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Fragileness of MacBook Pro Case

B

BigPrince

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 27, 2006
2,053
111
I was wondering how fragile the MacBook cases are. From what I have expierences they are pretty sturdy as long as you take care of your labtop. However, from what others say about their expierences, its like keeping a soda can from denting.

Since I have limited expierences with the cases, I was wondering what everyones take on this. Are they acceptably sturdy or do they dent way to easy?

I treated my old labtop like gold, but when I get my new one, I will be doing alot more carrying around with it then my old one, so this is my concern.
 
Personally I love the build of the MBP. It's a laptop - of course it's fragile to a degree. I don't understand people who think laptops should be able to withstand abuse. If you knock it - it will dent. If you drop it - it will break. If you look after it and take care of it - it will repay you with years of use. Same as most things.

Whilst it's portable and easy to carry around that doesn't mean it's not a potentially fragile piece of electronic equipment.

One artist went around the whole of africa with his macbook pro and it didn't seem to break or buckle.

Best thing to di is go and see one for yourself - they are beautifully made and it's something that once you have you want to take care of. All things suffer from wear and tear eventually but treat it with respect (no need to wear kid gloves) and it'll be fine.

Best

J
 
Ya, I asked my co-worker who has one. He said its not an issue. I am not asking about it being abused just regular everyday use. I never thought of it as a problem until I read somewhere they dent as easy as a can. Thats when I was like whoa.
 
JPP said:
Personally I love the build of the MBP. It's a laptop - of course it's fragile to a degree. I don't understand people who think laptops should be able to withstand abuse. If you knock it - it will dent. If you drop it - it will break. If you look after it and take care of it - it will repay you with years of use. Same as most things.

Whilst it's portable and easy to carry around that doesn't mean it's not a potentially fragile piece of electronic equipment.

One artist went around the whole of africa with his macbook pro and it didn't seem to break or buckle.

Best thing to di is go and see one for yourself - they are beautifully made and it's something that once you have you want to take care of. All things suffer from wear and tear eventually but treat it with respect (no need to wear kid gloves) and it'll be fine.

Best

J
Click to expand...


I think a portable computer should be able to handle a certain degree of abuse without falling apart. I don't think the macbook pros are particularly sturdy, though they feel good to the touch. The shell is super thin and can easily get dented and bent if there is any kind of impact. There's a reason why almost all laptop manufacturers use plastic ... and it's not just because they're cheap. Al is not exactly an expensive material either, but it looks good.

I have no real problem with the metal, but it isn't the best material to make a laptop out of IMO.

Gone are the glorious days when laptop magazines had torture tests to see which laptops could withstand the worst abuse...
 
Apple laptops aren't the sturdies of machines, neither the most practical.

I'm really happy with my Macbook Pro, and have it with me all day. But I'm being really careful when handling it, simply because it would be such a shame to dent it. Thank god, six months have passed and the only damage is a scratch on the bottom in the anodization.

If you take care of it, you'll be fine.

However, I used to (before switching) buy IBM laptops. These were both for work and personal use.
The IBM laptop (I used the T-series only) is propably the most well-made laptop ever, in a sense that it can stand being man-handled each and every day.
There are several reasons for this:
  1. The IBM it built up around an internal frame, with plastic and rubber panels (on the back of the screen) on the outside. This flexes more (where it should, intentionally) when the laptop hits something in ie. a drop, letting the panels take the punishment so your components stay safe. This is unlike the Macbook/Pro, that has an exoskeleton. While this is very stiff, all the components are boltet on to this external frame - so if dropped, there is no flex. It will dent, and all the internals will take punishment.
  2. The Harddrive is mounted in suspension, keeping your data safe should you drop the laptop. It has the same motionsensor as the mac, but if the force is hard enough this won't matter - the suspension will be more efficient.
  3. The materials used are more practical. Scratches won't show, they are more resistent and dont discolour.

I'm not trying to sell you anything, even though it may seem so :)

I love my mac, but if you want to take your laptop to hell with you, go for an IBM :) You won't get a more sturdy and practical machine. Only thing is.. it doesn't run OSX :D

This post may seem out of line, just wanted to write about my apreciation for this trusty machine. End of line, you should be fine with the Macbook Pro, as long as you take good care of it. Like mentioned before, I have it with me all day in a backpack with no problems.
 
I love my MacBook Pro and I feel that I'm extremely careful with it. Unfortunately, it does have a scratch on the bottom and a small dent on the top. IMO yes, they do dent and scratch very easily, too easily. But they're still good computers.
 
I take my macbook pro to school every day, kids can be pretty unforgiving, especially when they dont know you have a £1700 laptop in your bag. I carry it in a farily thin neoprene case inside a crumpler messenger bag. I have bumped it on door frames dropped the bag on the floor .etc. and there are no dents or marks. If you protect your macbook to the adequate standard for the amount you are going to abuse it then you will be fine. I would say that it is more sturdy than a plastic laptop as it has fewer case pieces.
 
Carlsen said:
Apple laptops aren't the sturdies of machines, neither the most practical.

