Air caused by my wife as she was moving a Boston Rocker near me as I was opening the lid on my Air.

So you hit your computer with a GD ROCKING CHAIR and you think it should have come away unscathed? If I hit ANY of my electronics with a chair, I would imagine it would mess it up somehow. Ipad (front or back), iPhone (maybe, depending on the angle), my Sony Cans, my HDTV screen, my iMac, my electric toothbrush, my wife's vibrator, my car.

Moral of the story: chairs and electronics don't mix. Also, you should divorce your wife.

 

[Hellhammer]

Looks like the OP's original question has been answered and this thread has turned into a public warzone. Thread closed.