Poll: Have you dropped your laptop from any sigificant distance? [Archive]

aaron128

Aug 14, 2003, 01:06 AM

I pulled my old Dell off a 3-foot-high filing cabinet onto carpet many many years ago. It was fine. I also spilled coffee underneath it. Also fine. I would never, ever do any of these things to my Precious iBook, however.

A friend of mine got her PB back after having the screen fixed (it had cracked badly...her fault). The day she got it back, she put it on top of her car and it fell off onto concrete. The bottom left corner is cracked open (where the hard drive is), but other than that it's totally fine. Yeah, she's not the most cautious of users, what can I say.

Doctor Q

Aug 14, 2003, 01:14 AM

Related thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31382)

Bunzi2k4

Aug 14, 2003, 01:24 AM

Originally posted by Doctor Q
I might drop babies in a nursery, Ming vases in a museum, diamond rings down a sewer drain, hydrochloric acid in my lap, or cash in Las Vegas, but I would never drop a computer!

i love my pb too much to do that, dr. q, ur right on bro!

veedubdrew

Aug 14, 2003, 01:33 AM

I dropped my iBook off the top of my Honda Insight. I was in the parking structure, going to the Apple Store at the Grove (L.A.) and it landed smack down on the concrete. Then on the way home I had to slam on the brakes and it flew off of the front seat, hit the dashboard, and landed on the floor. That night, my boyfriend (at the time) knocked it off of my bed. It was a rough day for the iBook. It wasn't in a case any of these times. Still works just fine though...tough little bugger. FWIW, I'm much nicer to my 17" iMac.

nagromme

Aug 14, 2003, 01:45 AM

I've dropped my Lombard off a couch, and many times I've let it fall over from leaning upright on something. I've also put things on it (such as myself!) that were unwisely heavy. And I've packed it in luggage crammed tight with way too many things--including hard, scratching objects. I've also let it reach extremes of cold and heat, and allowed a little rain and snow into the vents and keyboard. I've shaken the thing pretty badly while it was running. I've run it for hours getting hot on a soft pillow with no ventilation, yanked it hard by the phone/ethernet/headphone/lock cords, and had food and drink by it all the time, with some minor spills. I've accidentally squeezed and hit the screen pretty hard more times than I care to think. I made an ID label which I stuck on the optical drive and lost inside--it must be in there somewhere! I've let mass quantities of dust and debris and hairs clog the thing. I've taken the whole thing apart a few times--to upgrade both RAM slots and the HD. I've broken off the screw that locks the keyboard. And while I used to carry the thing with two hands, I soon became lazy--for years I've crammed it under my arm any old way or let it dangle from one hand. I drag it around my desk--the feet don't stand a chance. I slam the keys and trackpad hard during gaming. I pick it up by the corner of the open lid all the time. I hot-plug SCSI devices. I fumble around plugging things in the wrong ports, bend the pins, and have to bend them back. I leave the phone line and power connected during severe electrical storms, with no surge protectors. I've cleaned the screen with non-soft cloths and non-safe fluids. I've even ejected the battery while it's running. I am a terrible PowerBook owner.

No worries. It's indestructible. It's not even scratched that badly, considering.

When I get my PowerBook G5, I'll become careful again! For about a week.

At MacCentral someone mentioned DRIVING OVER an ice iBook. The screen was damaged, but everything else was fine.

Mattski

Aug 14, 2003, 02:14 AM

I know a woman who, shall we say, has a problem with the pantry.

She's all of 5'2" and weighs probably well over 120kg.

Anyhow, she was carrying an original G4 PowerBook (when they were about 2 months old) and it happened to fall. The main problem being that she fell on top of it.

What was left was a twisted wreck of a machine that would bring a tear to your eye.

But as a testament to Apple engineering (and a good dose of luck) the thing booted, and all data was restored, before putting what was left out to pasture.

It's gone to a better place now.

vrapan

Aug 14, 2003, 02:28 AM

dropped it once from the couch and once from a coffee table. it is just fine (PB 12")...

mproud

Aug 14, 2003, 02:35 AM

roommate dropped his iBook maybe 2 feet. Ethernet cord was plugged in and after that, the ethernet stopped working.

taking it apart, we figured out it was broken, sorta. It would have to be soldered on (or, $300, maybe $600 or more for AppleCare).

Or, he could just buy a wifi card...

LegionCSUF

Aug 14, 2003, 03:05 AM

I've never dropped one, but my friend once had a brand new Dell laptop sitting on the edge of his bed, and he sat on it and the mattress leaned and slip! It's a flying Dell! Well, more like a falling Dell. Upon impact, it was a dead Dell. Well, just the LCD screen, but it was enough. :)

He's taken much better care of his 15" TiBook. :)

cb911

Aug 14, 2003, 03:26 AM

i dropped my TiBook from about 10cm one time. i was thinking the worst, but nothing happened to it. that was the last time i ever dropped it.

those things are alot tougher than you first think.

bngbrgr

Aug 14, 2003, 03:59 AM

I dropped a laptop about 10 feet onto the edge of a step and then it bounced down 3 steps till it landed on the tile floor and slid about 10 feet till it hit the wall and came to a stop. I picked it up and turned it on. It booted up fine and is still great today (except that its a pc :/)

vollspacken

Aug 14, 2003, 06:05 AM

nope, haven't dropped that sweet titanium...

but my dad will bring home an old compaq laptop from work for me (I do not yet know what to do with it...) if that thing turns out to be a complete peace of poo, I'm gonna throw it off a roof and tape that move of destruction...

hehe: "die pee-cee, DIIIEEEE!!!"

:eek:

vSpacken

Jerry Spoon

Aug 14, 2003, 06:34 AM

Not me, but a students dropped an ibook about 4 feet onto a rug w/o much padding. Picked it up, turned it on, and all was well :)

ssamani

Aug 14, 2003, 06:40 AM

I'd had a replacement PB 15 for about 2 weeks, when I left it ontop of a suitcase on a table. Whilst I was fiddling around under the table for the hotel ethernet connection, I heard it slipping off above me. Down about 4 feet. I'd now replaced the scratched and cracked PB with a cracked and dented PB. I've been worried about it ever since, but no problems after about a year, so I guess it was OK...

Squire

Aug 14, 2003, 08:12 AM

I turned around to answer the phone and the cord was stuck under my desk chair.

Thank God it was a Win 95 Pentium 166MHz and not a PowerBook. I almost had to replace the floor. (It's heavy.) The HD gradually went downhill.

Squire

scem0

Aug 14, 2003, 09:18 AM

When I owned a laptop I never dropped it.

Not a once I don't think.

scem0

chadbarbe

Aug 14, 2003, 09:49 AM

Once, when I was a freshman at Penn State, I spilled a beer on the keyboard of my brand spankin' new Powerbook G3.

Nevertheless, it still got me through 4 years of computer science classes!

mgargan1

Aug 14, 2003, 10:09 AM

now that i voted no, I know i'm going to now. However, if my 17" does fall, it'll fall hard. Seems kinda fragile compared to the ibook. But stronger than dells. Dell's seem very flimsy. But the gateway's that I use feel very strong as well. I just hope this thread doesn't jinx me.

wdlove

Aug 14, 2003, 10:18 AM

I'm a very careful person. So no, I never dropped my PowerBook!

sticky

Aug 14, 2003, 11:04 AM

Yeah, I dropped my 1Ghz TI book. Let's see, it was two days after I bought it. It was on my coffee table being loved by me, the phone rang, I jumped up to get it, I tripped over the power cable, the PowerBook went flying.

The PowerBook survived complete unscathed (in case I'm selling it in the future, and someone google's me ;-) and landed in the deep carpet.

However, the power supply plug was bent, and I had to bend it back.

