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Is the Macbook tough?

B

bluush

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 20, 2007
337
457
I just got a Macbook the other day, my first, and planned to use it at school (ie taking it with me back and forth each day...)

and then I saw this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/300289/


And now, I must say I'm having second thoughts. Are Macbooks very fragile? How 'rough'/active/etc are you with your MB/MBP? Is the cracked screen an issue (and one Apple customer service won't help you with?) Ever since I got my Mac, which I love, I've been reading nonstop complains and issues about cracked screens, warped casings, smushy mouse button, etc. Are Macbooks just very very fragile notebooks meant for home use only?
 
Mine just had a volleyball smash the screen close the other day...I opened it up and it is completely fine...they do scratch easily though...
 
Although I have no first hand experience with Macbooks yet, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden recently tested several notebooks in the MB's price range. A few of the tested cases were mechanical, such as vibration (30G) with computer running, and a few shock tests with the computer turned off (75G, 160G and 250G).

The MB not only survived all tests, but was the only computer to keep running through the 30G vibration test.

Test results summary, PDF (swedish).
 
psychofreak said:
Mine just had a volleyball smash the screen close the other day...I opened it up and it is completely fine...they do scratch easily though...
Click to expand...

To be honest... when it comes to things like direct trauma to the display... unless you have a ruggedized notebook, or someday we have OLED or otherwise displays that are deposed on plastic instead of glass, enough trauma is going to break it.
 
in short, it really depends on what you mean by tough...i've seen students on campus toss it in their messengers/backpacks without a case/sleeve and they seem to hold up fine. of course, the superficial scratches will be a given. i'll assume that walking around campus is about as rigorous as they will get with a laptop.

for everything else if you put it in a computer bag or something it'll be well protected. my MacBook Pro survived one week in Tibet (humping up and down a 4000 meter mountain, 40 hours of bumpy bus rides, 2 thunderstorms...i forget what else) in a Swiss Army laptop bag.

you gotta remember, these laptops are ultimately just plastic enclosed devices...not titanium. the MBP's aluminum casing is pretty much a joke (less sturdy than the MB's polycarbonate case) i can feel the casing bend and flex when i move the laptop around with one hand.

take the good with the bad i suppose...
 
Not too sure about the MB as I use a MBP, but mine took a tumble from my bed and landed on the corner where the CD drive is. It indented on the corner and warped it up the front. I took a stapler (covered with a tissue) to it to bend it back into place.

Not as good as new, but it still runs.
 
I've used and serviced all kinds of laptops and I'd say Apple does a pretty good job with quality and durability. Personally, from Apple, I've owned an iBook and MBP. They held up better than most. You should be fine with your MB.

Just because you're a student doesn't mean you can't employ some common sense care taking of your expensive piece of equipment. Get AppleCare. Get a case and a decent bag with straps and padding. Set a aside a place for it in your home when it's not being used that's our of the way and safe, in the case and in the bag. When you are using it, try not to keep your working area cluttered and don't have it near the edge of the desk.
 
If the MBs are anything like the iBooks, yes- they're pretty darn tough. My 3 year-old iBook G4 has been dropped 5 times, and goes with me everywhere, everyday on trains and buses. It looks great and works great, like the day I bought it. I keep it in an Incase sleeve too. That helps a lot with scratches, I'm sure. It's a bummer about the MBPs, as I would love to have one. But given how I use my laptop now, it just wouldn't be practical.
 
I take my MB wit me to Uni everyday n there is absolutely no problem with it. Just get a good sleevebag (those that can absorb force). That will do the job. But obviously, on top of everything, do take good care of ur MB.
 
leekohler said:
If the MBs are anything like the iBooks, yes- they're pretty darn tough. My 3 year-old iBook G4 has been dropped 5 times, and goes with me everywhere, everyday on trains and buses. It looks great and works great, like the day I bought it. I keep it in an Incase sleeve too. That helps a lot with scratches, I'm sure. It's a bummer about the MBPs, as I would love to have one. But given how I use my laptop now, it just wouldn't be practical.
Click to expand...

I've also used and abused my iBook for almost 2 years, and it's still going strong. I bring my laptop many places, so when I upgraded last week, I chose a MB instead of a MBP, because of the durability and the portibility.
 
I take as much care of my MacBook as I can. Having said that, I take it to college with me, and round my girlfriends all the time...I just sling it in my backpack. Apart from some light scratches on the surface there's nothing wrong with it.

I've never dropped it, or had excessive weight put onto it (apart from a few books in my bag), so I can't comment on it's durability in 'rough hands' so to speak.
 
My mbp has taken not one, but TWO dives off of my cali king bed. I only heard the impact, I was sleeping both times.....

I now have a mysterious dent on the passenger side, but other than that NO DAMAGE thank god. I am now much more careful.

I do believe that the MBP is more sturdy than it looks. My T60 was tougher, but it was a windows machine, and who needs that headache?
 
my blackbook edges do mar easily, so beware of that. other than a few scratches on the edge, i cant really complain.

the feel of it is definitely more solid than my previous dell inspiron, which isnt saying much...
 
many years ago, I dropped my PB from over 5 Ft. Lid open, machine churning away. It slammed down on a chair, then tumbled to the carpet. I picked it up, noticed a small seperation by the screen, and kept on going. System never hiccuped. It's still running strong, now handed down to my dad. You wouldn't even notice the damage if I didn't point it out.
 
I love my Macbook. It's OK as far as durability is concerned. I don't feel like I have to baby it, like I would a MBP.

Macbooks are not as durable as iBooks, though. I've owned several iBooks over the years. Not one of them has had the case flaws that my Macbook, and others on these forums, have suffered from.

Spontaneous cracking. I've never once droppped my book, yet cracks are appearing around the vents and along the edges of the bottom case.
 
mick4394 said:
I love my Macbook. It's OK as far as durability is concerned. I don't feel like I have to baby it, like I would a MBP.

Macbooks are not as durable as iBooks, though. I've owned several iBooks over the years. Not one of them has had the case flaws that my Macbook, and others on these forums, have suffered from.

Spontaneous cracking. I've never once droppped my book, yet cracks are appearing around the vents and along the edges of the bottom case.
Click to expand...

So they're durable until they start spontaneously cracking....hmm, let's hope the cracking doesn't become more widespread! Is it the quality of the plastic or the design (thinness of plastc, for example) of the laptop that is causing the lower case cracking? The upper case cracking is obviously a design issue.
 
PDE said:
So they're durable until they start spontaneously cracking....hmm, let's hope the cracking doesn't become more widespread! Is it the quality of the plastic or the design (thinness of plastc, for example) of the laptop that is causing the lower case cracking? The upper case cracking is obviously a design issue.
Click to expand...


There was some sarcasm in my comments, but I know that doesn't translate.

When comparing the plastics of my G3 iBook and my Macbook, I can definitely say that the Macbook plastics are thinner and a different kind of plastic. I'd say that the plastics are much more comparable to a late model G4 iBook, but I've never heard of these problems on G4s.

I think it may be combination of things that are causing these cracks. Something along the lines of:

Thinner plastics + Hotter Processors = Crackbooks
 
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