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I dropped my MacBook Pro today. [Photo!]

T

The General

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
4,825
1
So I use this backpack that has a slot for my laptop and camera storage compartments. I had forgotten to zip it up, and when i slung the backpack over my shoulder, my MacBook Pro went flying out of the slot and onto my driveway. Here's a photo:

img0016rei.jpg


So that's as far closed as it will go because the bottom of the display is bent down and stops it.

All the internals are fine, I'm still able to use my laptop for everything but ethernet.

I hate my life.

I'm going to take it to the Genius Bar and see how much it will cost to get it repaired. If the cost of the repair + how much I could sell it for = the cost of a 17" MBP, I'll just sell it and get a 17".

How much do you think I could get for this as it is? I might be able to bend the collapsed corner down so that the lid will close, but I don't want to hurt it any more.
 
Ouch, your heart probably skipped a few beats when it happened didn't it? That's a real FML situation. Hope you could get everything sorted out.
 
The General said:
How much do you think I could get for this as it is? I might be able to bend the collapsed corner down so that the lid will close, but I don't want to hurt it any more.
Click to expand...

To be honest, i don't think you get much at all if you sell it unrepaired. If it can be repaired decently it should still sell decently. This incident really shows the limitation of the aluminum cases, and is one disadvantage of them is that they dent extremel easily, something hardened plastic generally will not do.
 
ZenoVT said:
Ouch, your heart probably skipped a few beats when it happened didn't it? That's a real FML situation. Hope you could get everything sorted out.
Click to expand...

I was in shock for the first 15 minutes. Then I just felt like throwing up.
 
I asked the Genius Bar how much to repair the screen (in the past) and they told me $800 by apple and like $690 or something by a third party because of how it's all one piece.

Add that to the casing >_<.

Sounds like close to 2K you'll be paying for repairs...
 
Niiro13 said:
I asked the Genius Bar how much to repair the screen (in the past) and they told me $800 by apple and like $690 or something by a third party because of how it's all one piece.

Add that to the casing >_<.

Sounds like close to 2K you'll be paying for repairs...
Click to expand...

Aye. The display housing is all glued together (because of the glass) and the topcase is one solid piece (because of the unibody construction). Those two pieces together, plus a new bottom cover (I can see yours bent) will probably run at least $2K for parts.

If you don't want to wait around for a busted MBP/spare case off eBay, you're probably just better off buying a new one.
 
Okay, I managed to bend back the bad parts of the display housing, letting the lid close all the way and stay closed. Then, I was able to open up the ethernet port and got it working.

The problem is 100% cosmetic now.
 
blackhand1001 said:
To be honest, i don't think you get much at all if you sell it unrepaired. If it can be repaired decently it should still sell decently. This incident really shows the limitation of the aluminum cases, and is one disadvantage of them is that they dent extremel easily, something hardened plastic generally will not do.
Click to expand...


i agree the aluminum is going to dent more easily, but honestly from the description of what happened and the photograph of the aftermath, looks like plastic would have cracked and shattered and there would have been no computer left. it looks like the metal kept the computer functioning at least
 
Wow, I'm truly amazed..... I'm speechless!

I really want to see a picture of you fixing it...

I cant believe you just bend it back and it works.. AHA - amazing.

how did you bend it back?


Oh, and for flying out of a backpack... that's not bad... you're actually lucky. :D
 
:eek: That looks yucky! Hope you are able to get it repaired.

I thought unibody construction was stronger. :confused: I don't remember ever seeing anything like this (bending) from the last gen.
 
Owie, it should have hit a hard surface!

By the way, I also dropped my white MacBook once. It only got a little scratch and still worked fine. But a month later, its HDD started making a weird clicking sound every time I tried to open certain files and soon stopped working. I don't know if the drop had something to do with the HDD crash, but you might want to watch your drive.
 
blackhand1001 said:
This incident really shows the limitation of the aluminum cases, and is one disadvantage of them is that they dent extremel easily, something hardened plastic generally will not do.
Click to expand...

jarenado said:
i agree the aluminum is going to dent more easily, but honestly from the description of what happened and the photograph of the aftermath, looks like plastic would have cracked and shattered and there would have been no computer left. it looks like the metal kept the computer functioning at least
Click to expand...

Yep, there's be a nice crack in the plastic, especially since it looks like the impact was localized to the area around the ethernet port. Dropping anything other than a toughbook onto a driveway is going to cause damage, and the aluminum probably absorbed a lot of the energy by bending instead of transferring it to the components.
 
Brien said:
Aye. The display housing is all glued together (because of the glass) and the topcase is one solid piece (because of the unibody construction). Those two pieces together, plus a new bottom cover (I can see yours bent) will probably run at least $2K for parts.

If you don't want to wait around for a busted MBP/spare case off eBay, you're probably just better off buying a new one.
Click to expand...

What Apple essentially did in designing the unibody was make out-of-pocket repairs cost more money.

Perhaps there's a reason certain types of equipment should be built using more than one section. ;)

I read the keyboard is also much more expensive to replace as well. Three years ago, I broke 2 keys on my keyboard (my fault) and it cost around $150 (USD equivalent at the time) to get a new keyboard from Apple and have it installed. I'd hate to ask what a new keyboard would cost today.
 
The General said:
It doesn't look much better, but at least I am able to close the lid and use the ethernet port.
Click to expand...
Meh, that's no big deal. Scratches and dents give it character. I draw with paint markers all over mine.

If the components still work just fine and the cosmetic issue is tucked away in the backside like that I would just keep it. :)
 
Abstract said:
What Apple essentially did in designing the unibody was make out-of-pocket repairs cost more money.

Perhaps there's a reason certain types of equipment should be built using more than one section. ;)

I read the keyboard is also much more expensive to replace as well. Three years ago, I broke 2 keys on my keyboard (my fault) and it cost around $150 (USD equivalent at the time) to get a new keyboard from Apple and have it installed. I'd hate to ask what a new keyboard would cost today.
Click to expand...

The unibody construction, in my opinion, is one of Apple's most clever moves. It streamlines the manufacturing process and is noticeably sturdier than the old style. Cuts down on material, increases profit margins. And I don't really buy the whole "Oh, Apple just did this to make things harder to replace." Computers aren't meant to be broken, and cosmetic damage isn't Apple's problem. If it costs more money to replace, just be more careful.
 
wow that's incredible!! in my opinion you're very very lucky that the screen didn't get cracked or the internals busted.

It's also pretty amazing at what a good job you did bending it all back as this unibody chassis is tough! I am impressed.

I agree with the other posters, sell it and get the 17 inch. :)
 
Ouch...my heart feels for you. :(

Glad you managed to get it back in shape though. I dropped my MBP a year ago, dented it around the same area as you did. So I slowly hit the metal back into place with a spoon and some tissue.
 
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