Plus, it took several years off my life.

gopher

Aug 14, 2003, 11:20 AM

My Powerbook G3/233 has been dropped from 3 feet about 3 times. None of them did any direct damage in spite of the fact I forgot each time to disconnect the headphones from it before leaving the table each time. Remarkably, I noticed one time when it fell it automatically closed itself like a clam protecting itself! But as I say, never try this at home. And I was lucky. A few months later fishy things started happening and I've had two soundcards go, a hard drive go, and a PMU go. But none of that happened directly after a fall. So was it a problem caused by my negligence, or not? Hard to say. Each time AppleCare replaced the part when I was under it. The hard drive though I ended up replacing myself since I wanted a bigger hard drive.

gotohamish

Aug 14, 2003, 11:30 AM

Originally posted by Macrumors
Vote: Poll: Have you dropped your laptop from any sigificant distance? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=251&ref=forums.macrumors.com)

My dad dropped his Lombard G3 and it landed on an iron table leg, which went through the screen. It was fixed on the household insurance and returned in tip top condition with no data loss, a week later. Good ol' Apple.

homeward

Aug 14, 2003, 12:04 PM

I was using a Toshiba laptop (with an orange/black display) to provide incidental music for a Shakespeare production a number of years ago. (before I got a PB 1400). It was on a ledge. During intermission. I bumped it and it fell 15 feet. I think the fact that the power cord was plugged in helped to slow down the fall, because the only damage was to the plastic around the plug where the power cord plugs in. Other than that, Act II went without a hitch.

f-matic

Aug 14, 2003, 12:08 PM

i was riding the ny subway and dropped my laptop (in a bag) about 2 feet. then i got home to find that my hard drive was undreadable and i had to initialize it... it was a disaster - had all my music, samples, patches, etc., and this was 2 days before i left to go on tour! i re-installed and the computer ket kept freezing up, eventually i found out the ram had somehow been corrupted too... in the end i had to put up the money for a new powerbook g4...

moral of the story -- i now treat my laptop like a baby...

best,
np

painandgreed

Aug 14, 2003, 12:14 PM

Reminds me of the sales pitch a freind of mine got that convinced him to buy a Mac Duo. It was a college computer fair and he showed up for the Mac demonstration of the new Duo books. The Apple rep came in truned the book on showed everybody and told them it was the new Apple powerbook. Shut it down, closed it and threw it against the wall where it hit and then fell to the floor. The rep picked it up, hit the power button, and after the boot "bong" simply asked "any questions?"

Very convincing sales pitch for college students fearful of taking a laptop to class with them.

hamfist

Aug 14, 2003, 12:16 PM

dropped my tibook in a dream once...must've ate something nasty before sleepy time.......

bryanc

Aug 14, 2003, 12:52 PM

A friend of mine dropped his Toshiba laptop off a desk onto a carpeted floor. Thing never booted again. I don't know if he managed to recover any data from the drive or not.

I've never dropped my Tibook, but it's survived my daily 1/2 hour walk to and from the lab at temperatures as low as -40 without any difficulties. I was worried about this, so I checked the specifications for the TiBook, and Apple says they're good to -48 (can't remember if that was F or C, but either way, that's damn cold)!

Cheers

Ambrose Chapel

Aug 14, 2003, 02:29 PM

hasn't happened to me, hopefully never will. i'm exceedingly careful carrying it around...as others have said, it gets very babied when defying gravity. ;)

jzieske

Aug 14, 2003, 02:37 PM

NO drops so far. I am the only one who touches it though. Anyone else can look but no touchy.

phrancpharmD

Aug 14, 2003, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by nagromme
I've dropped my Lombard off a couch, and many times I've let it fall over from leaning upright on something. I've also put things on it (such as myself!) that were unwisely heavy. And I've packed it in luggage crammed tight with way too many things--including hard, scratching objects. I've also let it reach extremes of cold and heat, and allowed a little rain and snow into the vents and keyboard. I've shaken the thing pretty badly while it was running. I've run it for hours getting hot on a soft pillow with no ventilation, yanked it hard by the phone/ethernet/headphone/lock cords, and had food and drink by it all the time, with some minor spills. I've accidentally squeezed and hit the screen pretty hard more times than I care to think. I made an ID label which I stuck on the optical drive and lost inside--it must be in there somewhere! I've let mass quantities of dust and debris and hairs clog the thing. I've taken the whole thing apart a few times--to upgrade both RAM slots and the HD. I've broken off the screw that locks the keyboard. And while I used to carry the thing with two hands, I soon became lazy--for years I've crammed it under my arm any old way or let it dangle from one hand. I drag it around my desk--the feet don't stand a chance. I slam the keys and trackpad hard during gaming. I pick it up by the corner of the open lid all the time. I hot-plug SCSI devices. I fumble around plugging things in the wrong ports, bend the pins, and have to bend them back. I leave the phone line and power connected during severe electrical storms, with no surge protectors. I've cleaned the screen with non-soft cloths and non-safe fluids. I've even ejected the battery while it's running. I am a terrible PowerBook owner.

No worries. It's indestructible. It's not even scratched that badly, considering.

When I get my PowerBook G5, I'll become careful again! For about a week.

At MacCentral someone mentioned DRIVING OVER an ice iBook. The screen was damaged, but everything else was fine.

beautiful!
hillarious!

Makes me not so worried about the minor occasional rain exposure I inflict upon my iBook. But no, thankfully, it's not quite been "dropped" (yet. . .)

Rocketman

Aug 14, 2003, 02:58 PM

Originally posted by Powerbook G5
My PowerBook cost $3200...there is no way in hell that I will drop the thing or allow it to be put into a situation where it could be dropped.

Mine cost about the same so I used your post to reply to.

I have dropped my TiG4 (primary and effectively only computer - LC, 8100, IIvx, PC's don't count) as follows:

1. Dropped off desk table from snagging on power or other cord
about 5 times
2. Dropped off bed or coffee table from snagging on a cord
about 4 times
3. In a truck full of hard, randomly stacked metal tools on off-road adventure carefully protected by a one layer thick portfolio bag. Received its first scratch best described as a gouge that way.
Once (I am only a moron rarely)
4. Slid along a box (don't ask) and crashed into a wall when open.
Once (please do not read note on #3)

This thing is bulletproof.

Rocketman

Guess what I want to do next? >>

http://www.v-serv.com/-upload/avatar.jpg

There has to be a way to break this thing :)

Mblazened

Aug 14, 2003, 03:18 PM

i bet i'm the only one here who has dropped a powermac! I was walking fast, carrying it by the handles at chest-height (4 feet) and i tripped over a box! Me and the G4 went flying, the g4 hit the ground on one of its handles, and actually BOUNCED UP AND HIT ME IN THE HEAD as i fell on top of it. Had a big welt on my forehead but was fine. And the computer didn't have a scratch! worked fine and sold it immediately. I guess the plastic handles are double as shock absorbers!

john7jr

Aug 14, 2003, 04:24 PM

Pismo.

I dropped it many times (once had to re-seat the processor module), I've tossed it into the snow and ice, kicked it, slammed it, overheated it, spun it on my finger...

...it ran just fine until I closed it on a BIC pen. (crack!)

"Damn karmic retribution" -Homer Simpson

plastree

Aug 14, 2003, 04:38 PM

My ibook 600 has fallen twice. Both incidents resulted in major issues.

The first drop was about 2.5 feet onto pavement, as the strap to my crappy bag snapped. My screen dispayed a mess of distorted colors and shapes. I assumed that the connection between my screen and the video card had jostled loose, so I wasn't too worried when i sent it to Apple. They fixed it free of charge, to my surprise, because they said it would cost me $200 just to look at it.

The second drop was just over a foot. I snagged the power cable with my foot and pulled it off of this short stand onto my carpeted floor. wouldn't have been a big deal, except it was starting up at the time. The impact produced bad sectors in my hard drive that were littered throughout the first 3GB. I repartitioned my drive to isolate the 3GB, and my ibook runs fine, although i can only use 17GB of the hard drive now.

So my ibook is far from drop-proof.

simX

Aug 14, 2003, 04:46 PM

Originally posted by gotohamish
My dad dropped his Lombard G3 and it landed on an iron table leg, which went through the screen. It was fixed on the household insurance and returned in tip top condition with no data loss, a week later. Good ol' Apple.

This almost makes me cry! :eek:

Poor ol' PBG3... at least it was OK after they fixed it.

gopher

Aug 14, 2003, 05:08 PM

Originally posted by Mblazened
i bet i'm the only one here who has dropped a powermac! I was walking fast, carrying it by the handles at chest-height (4 feet) and i tripped over a box! Me and the G4 went flying, the g4 hit the ground on one of its handles, and actually BOUNCED UP AND HIT ME IN THE HEAD as i fell on top of it. Had a big welt on my forehead but was fine. And the computer didn't have a scratch! worked fine and sold it immediately. I guess the plastic handles are double as shock absorbers!

