MacBook Air - Extremely fragile. Weaker than I expected, even in my wildest dreams.

[Blackberryroid]

I gave the Ultimate protection to my MacBook Air - A soft sleeve and I even wrapped it around my soft, warm jacket. I thought it would be indestructible. It fell from my table, and I said "Oh, it's no big deal. It's wrapped, anyway. Even without the wrapping, it would be completely fine." To my surprise, the edge of it is bent. A disgusting sight. I didn't really expect this! The table was not that tall too, it's just 4 feet From the ground.

There goes the world's fastest MacBook Air. Ugh.

 

[Luigi3]

+1

That's why Ive bought sleeve and special suitcase for this machine. Sometimes I'm wondering that Pro would be better idea. And they want do make thinner Pros and Airs...

 

[TheRealDamager]

So you drop it from table top height, and are shocked that you ended up with a dent?

I've traveled all over the world for years with 2010 and 2011 Airs, and I've found this to be an amazingly durable machine given it's size and weight.

 

[ccsicecoke]

So you drop it from table top height, and are shocked that you ended up with a dent?

I've traveled all over the world for years with 2010 and 2011 Airs, and I've found this to be an amazingly durable machine given it's size and weight.

Face it. The tapered edge design makes macbook air much more easily bent like a paper, while the same impact usually only gives a MacBook Pro a small tiny dent on the corner

 

[jmoore5196]

While all of us have sympathy for your situation, describing the MBA as "extremely fragile" is a stretch ... and I suspect you know that.

The MBA wasn't designed to take falls, no matter how it's wrapped or packaged.

If I throw my MBA across my office, I certainly expect it to sustain some damage. Similarly, if I drop it, I imagine it might have a dent or scuff.

I can tell you from personal experience that an MBP is no more dent-proof than the MBA. Abuse - whether intentional or not - has consequences. Are you really surprised to find that this is the case?

 

[revelated]

The table was not that tall too, it's just 4 feet From the ground.

There goes the world's fastest MacBook Air. Ugh.

Gravity can only move a machine so fast towards its inevitable damage. I think you're asking too much.

 

[JCL]

I gave the Ultimate protection to my MacBook Air - A soft sleeve and I even wrapped it around my soft, warm jacket. I thought it would be indestructible. It fell from my table, and I said "Oh, it's no big deal. It's wrapped, anyway. Even without the wrapping, it would be completely fine." To my surprise, the edge of it is bent. A disgusting sight. I didn't really expect this! The table was not that tall too, it's just 4 feet From the ground.

There goes the world's fastest MacBook Air. Ugh.

Aluminum bends wtf?

I think it's common knowledge that Apple products are made for good looks and acceptable performance. Apple products "were" not made for business users, but they are starting to gain acceptance. Rumor is that Apple is looking into carbon fiber material which might be to gain more durability (and reduce weight).

You buy an Apple product because you are trapped in there Ecosystem, love OSX, want to try something new, have a job related reason, or are an isheep; you do not buy an Apple product because you want to be able to drop it with no damage, go hiking, do extreme sports, etc...

TLDR

Aluminum bends, dents, scratches.
Dont drop your MBA from a table.

 

[Mrbobb]

So it's just cosmetic, Air still powers up and works correct? I say we're OK!

B4r we bemoan the Air, lets have a shoot out of similar-size laptop and see how the competitions do. Or maybe the finely crafted aluminum give us a false sense of looking at a indestructible machine?

 

[Geordiekeith]

Fragile Air

While I would not expect my 2010 (purchased October 2010) 11" MBA to be invulnerable to being dropped, I did expect it to last longer than two years without having to have the display replaced. Unfortunately that is what I had to do two weeks ago for $430. It has been treated with kid gloves (even coated in carbon fiber thanks to Phantom Skinz), never been dropped, but half the display failed.
The Apple Store Amsterdam said it could be either this part or that part or both (which it thankfully was not as that would cost $830), but I still think a computer should last at least two years without a major part failure.
And no, I did not buy Applecare as I consider electricals should last three years without needing extra guarantees.
And when I pointed this out on the Apple support forums. citing my collection of Mac computers going back to the LCII that all still work, they removed my mail....

Used to be a Mac fanboy, but now an agnostic.

 

[filmbuff]

I'm confused how Apple could prevent this. If you want a computer that is less than half an inch thick, less than 3 pounds and made of metal it's going to get dented if it falls off a table. If you think you need a computer that can survive a fall go for a thinkpad or a toughbook. Neoprene sleeves are for scratch protection but they don't provide any cushioning for falls. That would take a thicker padded case.

 

[BigMcGuire]

+1 on the comment replies that state that the OP is expecting too much. You drop ANY laptop from table height and ... it won't make it. Dell Latitudes, Dell Inspirons, Dell Precisions (yes, I do IT work and have experience with all) even the major brands (Toshiba, etc...) - you're going to break a laptop if you drop it from table height.

That said, the Macbook Air has been extremely durable for me. I've taken it to work every day since April -- and I throw it in my backpack for my IT job in LA on the weekends. Yes, I use an Incase slip case and a Radtech screen cloth screen protector. But that's it.

I think my previous dell laptops were 5x more "extremely fragile" imo. They would shatter and hinges would snap and plastic would crack.

 

[TheRealDamager]

While I would not expect my 2010 (purchased October 2010) 11" MBA to be invulnerable to being dropped, I did expect it to last longer than two years without having to have the display replaced. Unfortunately that is what I had to do two weeks ago for $430. It has been treated with kid gloves (even coated in carbon fiber thanks to Phantom Skinz), never been dropped, but half the display failed.
The Apple Store Amsterdam said it could be either this part or that part or both (which it thankfully was not as that would cost $830), but I still think a computer should last at least two years without a major part failure.
And no, I did not buy Applecare as I consider electricals should last three years without needing extra guarantees.
And when I pointed this out on the Apple support forums. citing my collection of Mac computers going back to the LCII that all still work, they removed my mail....

