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J.T.H.

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 9, 2016
5
0
Just purchased a 2016 12" m5 Space Grey MacBook. I love the rMB and think the size is perfect. I am got a soft sleeve for it, but I am worried about bending it in my backpack with my work laptop and cable etc.

Has anyone experienced durability issues with their rMB? I have read some threads about bending, which has started to get me worried a bit. I have had a number of rMBP 15" an al 17" MBP and never really had to worry about damaging them.

With the small size and being so thin, now I wondering if there will be any issues.

Any comments will help!

Thanks,
JTH
 
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kylera

macrumors 65816
Dec 5, 2010
1,195
27
Seoul
I do have a sleeve for mine, but regardless, I've gone running while carrying mine with some extra notebooks, and my MacBook is still as good as new.
 

mag2001

macrumors 6502
May 24, 2007
268
70
San Antonio, TX
My first generation rMB has held up well without a sleeve in my backpack with big textbooks. I think as long as you don't throw it around it should be fine.
 

rob.james.arias

macrumors regular
Apr 20, 2015
247
296
Im on my second one and it is a replacement for my 2015 that was terrible. In one year it spent over a moth at apple repair facilities. My 2016 now has a delaminating screen, which is something my first one had. My spacebar is beginning to fail as well. I am going to get this one fixed and sell it right away. I think the MacBook pro is made just a tad sturdier. Which is a real shame as this used about two hours a day on my desk, in my office for small projects. Always in a sleeve when not in use. YMMV
 

Queen6

macrumors G4
2015 1.2 512 rMB - After over a year and half of moderate to heavy of use internationally in a professional role, in no specific order:
  • Keyboard is marking the display
  • USB C port is loose which can & does result in disconnects when using the muti-port adaptor
  • Display has a cluster of aberrant pixels that can grey out
  • Keyboard looks worse (wear & tear, polished keys) than any other Mac`s I have owned, with some being over 9 years old
  • Battery capacity has depreciated faster than any other Mac I have ever owned, now at 83% after just 20 months. Looking at the trend from CoconutBattery I will be lucky to see 2 years out of the battery, 2012 & 2014 MBP`s both have significantly more usage yet also have significantly greater battery capacity, similar to all previous portable Mac`s
My overall observations from my own Mac`s is that Apple`s product quality is diminishing over time, with the focus being very much more on the aesthetic. I have other Mac portables and the newer they are the poorer they seem to fair over time. I if I had to sum it up I would say that Apple is pushing it`s vendors too hard to maintain it`s luxurious margins, net result the output to the customer is one of a lower quality...

The above aspects have also amongst other concerns have held me off purchasing the new 2016 MBP. Personally I expect far more for the price point, with my 13" class notebook no longer being a Mac, nor was Apple's competitor cheaper, rather offering significantly greater value...

Q-6
 
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evec

macrumors regular
Jun 8, 2016
228
69
My MacBook 12 with best surface finish and more solid build that old model, not with any protect just pack in laptop backpack and nothing scratch and just like new, with less wear that older mba.

After 8 months use, The keyboard with a little wear gloss, however it much better that our old MacBook Air 2013 in some period, all laptop keyboard will gloss but the MacBook with the best gloss resist also it remain solid that scissor key.

I am also no any issue on display or display with keycap mark, it just like new. I clean display with soft water cloth and polished with dry cloth every week, it just easy dirty.

I also with no any USB-C issue.

Only issue is battery degrade much faster that old model and it down to 87% after half years with 80 cycles (compare as old mba down to 95% with 80cycles), but machine remain on this level three months.
 
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the future

macrumors 68040
Jul 17, 2002
3,636
5,927
@Q-6
Very few personal data points --> sweeping general statements = macrumors forums.

FWIW, a friend of mine has been working at a major reseller for about 15 years (still is) and says that, if anything, over this time the repair rate of macs (and especially macbooks) has steadily been going down.

Read old threads: there have always been hardware issues and always will be, that's just unavoidable in the mass production of complex items. But if there seem to be more complaints, don't forget that Apple today sells way more laptops than, say, 10-15 years ago. More sales --> more hardware issues, even if the rate of issues is actually lower.
 

palpatine

macrumors 68040
May 3, 2011
3,130
45
first generation, first month released, and it works wonderfully... right now. skip to the end for my final thoughts.

1. many keyboard issues, some of which i posted in other threads. despite repeated repairs, keys kept getting stuck. eventually it got so bad they replaced the entire keyboard. it has been better, but not perfect since then. i still have to do my own key repairs on occasion (a delicate procedure i wouldn't recommend).

2. gold has some discoloration -- trackpad doesn't match body anymore. no big deal for me, but poor quality control, in my opinion.