Someone came into our computer clinic which has those plastic chairs stacked against the wall by the door for people to take and sit on when we run out of chairs. Only thing was, they put their Performa 6200 on the chair with their bag and the chairs fell over since they were off ballance with so much weight. The front end of the 6200 broke off. It still worked at the end of the day. It fell about 3.5 feet.

shadowself

Aug 14, 2003, 09:07 PM

I fly a LOT (over 140,000 miles last year and over 65,000 miles in the first 5 months of this year). Mostly it is relatively short legs so I go through airport screening a lot.

I dropped my TiPB taking it out of my backpack (as required) at Dulles International, Washington D.C. In shuffling my backpack, my carry on luggage and the PB -- while being jostled by others in line -- I dropped it from about waist/low chest height onto the concrete/stone floor. It landed on one corner.

Result? Severely cracked/bent case, one broken hinge and cracked screen. It was still functional though. So I used it for the rest of the trip. Upon arriving home, I transferred everything to my old Pismo and sent the PB to Apple for repair. Cost me about $1,200 to repair.

I am MUCH, MUCH more careful now when I go through security and if people don't like the time and care I use handling my TiPB as I go through security that is their problem, not mine. I'm NOT going through that experience again.

me_94501

Aug 14, 2003, 11:06 PM

blueflame

Aug 14, 2003, 11:20 PM

how do i tell if there are bad sectorsd in my hard drive, so I can isolate them and yeah. thanks

brianbobcat

Aug 14, 2003, 11:25 PM

I've never had a laptop, even though when i go to work at my highschool i use one there. But i have dropped my first generation 5GB iPod. One time i brought it to my gym class cause we were jogging. i clipped it onto my belt, but my up and down bouncing made the clip come off my pants. the ipod fell into the middle of the group of students who were following me, but i immedately stopped and picked it up before someone could step on it. I had also dropped it a week ago on my uncle's concrete driveway. it scared the **** out of me cause i thought there would be a big dent in the side of it. there was actually no dent at all!!! both of those incidents, the ipod was in a case by extrememac, so thank u extrememac!!!

-Brian

P.S. now i jog with the ipod in my hands

brianbobcat

Aug 14, 2003, 11:48 PM

I also know someone who has dropped their 12" pb several times. he's dented the corners of the pb and put several scratches on the case. it worked fine until the hard drive overheated and he lost everything. but after he got it back from apple, it's worked fine

-Brian

kansaigaijin

Aug 15, 2003, 04:43 AM

that would be height, not distance.

Angelus520

Aug 16, 2003, 07:26 PM

I've lived in fear of dropping it since I paid $3000 for it but I was picking it up out of my bag at work when I dropped it about a month ago. The bag was on the floor under a table near my desk and I caught the middle of the hinge on the underside of the table. Bounced the corner off the tile floor. It was probably about a foot or so off the ground. Can't really remember since I've blacked it out of my memory.

I gasped in horror and picked it up and luckily all was and is still well with it. Looking at it now, I can't even tell which corner hit the ground since there are no dents or scratches. The only mark that mars the perfect finish is where I clipped the table with it. The white hinge has a small chunk of the paint off it.

I have and always will handle it with kid gloves and I guess just once I got in a hurry. Not cool.:eek:

shadowfax

Aug 16, 2003, 08:07 PM

i missed this poll... i dropped my GHz Tibook 2.5-3 feet off the side of my rather high bed onto carpet. it was open, and it landed flat on the back of the lcd and then closed on itself. no damage whatever, luckily. not a particularly bad fall, though.

idkew

Aug 18, 2003, 10:07 AM

Originally posted by Powerbook G5
My PowerBook cost $3200...there is no way in hell that I will drop the thing or allow it to be put into a situation where it could be dropped.

so people plan on crashing their $60,000 cars? or could there be things such as accidents.

Toppa G's

Aug 25, 2003, 05:20 PM

I dropped my iBook off a desk at school. Hit on the Ethernet cable which was still plugged in. Later that year, the ethernet port stopped working. AppleCare replaced the board free of charge. :)

WinterMute

Aug 28, 2003, 06:04 PM

My 17" PB took a tumble off the back seat of a black cab in town yesterday, the driver hed to brake to avoid a cyclist, and it hit the floor, luckily it was in a kipliing bag and is reasonably well protected, I checked it out right away... nothing, no dents or scratches, woke up fine, no problems at all.

I think the 17" is much better built than my old Ti 400 PB.

iDONTsteal

Aug 31, 2003, 11:49 AM

A friends iBook was left ope, teetering on the arm of her couch... the dog sniffed the screen & pushed it off ... #$*%&#$ but, all was well

Amazing an open iBook sruvived with no noticable detriment! Apple Rocks!

BenWakin

Sep 1, 2003, 12:59 AM

Wow. Based on the results and posts about surviving, I am tempted to drop my iBook just for ****s and giggles. I have my trust in Apple, right?

shadowfax

Sep 1, 2003, 01:04 AM

Originally posted by BenWakin
Wow. Based on the results and posts about surviving, I am tempted to drop my iBook just for ****s and giggles. I have my trust in Apple, right? having faith that jesus saves would not cause me to kill myself just to find out. don't be stupid ;)

Judo

Sep 1, 2003, 02:49 AM

I've dropped an iBook from about 3 foot off the ground onto hard tiles and it was fine. Thing is it wasn't my laptop but a clients who saw it hit the ground.

Boy did i feel stink. Anywho, it worked fine afterwards.

DreaminDirector

Sep 1, 2003, 02:50 AM

yeah, I agree with ShadowFax. For me, it's just peace of mind to think that if it does ever fall, there's a better chance my first reaction isn't to smash my head against the wall.

I wouldn't attempt to drop my powerbook. That's just wrong.

cuteliltz

Nov 26, 2005, 11:19 PM

i dropped my laptop from the third story.. well not dropped... but got mad.. it was in the case but i tossed it off the third floor!!! went down after it and turned it on an nothing.. have to take it to the ER!!! it landed in a flower bed atleast.... guess this will teach me to not lose my temper!!!:mad:

Doctor Q

Nov 26, 2005, 11:34 PM

Ouch! You were sure lucky it didn't land on a hard surface and get smashed to bits.

Were you mad at the laptop or mad at something else?

Was it a Mac? Why would you hurt a poor defenseless Mac laptop?

Heb1228

Nov 26, 2005, 11:48 PM

A hotel employee opened the back door to a van when i was in Thailand and my Powerbook fell about 5 or 6 feet out of the back of the van on the concrete. It was on top and just slid out when he opened the door. Luckily I have a brenthaven bag with tons of padding and it was fine. I had a really sick feeling in my stomach until I opened it up and it was still on. Didn't even kill my uptime :D

Doctor Q

Nov 26, 2005, 11:56 PM

At least we can be glad that absolutely nobody dropped a laptop between September 2003 and November 2005 (see dates of posts above).

katie ta achoo

Nov 27, 2005, 12:06 AM

At least we can be glad that absolutely nobody dropped a laptop between September 2003 and November 2005 (see dates of posts above).

Hmmm..

Those case manufacturers must be really peeved, and applecare really happy! didn't have to protect/fix any dropped laptops for 2 years! :)

Megatron

Nov 27, 2005, 12:18 AM

Never my mac, but once I tripped over the power cord on my old compaq, pulling it off the table. Laptop was fine but the power cord plug in port was broken. Had to open it up and solder it back together.

cuteliltz

Nov 27, 2005, 12:20 AM

:mad: i was mad at my ex an laptop... oops
now it wont turn on ... hope i can save my hard drive...

Ouch! You were sure lucky it didn't land on a hard surface and get smashed to bits.

Were you mad at the laptop or mad at something else?

Was it a Mac? Why would you hurt a poor defenseless Mac laptop?

cuteliltz

Nov 27, 2005, 12:28 AM

its a hp... lol:mad: :mad: :mad:

Lacero

Nov 27, 2005, 12:31 AM

I'll sometimes drop my PowerBook from about 3 foot onto my bed. Is that bad? :p

Here's to the Crazy Ones http://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35452 (http://www.uriah.com/apple-qt/movies/think-different.mov)

katie ta achoo

Nov 27, 2005, 12:44 AM

warning:
this post may or may not be full of crap.
I'll sometimes drop my PowerBook from about 3 foot onto my bed. Is that bad? :p

In a fit of rage, I threw mine across the room.

