Barely dropped my MBA, in its sleeve, in a briefcase.

[dudeitsjay]

UPDATE EDIT: took proper pictures this time around while I had the free time.. Corners are very vulnerable to exorbitant damage costs (my case costs over $800). Be careful. The best way to protect would be a full on plastic cover, but that doubles the weight and size =\

Normal side; I put a cheapo $10 cover on it and it's still got bubbles I've got to push out or pin out, so excuse those.

 

[dantherevelator]

Those are some *extremely* large images there. Sorry about your MBA, though.

 

[Kardashian]

I can't even see the damage - the images are huge.

I'm not saying its not there, its that I can't navigate.

Make them smaller, for G-d's sake.

 

[koobcamuk]

These are *HUGE* and completely out of focus.

 

[Scottsdale]

These are *HUGE* and completely out of focus.

Very true. Impossible to get the true nature of damage. Out of focus and way too many pixels. Could be printed out on a poster sized paper.

What was with the lemon? I don't think dropping an MBA qualifies it as lemon... Has it affected performance or usability at all?

If the OP wants us to see the damage, he/she needs to take some in focus photos and shrink them to standard size instead of 4Trillion Squared Pixels... What parts are damaged? Impossible to tell from the photos. Post some standard sized images so we can tell what has actually happened.

Sorry it happened to you, but I do NOT fault Apple at all. My MBA stands the test of time well. I just put it in a designer bag which isn't even meant for a laptop and it is in perfect condition. I don't feel we have to baby these MBAs, but we do need to make sure we don't drop them.

Very unfortunate, but don't blame Apple. Don't blame yourself either, it was an accident. I would imagine it still works perfect...

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Bad luck, but if you dropped it, you broke it. It's not a ToughBook and has never been advertised to withstand even a minor fall.

Nice picture, too. Even at a viewable size, it still tells us nothing.

 

[Kardashian]

Bad luck, but if you dropped it, you broke it. It's not a ToughBook and has never been advertised to withstand even a minor fall.

Nice picture, too. Even at a viewable size, it still tells us nothing.

Isn't this the picture that's supposed to demonstrate the 'non-damaged' side of the unit?

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Isn't this the picture that's supposed to demonstrate the 'non-damaged' side of the unit?

Ahh, I think you're right. I couldn't tell what anything was on my 13" screen so I just grabbed what I thought was the only picture. No wonder it tells me nothing...

 

[ravenvii]

There's this magical tag called the

 

[tubbymac]

Yeah pictures are too big and blurry to get a good idea of the damage. We need something smaller and clearer.

What Kenneth Cole bag do you have? I have a KC bag as well and bump it against tables and edges all the time and the computer is still pristine looking. I've never dropped my Air yet though.

 

[dudeitsjay]

Very true. Impossible to get the true nature of damage. Out of focus and way too many pixels. Could be printed out on a poster sized paper.

What was with the lemon? I don't think dropping an MBA qualifies it as lemon... Has it affected performance or usability at all?

If the OP wants us to see the damage, he/she needs to take some in focus photos and shrink them to standard size instead of 4Trillion Squared Pixels... What parts are damaged? Impossible to tell from the photos. Post some standard sized images so we can tell what has actually happened.

Sorry it happened to you, but I do NOT fault Apple at all. My MBA stands the test of time well. I just put it in a designer bag which isn't even meant for a laptop and it is in perfect condition. I don't feel we have to baby these MBAs, but we do need to make sure we don't drop them.

Very unfortunate, but don't blame Apple. Don't blame yourself either, it was an accident. I would imagine it still works perfect...

Sorry about the pictures all, I was on my 24''. It was the best I could do, but you'll notice from the first side picture of the right side that it is bent at the tip where the hinges are and are touching with no gap inbetween. The last picture was to show the difference from the other side which has an even gap throughout. If you expand the pictures and look to the point, you can find the dent.

Anyhow, Not blaming anyone, but rather disappointed at the poor aluminum quality at the corners there. My friend who was with me at the time and saw the damage even had to agree that the damage to it from such a small and weightless fall was ridiculous. "Even thin cardboard with double the weight wouldn't have had creased." Just for sincerity, he's almost as big of an applefanboy as scottsdale, carrying his own macbook with him when this happened. That's saying a lot . Absolutely disappointed in the strength of the casing corners, and you all would agree if you guys were there to see how light and short the fall was...
oh n it's not a lemon. its a freak of nature orange that I've just begun peeling to eat .