3. it sometimes recognizes external drives, sometimes doesn't. internals replaced once and adapter dongle replaced once with no luck. a restart always corrects problem. not a big deal, but poor quality control somewhere.

it's a great machine that i really enjoy using when it works (battery and screen are great), but i travel a lot internationally, and when it breaks down during a month-long trip (keyboard became unusable last august), it's a major, expensive (taking it into stores) problem. i've had excellent experiences at several apple stores in a couple of countries, but why am i in the stores in the first place?

would i purchase it today if i was in the market for a computer? no. as much as i love it when it works, the downtime has taken its toll on my patience. would i get a pro? no. it's too expensive, way more power than i need now in my career (i have a 2013 pro that runs great, but is 15" and not so portable), and i think the touch bar is a stupid gimmick. sadly, i think i'd be leaving apple for something else (the next surface pro). with my ipad pro i've got about 2500 dollars in my bag, and i have been to the store for this thing nearly a dozen times now (2 trips each time for many repairs -- one to drop it off, the other to pick it up). that's easily several hundred dollars in travel alone, not to mention lost time for work. it's not worth the money or the headaches. i suppose the surface has its share of problems, but it's about the same price as the macbook and would allow me to carry around one device instead of two. that's more appealing to me right now than a trip to the store.

to reiterate, i am very satisfied with my apple stuff (macbook, macbook pro, ipad pro, iphone 7+) when it works. but, the irritation when it doesn't is enough that i'd be willing to try something else, and i plan to the next time i am thinking about upgrading in a year or two. thanks apple, i wish you all the best, and i've had a great time with your stuff, but i've got work to do.
 

evec

macrumors regular
Jun 8, 2016
228
69
first generation, first month released, and it works wonderfully... right now. skip to the end for my final thoughts.

1. many keyboard issues, some of which i posted in other threads. despite repeated repairs, keys kept getting stuck. eventually it got so bad they replaced the entire keyboard. it has been better, but not perfect since then. i still have to do my own key repairs on occasion (a delicate procedure i wouldn't recommend).

2. gold has some discoloration -- trackpad doesn't match body anymore. no big deal for me, but poor quality control, in my opinion.

3. it sometimes recognizes external drives, sometimes doesn't. internals replaced once and adapter dongle replaced once with no luck. a restart always corrects problem. not a big deal, but poor quality control somewhere.

it's a great machine that i really enjoy using when it works (battery and screen are great), but i travel a lot internationally, and when it breaks down during a month-long trip (keyboard became unusable last august), it's a major, expensive (taking it into stores) problem. i've had excellent experiences at several apple stores in a couple of countries, but why am i in the stores in the first place?

would i purchase it today if i was in the market for a computer? no. as much as i love it when it works, the downtime has taken its toll on my patience. would i get a pro? no. it's too expensive, way more power than i need now in my career (i have a 2013 pro that runs great, but is 15" and not so portable), and i think the touch bar is a stupid gimmick. sadly, i think i'd be leaving apple for something else (the next surface pro). with my ipad pro i've got about 2500 dollars in my bag, and i have been to the store for this thing nearly a dozen times now (2 trips each time for many repairs -- one to drop it off, the other to pick it up). that's easily several hundred dollars in travel alone, not to mention lost time for work. it's not worth the money or the headaches. i suppose the surface has its share of problems, but it's about the same price as the macbook and would allow me to carry around one device instead of two. that's more appealing to me right now than a trip to the store.

to reiterate, i am very satisfied with my apple stuff (macbook, macbook pro, ipad pro, iphone 7+) when it works. but, the irritation when it doesn't is enough that i'd be willing to try something else, and i plan to the next time i am thinking about upgrading in a year or two. thanks apple, i wish you all the best, and i've had a great time with your stuff, but i've got work to do.
Don't thing Surface 4 with better for reliability and strong, especially Surface 4 is more easy damage that MacBook in travel. All frequency travel trip will be easy damage of electronic devices.
Six times for repairing IPAD ? How are you use the devices ? Most of my friends they have IPAD without any issue just long last.

People should minimum there devices when travel, in my choose i only take iPhone or pick a laptop and don't use any tablet, as i hate some people at next seat on plane just take out their devices:
Big IPAD,IPHONE and one Samsung,Laptop,big headphone......., i just seat in economic small seat and don't want my face touch your iPad and i avoid use any electronic devices on fly.

People already thing 2 in 1 included Surface 4 is a good choose, but i just said 2 in 1 devices with both of disadvantage of laptop and big tablet, and loss most advantages for both type devices.
 
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palpatine

macrumors 68040
May 3, 2011
3,130
45
Don't thing Surface 4 with better for reliability and strong, especially Surface 4 is more easy damage that MacBook in travel. All frequency travel trip will be easy damage of electronic devices.
Six times for repairing IPAD ? How are you use the devices ? Most of my friends they have IPAD without any issue just long last.