It was all "beep beep beep."
so, I was all "SHUT UP!"
and it wouldn't.
but it did when I threw it across the room.

I taught it to beep at me.. HA!

mjstew33

Nov 27, 2005, 01:44 AM

warning:
this post may or may not be full of crap.

In a fit of rage, I threw mine across the room.

It was all "beep beep beep."
so, I was all "SHUT UP!"
and it wouldn't.
but it did when I threw it across the room.

I taught it to beep at me.. HA!
You crack me up all the time! Wow... :D

Andy G

Dec 2, 2005, 07:17 AM

I dropped my 2-week old 15" titanium G4 PB down an escalator at Heathrow airport whilst running for a flight - fell out my bag, overtook me and came to a halt 5 or 6 steps down. The lid has two really odd dents, 10mm in from the edge, and the base has a couple, again in from the edge. The corners and edges seem unscathed.

After sitting on a 4 hour flight, absolutely gutted and dreading starting the machine, I pressed the start button, and hey presto, "Chiiiing", it started up, no ill effects and works beautifully to this day, some 2 years later.

Incidently - I was quoted £750 for a replacement skin for the lid, nearly 75% cost of the whole machine!!! Neadless to say, it now wears its battle scars with pride!

Andy G

mishi

Dec 12, 2005, 10:50 PM

i was woundering if anyone has ever droped thair 17" pb, i can say that ive had mine for 2 years and it doesent have a single dent on it, but i can imagine that one fall and it would be totally smashed.

ReanimationLP

Dec 13, 2005, 06:46 AM

Never dropped any of my laptops.

None of my Acer PIII lappys have been dropped, my HP I wont even let it sit on an uneven surface, my Wallstreet when I had it before the POS died on me never was dropped.

Malfoy

Dec 13, 2005, 08:28 AM

Never dropped one but I was walking out of my apartment to class with a laptop in my backpack, slipped on some ice and fell on my back. :( The laptop survived though.

tristan

Dec 13, 2005, 08:55 AM

My wife kicked my TiBook off the couch - didn't see it. PB was fine but the connector got bent. :mad: Picked up a new power supply for $25.

efoto

Dec 13, 2005, 11:49 AM

Dropped!! :eek: Are you people insane!? (don't answer that, I already know)

I've never dropped anything or remote value, although I guess a cellphone if you consider that valuable. My laptop has started to slide once, but I caught it. The only other incident I ever had was when I was carrying it funny (on an iLap, what a fool) and it started to slide so I ran towards the wall to stop it :p

It's fine....thankfully. It never even hit the wall, just a nice safety precaution :)

ITASOR

Dec 13, 2005, 03:53 PM

I've never dropped my iBook.

Sunrunner

Dec 13, 2005, 04:44 PM

I put my laptop (iBook) down on the bed hard enough to make it reboot once... thats about it...

Indiana Mac

Dec 13, 2005, 08:43 PM

I've wacked the screen a couple of times against objects while moving it and I have been known to throw it onto the bed or recliner. And I've probably put it in a way overpacked backpack too many times, but I've never dropped it. And despite heavy use for three and a half years, my ibook is still going strong(though I can't say that much for the power adaptors I've gone through).

On the other hand I've nearly dropped some of my friends laptops numerous times(one notable occassion being right after I stated I know how to handle laptops, and then promply tripped over a chair, thankfully the laptop landed on me, and my friend still talked to me afterward).

rei1974

Dec 15, 2005, 03:19 AM

Hey, what?? I move accurately my ibook, is like a son for me :D

friarbayliff

Dec 15, 2005, 03:27 AM

My 12" Pb fell off of a table once (granted,it was fine because it was inside it's marware case and my gianormous backpack, cushioned by a billion books and papers). I still remember the look on the guy's face who knocked it off the table - his big dell clunker would have shattered had that happened to him.

Clix Pix

Dec 15, 2005, 08:56 AM

Nope, haven't dropped my PB! I've only had it since late October, though.... However, my record with laptops is good: never dropped my older ones, either. Needless to say I treat my precious PB with great tenderness and care. I tend not to use it in situations which could endanger it. The big test will come when I'm traveling next month.

OTB

Sunrunner

Dec 15, 2005, 09:10 AM

Hey, what?? I move accurately my ibook, is like a son for me :D

Wow, that was some rough English there buddy

iEdd

Dec 15, 2005, 01:17 PM

Wow, that was some rough English there buddy
What? I thought accurately he was speaking. :D

After G

Dec 15, 2005, 02:39 PM

Well, not from a significant distance. I remember falling on my face once, and I let go of the laptop right when I hit the floor, because my nose hurt so much. But the laptop was okay. Couldn't have fallen more than six inches.

However, there are other ways a laptop can get abused. My roommate kicked it once when I was working on the floor, and the whole laptop tilted because the screen bent back so much. Still works though.

Dropped my nano more times than I can remember.
If it still plays music, I don't really care though.

amateurmacfreak

Dec 19, 2005, 10:43 PM

Dropping my baby Powerbook G4?!?!?! NO!!!
Holding it w/ one hand facing up in midair, just sure enough to be fearless. Yes. :D

LimeiBook86

Dec 20, 2005, 12:03 AM

I'm wondering how many people who dropped it more than 4 feet were able to still use the machine?
My PowerBook G4 12" dropped 3-4 feet, from the top of the desk, to the top of the stairs...luckily it didn't fall down the stairs! :eek:

I was working on my PC tower and the laptop was on the desk, which is right near the stairs, I moved my PC tower which hit into my 12" PowerBook while it was open...(which dented it on the front)...the laptop landed in a closed position with the screen part facing the floor. I was sure the LCD was going to be cracked. But, the machine just is a big "warped" the metal above the keyboard shifted and bent a bit, the machine still works fine. Now I just have more scratches and bumps as I did before.

But damn...my heart stopped when that thing hit the floor. Hope that never happens again, I need to be more careful :( :o

brepublican

Dec 20, 2005, 01:33 AM

I haven't dropped my 12" PB, but if I had, I'd be lose my mind and get locked up in some asylum. BUT, I work for a student run tech group at school and about a month ago, this girl brought in her 15" to get worked on.

It was sitting in her lap plugged in when one of my co-workers (who is a bimbo and shouldnt work there to start with - but thats another story) walked in and tripped over the power cord. It flew out of the owner's lap and landed about 3 feet away. I winced but the girl who owned it didnt even bat an eye! I was like Gosh! Hell, I'd kill the b*tch if it was mine!!

840quadra

Dec 20, 2005, 11:05 AM

My iBook has the 2 hands rule always, and I never set it on an unstable surface.

My Dell, what 2 hands rule ?

iggyboy2

Dec 23, 2005, 10:13 AM

2 feet or so as it slid out of the top of my unclasped messenger bag, right onto the pavement. scrathed the corner of my icebook, but that was it. Very lucky!

Apple X

Jan 2, 2006, 01:54 PM

Once i falled over a ethernet cable and the laptop conected with it, one of the first bowerbook G4 falled without airport was drooped on the floor, at luck everthing continued to work, it was not my computer
Only when you play a cd sometimes he make a strange noise
(but i don't thing it's because of that drop)

Now a real story:
i now a student who was working on his iboook in the bus, and sudenly he had to get out so he putted everthing in his bag (but dint close it) and get out of the bus, there he was with his girlfriend to take another bus, when he saw the bus coming he take his bag off and the computer in it was flying it crashed 4m far and the bus was riding over it!!
he runned to that ibook and as far as i know, it still works today!!:confused:

zap2

Jan 2, 2006, 04:15 PM

No but its 7 days old and i was away with out it for 4 of the 7 days

macEfan

Jan 2, 2006, 05:43 PM

nope, laptop still chugging along... darn it just got a year older yesterday :mad:

Boelman

Jan 18, 2006, 11:15 PM

I have dropped it from the bed about 3 or 4 times and it keeps ticking

javalizard@mac

Feb 12, 2006, 12:16 AM

One my laptop fell off my stairs. it didn't make it.

iShane

Feb 12, 2006, 08:06 PM

I didn't exactly drop it. I was letting my sister use my 15'' Titanium PowerBook and I heard *snap* when I asked her what it was she replied "I don't know" and I said "If those were the hinges your in trouble" and she came upstairs, gave it to me and ran like heck. And that was the last of my hard earned laptop. :(

jer2eydevil88

Feb 13, 2006, 12:57 AM

I was working part time at a company as they migrated to a new location, part of my job was running the new category 5 cable across the complex and up into the "computer room" alongside the crew. That day I was mostly updating firmware on the switches and crimping the ends of the cable so I had my laptop sitting on a chair playing music in the center of the room. To sum it all up my buddy and another guy were running cable when the music stopped playing. The guy helping my friend hadn't been intelligent enough to push a chair (with a $2,000 notebook on it) out of the way. Lets just say I wasn't very nice to him and vented a hell of a lot of anger on him. Heck he did deserve it especially since he was even lousy at running the cable correctly.