I'm really happy with my Macbook Pro, and have it with me all day. But I'm being really careful when handling it, simply because it would be such a shame to dent it. Thank god, six months have passed and the only damage is a scratch on the bottom in the anodization.

If you take care of it, you'll be fine.

However, I used to (before switching) buy IBM laptops. These were both for work and personal use.
The IBM laptop (I used the T-series only) is propably the most well-made laptop ever, in a sense that it can stand being man-handled each and every day.
There are several reasons for this:
  1. The IBM it built up around an internal frame, with plastic and rubber panels (on the back of the screen) on the outside. This flexes more (where it should, intentionally) when the laptop hits something in ie. a drop, letting the panels take the punishment so your components stay safe. This is unlike the Macbook/Pro, that has an exoskeleton. While this is very stiff, all the components are boltet on to this external frame - so if dropped, there is no flex. It will dent, and all the internals will take punishment.
  2. The Harddrive is mounted in suspension, keeping your data safe should you drop the laptop. It has the same motionsensor as the mac, but if the force is hard enough this won't matter - the suspension will be more efficient.
  3. The materials used are more practical. Scratches won't show, they are more resistent and dont discolour.

I'm not trying to sell you anything, even though it may seem so :)

I love my mac, but if you want to take your laptop to hell with you, go for an IBM :) You won't get a more sturdy and practical machine. Only thing is.. it doesn't run OSX :D

This post may seem out of line, just wanted to write about my apreciation for this trusty machine. End of line, you should be fine with the Macbook Pro, as long as you take good care of it. Like mentioned before, I have it with me all day in a backpack with no problems.
Click to expand...


You're so right! The T-series thinkpads are simply unbelievable sturdy and can withstand serious use and still look good and function properly. I wish Apple would make a machine like that because, quite frankly, I'm pretty fed up with feeling that i have to baby my apple laptops. They can probably handle more than I allow, but I'm not going to test that. I want a great looking machine that I can throw in my bag and take it out later without it being scratched up.

At this point, I wish I could have a T60 with the 15" flexview display and all the other goodies you can get with a thinkpad running MacOS X. The cost would come out to be roughly the same as the 17MBP, but I would have a lot more confidence in the machine and its long-term usability. Not gonna happen! : (
 
PDE said:
You're so right! The T-series thinkpads are simply unbelievable sturdy and can withstand serious use and still look good and function properly. I wish Apple would make a machine like that because, quite frankly, I'm pretty fed up with feeling that i have to baby my apple laptops. They can probably handle more than I allow, but I'm not going to test that. I want a great looking machine that I can throw in my bag and take it out later without it being scratched up.

At this point, I wish I could have a T60 with the 15" flexview display and all the other goodies you can get with a thinkpad running MacOS X. The cost would come out to be roughly the same as the 17MBP, but I would have a lot more confidence in the machine and its long-term usability. Not gonna happen! : (
Click to expand...

-PDE

I feel a bit differently. While I agree IBM's were rock-solid through the T30, I can tell you, they seem to be cutting some corners since Lenovo took over the manufacturing process (I'm speaking of the T40 on, yes, they may have been called IBM, but they were made by Lenovo)

Case and point, if one were to pick up a T4x wrong, the logic board will crack.

Whenever I look at a notebook, one of the things I test is I open it up to a working position, and, with my fingers, see what it takes to life one of the front corners, while keeping the other to the tabletop. I can get a good 1/2 inch out of the T40 I have.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed that my MBPC2D has a little flex too, about 1/16th of an inch. My old 15 Powerbook had zero.

Of course, this is all a bit academic isn't it? I mean the very nature of a notebook is to bring it into as many dangerous situations as you could right?

Frankly, the only one I really trust is the Toughbook.
 
My MBP got dented, but that's my own fault because I fell asleep with it while it was on my bed. It fell off my bed and hit the metal framing of the bed on its way down. I woke up and then stepped on it because I had no idea it fell and it was now on the floor. I almost cried when my MBP laying there hopeless. But, I semi-fixed the dent and nothing bad happened to it when I stepped on it so it's pretty tough.
 
Patrick,

I'm sorry to hear that. I've only had great experiences with the T-series, including a T40 which I thought was a tank. It wouldn't surprise me though if what you're saying is true and that Lenovo is slipping with the quality of the thinkpads - it seems like these days all manufacturers are, and that there is little we can do about it.

Whenever I see the toughbook ads on TV I want one. I actually don't abuse my laptops at all, but I wish I could just not think too much about how I handle it. Of course the fact that Apple laptops ar so nice looking makes me want to baby it to keep it looking nice.
 
>patrick0brien

The problem with cracking solderings is related only to the early T4x models. As far as I remember, it was caused when someone lifted them up in the corner. You propably know this, but anyways. The T41, T42 and T43 did not have this problem. I've had two, T41p and T43.

Both -can- flex, but the very flex is also helping the laptop absord energy when dropped. I admit, the sturdiness of the MBP makes it feel more solid - but in pracsis is doesn't really matter.
The company I was in at the time used IBM's in production because they were the only laptops they could bash around as they did. Technicians could set up machinery with the legacy ports, throw the laptops around and not have to worry about it not being very purdy or not booting afterwards.
I realize this is just an subjective opinion, but I have gainet a great deal of respect for those machine during those years.
 