People should minimum there devices when travel, in my choose i only take iPhone or pick a laptop and don't use any tablet, as i hate some people at next seat on plane just take out their devices:
Big IPAD,IPHONE and one Samsung,Laptop,big headphone......., i just seat in economic small seat and don't want my face touch your iPad and i avoid use any electronic devices on fly.

People already thing 2 in 1 included Surface 4 is a good choose, but i just said 2 in 1 devices with both of disadvantage of laptop and big tablet, and loss most advantages for both type devices.

TRAVEL AND DAMAGE
Hi. Thanks for the reply. I've never had an electronic device damaged in over two decades of regular international travel. It just hasn't been an issue for me. I am pretty careful with my equipment. All of my problems with my Macbook (not my iPad) have been manufacturing defects, in my opinion. Besides the discoloration (a manufacturing defect), even with regular use, my Macbook looks brand new.

TRAVEL AND THE NUMBER OF DEVICES
Actually, I do happen to carry three devices on most trips: an iPad, Macbook, iPhone (a Kindle as well, but it doesn't get any work done for me). I think two would do: a phone and a device (and the Kindle). I am guessing that I would be able to carry less in my bag, so I'd appreciate the weight off my shoulders. I've never had anyone complain about me using my iPad or computer in economy. I've certainly never been bothered by their stuff, as long as they use headphones and keep their stuff in their area. Maybe you have sat next to me, though, and been bothered by my screen :)

PREPARING FOR DISASTER
I have multiple backups, including ones on the cloud, so if there is something major like a Samsung 7 meltdown, I can always just go out, buy another device, and be up and running in a few minutes. A bluetooth keyboard paired with my phone works great for a lot of things (quite similar to the iPad Pro). In a worst-case scenario, I just log into a (hopefully secure) computer somewhere and work there using the data in the cloud.

SURFACE PRO
The Surface Pro is full of compromises, and is far from perfect (I've tested each generation for my use case and ultimately decided Apple stuff is a better fit each time). But, the Surface Pro has improved a lot each time and I think the last version just barely lost out to the Macbook for me (back when the Macbook was new, and I hadn't experienced issues yet). In retrospect, I should have bought the Surface Pro (it was good enough), and thinking of the future, I will probably get the Surface Pro 5. I think they are actually quite tough and durable, based on my experiences, and those of my colleagues'. In fact, my sense is that very few people have actually found much to fault in the well-designed hardware. The software is another issue... I would dearly miss a lot of apps in the Appleverse that don't have satisfactory alternatives on Windows. But, it could be done (just in case, I have done a test of my workflow on the old office Dell -- I can adapt).

APPLE
Frankly speaking, I think Apple has made a lot of great decisions over the years (especially with its strong protection of user privacy / security), but it has also made a lot of poor decisions over the last few years (iOS, OSX, and hardware). We can't just blame Cook. This has been a problem longer than that. It's just that now the problems are getting more irritating and there are some very appealing alternatives elsewhere. In the past, I could justify the "Apple tax" (I prefer to think of it as paying for high quality, trouble-free, enjoyable experiences), but now that the amount I pay doesn't seem to be buying me the kind of experience I want, I am ready to look elsewhere. If Apple wants users like me (ones who value reliabiity and durability over bleeding edge innovation) to stick around, they have to up their game.

MACBOOK VS SOMETHING ELSE
Anyhow, my experience with the Macbook is anecdotal. I have had no battery problems, I like how the keyboard feels (when it works), I'm thrilled with the gorgeous screen, the weight is great, the lack of a fan is a huge plus, and I've never felt it's slow enough to impact my work. I am sure there are plenty of folks out there who don't have to take it into the shop several times a year. Personally, though, I am done with the Macbook. The keyboard problems have been that annoying for me -- after all, without a keyboard, I might as well be carrying around a 1200 dollar brick. Assuming Microsoft puts out a nice iteration on its Surface Pro line, by this time next year, I will probably be working on it. The Mac hardware of mine will stick around a while (for file conversions, at the very least, because I have a lot of Keynote and Pages stuff), but won't be replaced when it finally gives up the ghost. If people like the OP are concerned about durability, I'd suggest looking at something else (Macbook Pro 13"?), especially if you don't live close to an Apple store.
 

polee

macrumors 6502a
Jul 22, 2008
699
516
Battery tends to degrade quickly over time (same for 2016 model too, mine is a 2015 model bought at end April 2015), keyboard has issues, tactile feedback of one key was less than the others, keys are glossy, usb c port has become loose over time, no marks on screen because I use Radtech (protective cloth that double as protection as well as a cleaning cloth). Other than that all else is still fine after 21 months of usage. This macbook is carried in my bag daily.
 
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robotman2009

macrumors newbie
Jan 3, 2014
7
2
I bought my 12" macbook in june of 2015. The only issue ive had has been theres flickering over hdmi when using the appple hdmi dongle on longer hdmi cords.
 
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