Fifteen minutes after that tragic episode (which the laptop survived with little more than a dent) that same idiot managed to bump the notebook off a desk. I was an idiot myself and I had moved the notebook to a corner in the room to get it out of harms way. This time the laptop fell on the right-most corner and it busted the superdrive, CLICK CLICK CLICK. At first I was angry at the moron, then at Apple's build quality (after all my VooDooPC notebook had survived much worse treatment) and then again at the idiot. After a while I calmed down, dragged the notebook to an Apple store where they wrote me a support ticket and mailed it out for repairs... I had it back in 3 days with a fully functional superdrive and I am now a very satisfied customer :-)

Piarco

Feb 13, 2006, 09:42 AM

I had a 12" PB in a neoprene case, which itself was in a bag - unfortunately not a laptop specific bag, just a generic hold-all - and I dropped it on the tube. Right onto the lip of the step.
Didn't realise for two days, but it had a significant dint on the hinge. I didn't see it as when in use its pretty much hidden, and only noticed by accident.

I have dropped a mobile phone onto a PB from a height of about 3 foot... that left a dint, although minor.

Blimey, I'm beginning to sound like I don't look after my PB's well, but even my last one - a 15" PB - had a fall off a computer table. I tripped in the power cable and it pulled it off the table corner first onto the floor... luckily I only had a very very small dint.

sam10685

Feb 13, 2006, 11:05 AM

i wanna buy a security lock so that stuff don't happen to my 12" powerbook.

ScottB

Feb 13, 2006, 01:41 PM

Nope, but I sure as hell am careful, laptop breakages are a nightmare.

SilvorX

Feb 13, 2006, 02:33 PM

nope never, I'd be too scared

sam10685

Mar 4, 2006, 06:13 PM

i once took my 17" Powerbook that i built-to-order totaling almost $4000 to the top of my 3-story high school and heaved it over the edge down onto the asphault and it was fine.

tristan

Mar 4, 2006, 11:17 PM

You win. All hail sam!

john7jr

Jul 2, 2006, 06:04 PM

i once took my 17" Powerbook that i built-to-order totaling almost $4000 to the top of my 3-story high school and heaved it over the edge down onto the asphault and it was fine.

Hail nothing. You're a frickin retard.

craigatkinson

Jul 2, 2006, 09:36 PM

The only time I ever dropped my powerbook was when it was in it's Neoprene incase design sleeve. Never bothered it a bit, but it scared the crap out of me!

brepublican

Jul 2, 2006, 10:22 PM

Unfortunately, yes. I still cringe everytime that moment comes to mind. Gosh.

(I made a thread somewhere and posted some pics of the damage)

count chocula

Jul 2, 2006, 11:22 PM

no way

me_94501

Jul 2, 2006, 11:54 PM

I've never dropped a laptop, but I've had the battery drop out of a PowerBook 3400 once. I clipped an open door in my house with my iBook though. (the day after got it!) The iBook was fine, but the door had a chunk of wood taken out of it.
It's been a while since I've posted to this thread. o_O

My iBook has taken a bit of abuse since then. Most notably, about a year ago it slipped out of my hand while I was carrying it and fell to the floor, bounced back up, hit the wall and popped open (it was closed when I dropped it), and came to rest two feet away. As you might imagine, my heart stopped for a second. :eek:

The iBook made it through with some scuffs, but nothing else. The wood floor has a nice big dent in it.

Let's hear it for polycarbonate! :D

iTwitch

Jul 3, 2006, 12:32 AM

No, as soon as I'm done with my iBook it goes into a Shinza sleeve and placed in a safe place. I won't even allow it out to play in fresh air and sunshine.

steve_hill4

Jul 3, 2006, 09:50 AM

Yes last weekend in Dover, Kent.

I was suffering from chickenpox, (not known at the time), and the heat of the day, trying to find a guest house for the night. I had a massive backpack on my back and was carrying a smaller bag with my MBP in it, (in a neoprene skin albeit). Switching the bag from one hand to another as I found no vacancies anywhere, I didn't realise the way i was carrying it was causing the weight of said MBP to force open the zips and eventually it dropped onto concrete from about a metre.

Eventually found somewhere with a room, unpacked bag, found dent in corner of MBP, but everything fully functioning. Even DVI next to dent seems okay.

17luv

Jul 3, 2006, 09:52 AM

Zac

Jul 3, 2006, 01:02 PM

I knocked my Powerbook of a 4 foot high side onto a concrete floor, I cried like hell, my baby that I cleaned after every use had been dropped and now has a dent on the front right corner.

That was the saddest day in my life, well nearl.

CEAbiscuit

Jul 3, 2006, 01:40 PM

My wife used my PB G4 and decided to leave it on a bedside stand, proceeded to trip over the cord, and yank it to the floor. She then carefully placed it back on on it's stand hoping I wouldn't notice.

I noticed a bashed in corner of the case and $500 in repairs three days later. 4 months later- new hard drive.

I'm hoping the Macbook that I just bought her will solve 2 problems:

My PB never leaves my desk without me.
The mag Safe will prevent her from another freefall.

Life goes on....

BTW -Zack-be sure to listen for any funky new noises from your HD. Mine seemed to get worse over a few months until it came to a griding hault.

Max on Macs

Jul 4, 2006, 04:23 AM

I dropped and smashed up my old PowerBook loads, a part of the reason I adopted the MacBook Pro so early. Now I dropped the MacBook Pro too :o

Obsidian6

Jul 4, 2006, 12:49 PM

I never dropped my 17" powerbook, but somehow it took a bump in a so-called "protective case" and got a small ding on the corner. Now mind you when i ordered it two years ago, this thing cost me just shy of $4k BTO. And i protected it with my life.

I still to this day don't know how it happened. but it has a new owner now. i traded it for a rev e. 15". ( i needed to downsize )

Shadow

Jul 4, 2006, 04:04 PM

I havnt dropped it, but there is a whooping great scratch on my now returned MacBook (replaced for 1.83GHz, 2GB RAM from Orca Logic and 100GB HDD:D):eek:

steve_hill4

Jul 4, 2006, 05:25 PM

The mag cord is a welcome feature on mine :) Haven't dropped or pulled a laptop off (knocking on wood now) but good to know some built in features are in place like the sudden motion sensor for that just in case :D
Still don't trust it. Tried applying small jerks to it and it doesn't respond quite as I imagined. Wouldn't dream of trying for real though, in case it didn't work.

Wazahere

Jul 7, 2006, 01:29 PM

i had a "friend" leave my g4 on the roof of my car when preparing for a road trip.. 1/10 of a mile down the road, i ask "where is my laptop?"

i see his mouth drop and stupidly i hit the brakes, and what do you know? there goes my nice 4 month old ibook flying in front of my bounce off the hood of my car, then onto the pavement in front of me.

turns out it still works fine, except that the damn hinge between the lcd screen and the rest of the computer is completely shot and it has to be adjusted to a certain angle for it to turn on. argh!

speaking of which, if anyone has any info about my problem (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=214683) feel free to share.

Cross

Jul 9, 2006, 05:24 PM

I have had the scare a few times and luckly they have been minor where they were on the bed and the comfortor kept them safe.