PDE said:
Whenever I see the toughbook ads on TV I want one. I actually don't abuse my laptops at all, but I wish I could just not think too much about how I handle it. Of course the fact that Apple laptops ar so nice looking makes me want to baby it to keep it looking nice.
Click to expand...

Aye, agree completely. But hey, the snazzy, polished design comes at a cost. And I apreciate the design, stiffnes and the cold feel of the aluminium just as much in the end :)
 
Yeah, I like the cold aluminum too....I'm such a sucker for nice-looking design. I actually like the thinkpad design though: it's nicely industrial and you know that it means business.
 
PDE said:
Yeah, I like the cold aluminum too....I'm such a sucker for nice-looking design. I actually like the thinkpad design though: it's nicely industrial and you know that it means business.
Click to expand...

Indeed, it wreaks corporate suit :D
 
Give it some plastic

Hi,

I have had mixed experiences with my MBP/Powerbooks. The Titanium one was sturdy but was prone to paint chipping at the edges. The alu ones do dint more easily than a Dell/IBM. Having said that, after a year or two Dells can look particularly bad in their own way.

I just ordered and received a Speck SeeThru plastic hard case for my MBP which, although some might say detracts from the smooth curves etc. of the MBP, will hopefully give it a bit more shielding. I actually quite like the solid feel of the machine with the clear cladding on it, plus if the Speck case gets cracked or smashed it only cost me 35GBP to buy and get shipped to the UK. My MBP upper and lower case pieces would cost a *lot* more to replace.

The other thing I'd say, and its taken me a long time to get to grips with this one, is that although the machines look gorgeous out of the box, if you are going to live with your laptop (and not leave it on a pristine desk with soft lighting and a no-fingerprint rule) you have to just get used to the knocks and scrapes a little bit. Sure it will affect your resale value but I decided that I wasn't going to obsess over whether I'd sell the machine on, I'd concentrate on enjoying OS X on a super fast Core Duo CPU. My Titanium PB was still functional and adequate for light stuff and web design after 4 years. OS X is the magic ingredient.

Sorry for the ramble.

Sean
 
thanks guys, I feel a little bit more at ease since I am pretty careful with my stuff.

About Lenovo, they did a presentation at my work on there labtops and the presenter abused that thing really bad and it made me sick that people handle there computers in such a fashion. She of course was demonstrating the extremes but it was very impressive.
 
Carlsen said:
caused when someone lifted them up in the corner.
Click to expand...

-Carlsen

Absolutely was! Lost about 300 T40s to that issue, but some - and I'm not kidding - actually broke apart.

Imagine being in a conference room when the presenter finishes, picks it up by the left-front corner, when open, lifts, and is suddenly left standing with just that left front corner. It was actually kind of funny. Happened a few times.

Anyway, we're transitioning to the T60s now, don't seem to have as much issue - or flex.
 
I've had my MBP since Nov, and my case is perfect. I take it to class everyday and use it all the time away from my desk. I carry it along with my book in my backpack. I carry it in a marware case, but I don't think the case is fragile. If you drop a book on it, yea, it's going to dent. Aluminum won't bounce back like "dell" plastic will on impact, but both will be damaged internally. The look and feel of the MBPs is one of the factors that drew me to buy a mac. I hate the plastic feel of dells, hp's, etc. I can lift my MBP from one corner and it doesn't feel weak or flimsy. It's a great rigid design. It's no tin can and that's a sad comparison.

Later
 
patrick0brien said:
Anyway, we're transitioning to the T60s now, don't seem to have as much issue - or flex.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the T60s are much better. Lenovo changed some of the internal and external case engineering on the T60 for the very reasons mentioned above. I do agree that the best days of the Thinkpad were when IBM still held the reins. I use a Thinkpad and find it to be a very sturdy and tough machine.
 
as an owner of a powerbook, mbp, mb and user of a windows machine at work, i can say that despite being the prettyest of all laptops, the mbp is by far not the best thing to take with you if you are travelling all of the time. My powerbook is dented from putting it down a little hard (while it was in 2 cases!) wheraa my macbook has survived far more abuse. By contrast, the windows laptops that i have used have survived amazing amounts of abuse, but they are ugly and far larger and alas, dont run osx!

In the end, the mbp is an amzing machine, but it is not as good as other laptops (including the more durable mb) if you intend to travel with it a lot
 
patrick0brien said:
Case and point, if one were to pick up a T4x wrong, the logic board will crack.
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with this flaw, but I can state from experience that my T42 has been through everything I could throw at it and has come back for more. Travel, airports, drops, pulled off the table by the LAN cable, picked up by the monitor, my 3 year old standing on it, you name it and it functions and looks basically the same as the day it was given to me at the office. Our business has ordered hundreds of T42s and now T60s and the biggest issue I've seen with them is batteries going bad and the occasional coffee spilt on the keyboard.

I love my Macs, but as PDE mentioned, I could definitely go for a T60 with OSX on it. :)
 
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