Used to be a Mac fanboy, but now an agnostic.

I understand your position, but if AppleCare makes sense for anything Apple makes, phones and highly portable laptops are it.

 

[Calot]

After 15 months of having Airs without cases or special bags, not one single scratch on either of them.

If you are clumsy, you should give extra protection to your stuff. Don't blame a 2.5 pound laptop for not bouncing off the ground when you drop it.

 

[jsolares]

I gave the Ultimate protection to my MacBook Air - A soft sleeve and I even wrapped it around my soft, warm jacket. I thought it would be indestructible. It fell from my table, and I said "Oh, it's no big deal. It's wrapped, anyway. Even without the wrapping, it would be completely fine." To my surprise, the edge of it is bent. A disgusting sight. I didn't really expect this! The table was not that tall too, it's just 4 feet From the ground.

There goes the world's fastest MacBook Air. Ugh.

Should've gotten a better sleeve, something like the saddleback sleeve, still aluminium is not all that hard a metal.

Other laptops might've not bent but could've cracked the plastic shell.

 

[Poindexter333]

Wow. Damage from a 50+ G impact onto flooring? Hardly surprising. Try dropping nearly any laptop like that.

Just don't drop it. Nearly every bit of damage caused to my laptops over the years has been caused by OTHER people.

I almost never drop mine or pull it from a table. Maybe 1 or 2 times in 10 years is all I can remember. Simple. Really. If you're careful.

I've also *never* had one stolen, as I have vowed to NEVER leave one unattended (or watched by people I don't know) in a coffee shop or in my car. It goes with me everywhere.

And FWIW AppleCare never covers damage anyway. That's why I use insurance.

 

[Abazigal]

So it's just cosmetic, Air still powers up and works correct? I say we're OK!

B4r we bemoan the Air, lets have a shoot out of similar-size laptop and see how the competitions do. Or maybe the finely crafted aluminum give us a false sense of looking at a indestructible machine?

My school uses those lenovo tablet laptops in the classrooms. A student dropped one from his desk and it barely registered any damage. Boy are those laptops built like tanks.

 

[J&JPolangin]

...no body wants to take responsibility for their actions any more...you dropped it but its (insert manufacturer here) fault it dented LOL

 

[Blackberryroid]

...no body wants to take responsibility for their actions any more...you dropped it but its (insert manufacturer here) fault it dented LOL

It's fragile. It's like saying that if you had an iPhone that you accidentally dropped 0.5 feet from the ground and the whole thing cracks and it explodes, would you blame yourself for having a phone that is incredibly fragile and self-destructing?

I know that would never happen, but what you're saying is similar to that.

I dropped my MacBook Air. It's almost as if I dropped it on soft pillows and it still has a dent. It's ultra-fragile! It has a super soft sleeve and a jacket wrapped around it. The sleeve really is supper soft, that was no exaggeration. And so was the sleeve.

What a fragile device.

 

[marzer]

...no body wants to take responsibility for their actions any more...you dropped it but its (insert manufacturer here) fault it dented LOL

No doubt! Can you imagine if people were this irrational about car bumpers?

 

[Blackberryroid]

No doubt! Can you imagine if people were this irrational about car bumpers?

Read my previous post, please.

 

[Moccasin]

My school uses those lenovo tablet laptops in the classrooms. A student dropped one from his desk and it barely registered any damage. Boy are those laptops built like tanks.

Not necessarily. A colleague knocked over his tablet Lenovo -just went over on the desk - and was a write-off.

 

[marzer]

Read my previous post, please.

Yeah I did. And its still completely irrational.

Dropping an iPone EVEN from the SAME height is NOTHING like dropping an Air...force of impact increases with mass.

Dropping anything on the floor, even with lush 70's green shag carpeting, is NOTHING like dropping it on soft pillows.

Such comments are made simply to validate one's inability to accept the truth. Someone was careless with an expensive piece of equipment and now its slightly damaged as can be expected.

 

[bill-p]

Yeah I did. And its still completely irrational.

Dropping an iPone EVEN from the SAME height is NOTHING like dropping an Air...force of impact increases with mass.

Dropping anything on the floor, even with lush 70's green shag carpeting, is NOTHING like dropping it on soft pillows.

Such comments are made simply to validate one's inability to accept the truth. Someone was careless with an expensive piece of equipment and now its slightly damaged as can be expected.

The MacBook Air was "inside a sleeve", which was "inside a jacket".

So it was padded, and the sleeve + jacket cushioned the fall but the computer was still bent.

That's what he's trying to say.

 

[marzer]

The MacBook Air was "inside a sleeve", which was "inside a jacket".

So it was padded, and the sleeve + jacket cushioned the fall but the computer was still bent.

That's what he's trying to say.

No. I quote, "almost as if I dropped it on soft pillows." Even with sleeve and jacket its nothing like soft pillows, not even "almost". Those types of irrational conclusions are what lead to such unreasonable expectations.

The fact is, Google "laptop drop tests", nothing but ruggedized laptops can be expected to stand up to any sort of drop. And even some of those fail the test.

 

[AlanShutko]

The MacBook Air was "inside a sleeve", which was "inside a jacket".

Most sleeves I've seen are fairly thin on padding on the edges (where the seams are). Hitting a corner is the worst-case type of fall, since all the force is concentrated in one place and it's likely to have the least protection from any case.