They were all Windows systems to lol, talk about crashing. :p

I never damaged anything because as I said they were on my bed and someone moved the comfortor and they went with the comfortor on to the floor and nothing happened.

tristan

Jul 9, 2006, 07:10 PM

Twice I've left it on the couch and come back to find it on the floor. "Why's my Powerbook on the floor? oh my god!" It was fine, twenty inch fall on carpet. Luckily it rarely goes any higher than that.

eidrunner247

Jul 9, 2006, 11:00 PM

You know, it scares me to death to have my laptop (or anyone's laptop) fall from any distance. What also concerns me is how it affects the life of the rest of the laptop. I just assume that things will go wrong earlier, like a hard drive might fail in 4 years when it would have lasted 6 or logic board might go bad earlier, or LCD, etc. What also scares me is the original owners selling those same dropped laptops on ebay while they still work fine...

drummerbooker14

Jul 28, 2006, 09:54 PM

dropped it off my shoulder while handling luggage at an airport

Duderonimous

Jul 30, 2006, 02:13 PM

But, I'd like to.

tmcmullen

Aug 4, 2006, 11:34 PM

About 2 hours ago in fact. I was at a nearby coffee shop with my fiancee. We came out, I put my FOUR DAY OLD MacBook Pro 17"... on top of my car, so I could give her a kiss goodnight. Being the absent-minded programmer that I am... I got into my car and started driving away. As I pulled out of the parking space, I thought I heard something sliding... But I couldn't figure out what it could be.

Turned the corner... and then it hit me... and the MBP hit the ground. I, of course, then got out of the car... tears nearly in my eyes... picked up the still-running notebook... and coddled it. Then of course, I was taken by unbridled rage and proceeded to kick my car in frustration (very mature I am).

But anyway... The poor abused MBP is still running fine. The screen is damaged (it has a crack coming down from the top right corner), the corners of the bottom of the case are dented in slightly, and it doesn't close quite right... But otherwise, I'm typing this post on it right now, so... Its not all that bad.

Very frustrating though. 4 days old... Jeez... Ugh. Maybe, I can sob to Apple and they'll help me... 4 days... Argh!

slooksterPSV

Aug 5, 2006, 02:28 PM

2cm? 2mm? those are significant. I haven't dropped mine, yet. (knock on wood)

Winstonp

Aug 6, 2006, 06:16 AM

gothicx00

Aug 11, 2006, 04:41 AM

I havn't dropped mine yet, but it is a fear. Hell, my gf is more paranoid about it than I am. She scoulds me if she sees me handling it in a way that could end with it plumeting to the ground. But anytime it goes any kind of distance (even down the hall to my neighbor's to play Hold'em) it goes in my Swiss Army laptop backpack. When it's in there, the most distance it gets flung is to my passenger seat in my car or to the back seat. And i've got plush leather seats in my R/T so no harm done there.

timohenry

Sep 20, 2006, 08:47 PM

Sure, but not from too high. Unfortunately the power cord hit the floor. The port is more or less okay, but the connector on the cord was bent bad enough to render it useless....ouch. My advice, never put your PB in any place that might allow it to fall.

iDrifter

Sep 29, 2006, 09:33 PM

Dropped my TiBook about 1 meter, open playing a movie, no damage.
Extra laundry to do however.

rtdgoldfish

Sep 29, 2006, 11:39 PM

Knocked my old iBook G3 off the counter in my first apartment. The CD tray popped open and I had to take it to the Apple store and make up some BS about it not staying closed. They ended up fixing it for free. :D Otherwise, no damage to the case at all.

Silentwave

Sep 30, 2006, 12:10 AM

Never done it to my mac, but did it to a PC once. In fact, it's one of the reasons I'm so in love with my MBP.

Years ago (around 1999) I got my first laptop- a Compaq Presario 15" with a Pentium III, 256MB RAM, DVD-ROM/CDRW, and the most amazing speakers i've EVER had in a lappy. Battery life was superb, though I typically used it plugged in.

One day I'm in the family room, where the table is low but extends upwards and towards you. Well, to make a long story short i'm working on the comp, someone decides to raise the table and I ran out of power cord. Computer takes a dive off the table, smashing the power plug.
Computer lives, my father comes over and solders the connector back together and electrical tapes it. I used it like that for heaven knows how long.

So you can see why the Magsafe power cable is so perfect for me :)

Sawtoothdude

Oct 7, 2006, 04:56 PM

I am ALWAYS careful with laptops.

metalray@mac.co

Oct 12, 2006, 08:39 PM

MacBook
1.5 meters // 2 weeks after i bought it
No real damage
A little dent at the corner / cant tell until you grab a loop.

I am ALWAYS careful with laptops.
Me too just got into some bad luck "audio wire" maybe they should make them magnetic too lol

metalray@mac.co

Oct 12, 2006, 08:47 PM

Very frustrating though. 4 days old... Jeez... Ugh. Maybe, I can sob to Apple and they'll help me... 4 days... Argh!
There is a year warrantee on it not? Torch it and tell em it blue up.
lol just kidding
I'm just angered that someone would actually do that.
Someone did

TheBusDriver

Oct 12, 2006, 10:07 PM

i had a friend who got so pissed at his Dell laptop he through it from his desk chair across the room about 4 feet and 3 feet down and then complained about it not working right lol but it did need restarted about once a day and was less than a year old soo can't say i blame him. pretty funny though

Adurbe

Oct 12, 2006, 10:12 PM

my iBooks (G3 900 and G4 1.2) both survived a house fire last month :D

granted they are now a little yellow stained, but shows the build quality!!

yg17

Oct 13, 2006, 12:16 AM

No, but god only knows how many times DHL employees played soccer with it on one of its 3 trips to Apple Repair.

foottuns

Oct 13, 2006, 06:23 AM

I never drop my laptop, I am thinking to be very care full with my laptop.

Sopranino

Oct 13, 2006, 09:26 AM

My limegreen G3 455mhz clamshell iBook survived falling off of the trunk lid on my car and landing on the hard concrete (about a 4 ft fall). Absolutely zero damage aside from a couple of very minor scuff marks to the casing. Ran fine for another two years before I sold it for my current PB G4.

Another testament to solid build quality.

Sopranino

Jasonbot

Oct 13, 2006, 10:09 AM

My old iBook rolled down some stairs in a laptop bag, A few months later it packed up. I now wonder if the two incidents are related?

Foggy

Oct 13, 2006, 02:55 PM

Touchwood I have never dropped a laptop, but when my old spectrum 48k (the one with the rubber keys) used to cheat - yes, it did, all the time - I used to get really pissed off and throw it down the stairs. Afterwards I would go downstairs, pick it up, bend it back into shape, plug it in and it would work fine. Over 2 years of that kind of abuse and the only thing that ever went wrong (other than a lot of dents in the metal top) was the keyboard membrane once split, got a new one, chucked it in and it all worked fine. Cant imagine dropping a modern machine and it still working, let along throwing it down a flight of stairs without a lot of crunching.

Jasonbot

Oct 13, 2006, 03:27 PM

Wow, that's some computer! Or is it a game console? IDK! But damn, I sometimes wish I could throw technology around like that :(

Swarmlord

Oct 13, 2006, 03:53 PM

Never dropped the laptop or the iPod, but I did tip over my external Maxtor hard drive which for deskspace reasons I have sitting vertically in the little plastic stand that comes with the drive. It hasn't failed on me yet...

rocknrotty

Oct 14, 2006, 04:28 PM

YES

have droped all my PB,s not my MBP yet {knock on wood}
the only one with problems after a drop was the G3 but it was droped about 4 ft and landed flat on the bottom case this PB was on and running when this happened and the only thing that went wrong was the Memory chip board came loose on the motherboard needed to be re-seated. and the head on the harddrive seemed to be stuck a little flick on the corners of the drive with my finger fixed this {very technical fix, if it don't work get a biger hammer}:D

From my experience these Macs are very good at taking a fall

oh ya also i droped a welding helmet {about 4 lbs}on one and smashed the keyboard all to H
replaced keyboard and all was well

-R-

ewoh24

Oct 16, 2006, 09:36 AM

I have about 4-5 computers in my office at work on a daily basis (I work on them and then ship them back to the user so they come and go...) and the cords I have on the floor are insane. One day I got up really quicky and my foot got wrapped around my 12" PB's powercord. I was really moving so it pulled it about 8-10 feet off the desk with the screen open. Luckily it landed on the front right corner's edge. It bent right there and, oddly enough, the cover on the bottom of the battery popped off (has this happened to anyone else? I have the Rev. A 12" PB, 867 MHz G4), but not a blip as far as the screen or operation. Works great. On an unrelated note, one thing about this model that somewhat alramed me was the original hard drive completely died after about 3 years. Is that about the lifespan for a HD? Granted I beat the 'ell out of it use-wise (I used it as my main computer running Logic until I got my iMac G5), but was wondering if it was the heat factor as these are well documented for getting very warm.

aquanutz

Oct 16, 2006, 09:43 AM

I actually just dropped my laptop I gave to my dad yesterday while I was replacing the hard drive in it... thank god the HD was not in there yet. Still works like a champ. :D

excetara2

Oct 16, 2006, 11:37 AM

I dropped one off of the top of a building, but it was already broke. :)

vanzskater272

Oct 16, 2006, 05:51 PM

I think the higest ive dropped mine from was my couch but it was ok

Clydefrog

Oct 16, 2006, 08:02 PM

no, never dropped it *knock on wood*:D

krestfallen

Oct 17, 2006, 09:41 AM

i have owned to laptop since now and none of them felt from a any distance ;)

Mechcozmo

Oct 17, 2006, 11:13 PM

Never dropped my PowerBook G4 12". I've caught my backpack as it was falling, though. Thing has a death wish. :rolleyes:

I'm now considering selling it while the AppleCare is still good. A friend of mine has a Pismo, and I like the plastic for traveling.

To tell a really good story though, someone I know dropped their 15" PowerBook off of a D.J. stand. Screen bent all the way back. The laptop had already been dented and beat up. I took a look at it once; all the left-side ports were recessed from the motherboard shifting. I hope it is in a better place, now...

lamina

Oct 18, 2006, 10:09 AM

My PowerBook cost $3200...there is no way in hell that I will drop the thing or allow it to be put into a situation where it could be dropped.

I hear ya buddy

xsedrinam

Oct 18, 2006, 10:48 AM

You never know. I baby mine the same as most cautious laptop owners. It's in a padded sleeve inside my computer case. I was checking in for a flight, rushed, and set my computer case on the check-in counter. (I usually put it on the floor between my feet) Someone brushed by and knocked the case to the floor. I didn't think anything about it, but when I got home, there was a slight dent in the bottom left corner of my PB, and Airport did not show up.

I had to open it and reseat the Airport Card which wasn't difficult to get to, but scary enough. Even though protected with a padded sleeve and in a computer case, the fall was enough to cause a dent and dislodge Airport.

aquajet

Oct 18, 2006, 04:00 PM

there was a slight dent in the bottom left corner of my PB

They sure are pretty, but not quite like the old G3s. A friend has a pismo -- very rugged. Something to be said about them, as I'm sure you know.

xsedrinam

Oct 18, 2006, 07:45 PM

They sure are pretty, but not quite like the old G3s. A friend has a pismo -- very rugged. Something to be said about them, as I'm sure you know.
They were rugged, indeed. I got my pismo back in Feb. '00 if I recall, and 6.5 years later it's still handling whatever my son throws at it.

minnesotamacman

Oct 19, 2006, 08:15 AM

I can say with a sigh of relief I have never dropped mine. Came close, but never over the edge. Although I baby mine and keep it close to me at all times.

techster85

Oct 19, 2006, 09:14 AM

My PB got pulled off my desk this summer (darn you no magnetic power cord!!!!) and it landed on the front right corner. It bent the corner and bowed out part of the metal above the burner slit. I was SO ticked, but, no one would fess up so now I just have a bent case and a moderately jacked up power adapter...BOO that!

PowerFullMac

Oct 20, 2006, 08:22 AM

The only time ive ever dropped my laptop was off the arm rest of my sofa, but that wasent very high and im using it as we speak. Ive also accedeltly bashed it while carrying it and i have a bit of a brown mark on the corner of my laptop now along with a little crack in the case but no component damage done.

racebit

Oct 21, 2006, 10:42 PM

Was using my old compaq presario 1200 on the dash of a friends camaro while he drove on interstate with windows down. He swerved to avoid hitting a shredded tire from an 18-wheeled transport and the copaq did nice 1-2 out- the -window-manuever.

We stopped and I walked the quarter mile back to pick my mangled copaq up.

Other than the optical drives hanging out 1/4" of the casing and the lcd being muffed, it was fine.

deorg

Dec 4, 2008, 10:06 AM

Once I drop a powerbook from my desk, I guess apple was really clever tu put the MAGsafe device on the laptop.

alphaod

Dec 4, 2008, 10:25 AM

Yeah I was using it on a railing, the the rail broke, then the computer fell down about 10 stories.

Thank goodness for accidental protection.

And no this wasn't a Mac.

Kleivonen

Dec 4, 2008, 01:19 PM

My Macbook fell off a counter... screen broke.

My Mom's Powerbook got run over by a car (don't ask), and still works fine. it was dented, but that's it.

SFStateStudent

Dec 5, 2008, 12:04 AM

(0) Drops!!! Not sure if it's just dumb-luck or what, but I'm definitely touched by an angel. Sitting in class with my new MBA and my Professor is very expressive with his hands while lecturing, and as I'm sitting in the front row, he strikes my MBA and I happen to catch it on its way down to the hardwood floor...:eek:

Elbert C

Dec 5, 2008, 02:09 AM

The first time was from about a foot 1/2, landed flat on it's bottom. A couple months later the DC Inboard failed which AC replaced along with the RAM under warranty. I don't know if the drop caused the failure.
The second time was from about 3 1/2 feet. Landed on the corner where the power cord plugs into the PB. The casing has a slight dent on it but the connector was bent pretty bad, but not so bad that I could reasonably straighten it out myself. I haven't had any problems with the PB since I dropped it a second time (knock on wood). Both drops were caused by me snagging the power cord.

sup4mn

Dec 5, 2008, 02:29 PM

I never took my Powerbook to class (engineering student don't need it to take notes, just to waste time) and the one day I took it to class I slipped it inside my backpack with the neoprene sleeve and the backpack I used since 10th grade (6 years old JanSport) broke its strap and my laptop got a major dent. :mad:

I quickly purchased the most expensive NorthFace laptop backpack (Surge) I could find, and I realized what I had been missing. :cool:

btw, just bought a new Al MB, wonder how well those things hold up to drops? ;)

QueenZ

Dec 8, 2008, 11:27 PM

Haven't dropped mine and hopefullly it will stay that way :D It's an old iBook G4 so i'm pretty scared of dropping it..

mikes70mustang

Dec 30, 2008, 01:40 AM

mine slid off the angled shelf in a sound booth. Bout 4 and a half feet. It was on and open. Not a scratch on it. FYI, dont leave ur MBP on an angled carpet covered surface.

samantha714

Dec 30, 2008, 10:11 PM

it was sitting open on the arm of the couch and my lovley 2 year old son pushed it right off! it broke the hinge off and was kind of smoking..(.i saw a little wire in there) i dont even know how much it would cost to fix, or even if its worth it??? needless to say my husband was pissed!!!!

friendgril

Jan 2, 2009, 11:01 PM

Why would anyone need that much velcro? These guys sell it by the roll http://www.liangdianup.com/miscellaneous_1.htm and is
hook and look and velcro the same thing?

ChrisN

Jan 2, 2009, 11:28 PM

My mom dropped the Macbook and the screen hinge broke off but it's fine now.

ChrisN

heavymetal4god

Jan 6, 2009, 09:50 AM

Yeah, I had my Pismo on the counter of the sound booth at my church and I wasn't watching but the way the pismo was sitting, the yo yo adapter fell off and yanked the running powerbook with. It still runs fine, and no damge what so ever.:D

eMacmadman

Jan 6, 2009, 08:06 PM

I've never owned an Apple 'Book model, but the Dell laptop I had fell off the bed once without a hitch about 2-3 feet. I dropped it's battery on my foot once, that left a nasty bruise for weeks.

The only hardware loss to gravity I've ever had was a Personal LaserWriter 300 that fell about 6 feet on to concrete when we were moving, it was a total loss. It broke into about 9000 pieces. The moving company offered to pay for it if I had an original sales receipt, but I bought it at a garage sale for $40. :(

Cassie

Jan 6, 2009, 10:14 PM

Haven't dropped mine and hopefullly it will stay that way :D It's an old iBook G4 so i'm pretty scared of dropping it..

These things are pretty hardy. My iBook G4 has fallen down a flight of stairs, fallen off of desks, dropped on to desks, and much much more. Still works like it was brand new.

dnguyen

Jan 7, 2009, 08:16 AM

i dropped my old ibook g4 from my bed onto carpet once. it was about a 1.5-2ft fall to the side/corner and my ibook made it out okay

GGJstudios

Jan 29, 2009, 02:09 PM

For the first time, I dropped my MBP. I didn't have my usual case with handles, so it was only protected by my booq Vyper M2 sleeve (http://www.booqbags.com/Compact-Cases-Laptop-Sleeves/Vyper-M2). I was walking down wooden stairs outside and it fell from above waist-high down to the steps and went end-over-end down 3 steps before it stopped. Not one dent or scratch or any problem whatsoever! The Vyper is the best protection in a notebook sleeve that I've ever seen! Well worth the investment!

Techguy172

Jan 29, 2009, 09:07 PM

Never Dropped my MacBook or any computer.

zen.state

Jan 30, 2009, 07:23 AM

GGJstudios

Jan 30, 2009, 07:58 AM

Anyone who is careless enough to drop their laptop doesn't deserve to own one. I know many people who treat their hardware like crap and then wonder why it prematurely stops working properly.
If you don't respect your hardware... why own it?
That's a ridiculously narrow-minded and naive opinion. No matter how careful someone is, accidents can and do happen. It has nothing to do with being careless or not respecting property. When I dropped mine, it was the first time I've ever dropped a laptop in over 10 years of owning them. Never say "never". As soon as you do, it will happen to you.

Benguitar

Jan 30, 2009, 10:45 AM

No I have not, I have been extremely protective of my MacBook. ;)

DiamondMac

Feb 2, 2009, 12:40 AM

I have from just a few feet but it fell on carpet thank goodness

spacecadet610

Feb 8, 2009, 09:38 AM

just when it slid off the bed. thank goodness i have carpets

phatmuther

Feb 9, 2009, 10:20 AM

just when it slid off the bed. thank goodness i have carpets

Same here, never "dropped" it, only of the edge of the bad a few times, still worked fine and not a scratch :D

iParis

Feb 9, 2009, 10:22 AM

Ya, but it was a crappy Windows PC with Vista running on 1GB ram so my only response was, "oh."

alphaod

Feb 9, 2009, 06:15 PM

Dropped my older 17" MBP when I was trying to apply the invisibleSHIELD on it. Ended up with scratches and a dented corner. So much for that.

I've also dropped my Thinkpad 3 times; twice, because I tripped, fell myself, and the computer when tumbling onto the floor. Last time because a friend swung their bag and knocked my computer flying across the room. Former 2 times, it barely scratched, last time, it cracked the display, but I have Thinkpad protection, it was just an inconvenience.

rawdawg

Feb 16, 2009, 05:39 PM

I work on a popular real estate TV show that very prominently displays the MBP we use for design renovations. Two summers ago our host accidentally (while faking) threw the laptop across the room, pretty much as hard as one could. It flew about 15 feet, hit the wall, bounced off it, knocked a printer off a table, and made a horrible crash...

It still works to this day, with no hiccups! Only a medium sized dent on the front, something we only recently fixed by upgrading to a new MBP!

kikykuang

Feb 18, 2009, 07:54 PM

My laptop dropped from the sofa, so heartburn for me
luckily, it in good condition. :)

Elppa14

Feb 18, 2009, 08:18 PM

oh gosh, one time i was holding my laptop, and i was walking down the stairs. Well, on the last two steps, i tripped and fell. Luckily the screen was closed! The only damage that occured was that i almost broke my wrist. i couldn't write on anything for like 2 weeks. But thank god my Toshiba survived, and it came out scratchless. Just a little scratch on the corners, but they're barely noticeble. Other then that it works and looks great. I think i was more worried about my laptop getting damaged then something happening to me!

ashjamben

Feb 20, 2009, 06:14 AM

dropped it from about 3 feet once, whilst it was open, off a desk. i just shut it and went out and tried not to think about it. when i got home and opened it everything was working fine :rolleyes:

starmagic

Feb 28, 2009, 12:03 AM

I'm wondering how many people who dropped it more than 4 feet were able to still use the machine?

I probably dropped mine 3 - 4 feet. more than once. It is fine! they are pretty tough.

iPhoneNYC

Mar 7, 2009, 06:57 AM

I have a alum Powerbook and travel alot. Recently I was going thru TSA and the MacBook dropped from the belt leading into Xray to the floor, about three feet. I have a dent in the corner to know exactly where it hit the ground. But there was no damage at all and MacBook has worked fine since.

Joerigoesmac

Mar 16, 2009, 03:37 PM

My biggest 'crashlanding' was with my 15 inch Asus notebook. I was riding home on my bike, and i didnt close the bag very well, so it flew out at 70km/h speed. Luckily it landed right on the screen, and not on one of the corners, so there was no real visible damage. Laptop had a broken mainboard & harddrive, wich was fixed under warranty :D

drew0020

Mar 16, 2009, 07:33 PM

NO. I am anal about my aluminum macbook :) Knock on wood haha!

michael.lauden

Mar 16, 2009, 07:39 PM

no way! i am soooo careful with my unibody MB.

i would freak out. like the first time i dropped my iPhone.

1,000,000 times later, it's not that big of a deal.

i just think 'man im an idiott'

dmmcintyre3

Mar 26, 2009, 03:43 PM

My iBook has been dropped many times but it was caused by other people. My PowerBook has not.

PaperMacWriter

Apr 12, 2009, 04:15 PM

I haven't, but my brother has. He damaged my Sony laptop by tossing it onto his bed... the side fell of and hardware is dangling out, which in my book is broken. Might be fixable, but I wont pay a cent for a PC.
Related to spills, I've done that too a keyboard, thought I broke it, and smashed a cupboard in... the keyboard was fine.. the cupboard wasn't...
SG :apple:

InTheUnion

Apr 12, 2009, 06:36 PM

Mine fell backwards off of the side of my bed once when I woke up after falling asleep next to it :o It scared the life out of me

Still works just great though.

bjbootz

Apr 14, 2009, 10:32 AM

hell yes... my boyfriends from hip height inside a very thin bag on the concrete by the road... it didn't survive..

bigaudiofanatic

Apr 18, 2009, 06:33 AM

My powerbook g4 have been dropped 3 times
Once open and on drooped straight down. Once hit the cord and went off the work bench right on concert floor while running and playing music. And my friend tripped on the power cord and that time it hit the power cord when it went down. Still RUNS WITHOUT A FLAW Oh and also been strapped to the back of a motorcycle for many man miles. ANd they say you need a solid state hard drive:rolleyes:

Little HZ

Apr 18, 2009, 10:08 PM

My MBP slid off the sofa once onto the carpeted floor--a drop of about 27 inches. It still works perfectly, but the case now bows out a bit right over the CD drive. It bothers me way more than it should, b/c otherwise it is such a beautiful machine ... :rolleyes:

Davy.Shalom

Apr 18, 2009, 10:10 PM

I have dropped a few of my PC laptops. Never dropped the mac laptop. I've learned to be VERY careful when handling equipment.

macgrl

May 5, 2009, 10:42 AM

Nope I am sooo careful with my mbp I would hate to drop it:)

doubleohseven

May 8, 2009, 09:14 PM

I've never dropped my MacBook. I NEARLY dropped it once, though. :o

Insulin Junkie

May 11, 2009, 06:23 AM

I NEARLY dropped it once, though. :o

Same here. Don't want to think about what would have happened if it had actually fallen... the floor wasn't even carpeted :eek:

tayshon

May 11, 2009, 10:46 PM

NO, think God!!!!

ZeroCorpse

May 14, 2009, 08:36 PM

I baby mine.

It's wrapped in a sleeve, and then the sleeve is placed in a laptop bag.

I did drop a clamshell iBook once. No damage. Those things were tough.

mpeacock

Jun 3, 2009, 04:22 PM

i dropped mine like 3 feet and just about died, but thank GOD nothing happened. it worked fine

techathy

Jun 11, 2009, 04:47 AM

It wasn't a mac & it wasn't from a great height (about 10") however what it hit was terrifying: a roller of a rolling road with the wheel speed well passed 100mph & was thrown out of the testing bay around 120m down the road. Damage was surprisingly light with the only real casualty being the hard drive, I'm most surprised that the TFT didn't crack however the end of the laptop is rather deformed & the lid looks like a weird piece of modern art now.