This is my briefcase
http://www.amazon.com/Kenneth-Cole-...bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&qid=1238728917&sr=8-1
Case sleeve
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EPFG6Y

 

[tubbymac]

The first and only laptop I ever dropped was an IBM Thinkpad. It scared the hell out of me as back then the thing cost me $2000. It bounced off the carpet from about waist/chest height and didn't even scratch.

Ever since that day I have been extremely careful with my notebooks. I'm pretty sure my plastic notebooks would crack and my Apple aluminum notebooks would bend/dent from the same fall.

If you drop a notebook and it comes out scratch free you should thank your lucky stars. I don't think these things are designed to withstand any type of drop, especially with the constant trend of thinner/lighter materials.

 

[McGilli]

These MBAs are kinda like luxury cars....

I mean - if you bump a mid 90's nissan sentra into a light pole - it doesn't do anything but scuff the bumper. The sentra is like my fujitsu laptop - small and kinda tough.

But - bump a Ferrari into that same pole and you will get a nice dent in the bumper. the ferrari being compared to my MBA.

at least this is how i think of it when people say 'why you pay so much for a laptop - it does the same things as all other laptops?'

ahhh yes - but why do some people buy ferraris and porsches when a honda civic will still get them from A to B?

Anyways sorry - that sucks man....

 

[Sun Baked]

One of the reasons some of us still try to steer students towards the plastic MacBook, especially if they are in a position where they are stretching when they purchase a more expensive machine.

Might be a porky as a pig compare to svelte loveliness, but it should survive a 2 ft. drop in a sleeve.

 

[ntrigue]

Your pictures crashed my iPhone.

I came in because same thing happened to me tonight. I was holding my sleeve upside down. How much to repair?

 

[dudup]

I've had the same accident. Since the inner lower part of the MBA display is hollow, unlike the unibody MBs and MBPs, the smallest bump will bent it to the inside, and it will scratch the top of the unibody when you close the lid.

Unfortunately, you'll need to replace the whole display, something that will cost about $899 -- service not included.

So to me, it's just a battle scar. I'm still using it for months and no problems whatsoever.

 

[SirContumacious]

As mentioned above, the screen does cost an arm and a leg. Be careful with those hinges too. Apple doesn't want to cover them.

 

[jcb10]

The first and only laptop I ever dropped was an IBM Thinkpad. It scared the hell out of me as back then the thing cost me $2000. It bounced off the carpet from about waist/chest height and didn't even scratch.

Reminds me of my old graphite clamshell iBook. That thing was durable. I'd pull it off tables after getting tripped by cords (thank the gods for mag-safe), have it bounce off my bed following a slight toss, even had it fall about 15 feet (in a bag) onto asphalt, and it worked great. A lot of people didn't like the look of it, but it had some armor.

It finally broke last summer after eight years -- I made the error of picking it up by its screen and the LCD cracked. Good, lamented laptop.

I like my new MacBook, but I'm still treating it like a baby despite its ballyhooed unibody.

 

[Anuba]

Even though the pictures are way out of focus I think the damage is illustrated clearly enough. It's the white-ish thing in the upper right corner above power button. The edge of the lid is slightly bent and the corner of the base has been squished.

ahhh yes - but why do some people buy ferraris and porsches when a honda civic will still get them from A to B?

I'm sure Apple is very flattered by being compared to Ferrari, but come on. A Ferrari is hand built in their factory outside Modena, Italy, every nut and bolt is custom made. Proprietary components all the way. I wouldn't be surprised if they have their own cow farm for the leather seats. Each car is assembled from top to bottom by a small team, just like an Audi R8 or a Bugatti Veyron -- not by 500 different people along a conveyor belt.

A Mac is mass manufactured in a Chinese sweat shop just like every other PC. Same engine, same drive train. In your Honda analogy, a Mac would be an Acura at best. And there's nothing wrong with an Acura. It's just not a Ferrari.

 

[dudeitsjay]

Even though the pictures are way out of focus I think the damage is illustrated clearly enough. It's the white-ish thing in the upper right corner above power button.


I'm sure Apple is very flattered by being compared to Ferrari, but come on. A Ferrari is hand built in their factory outside Modena, Italy, every nut and bolt is custom made. Proprietary components all the way. I wouldn't be surprised if they have their own cow farm for the leather seats. Each car is assembled from top to bottom by a small team, just like an Audi R8 or a Bugatti Veyron -- not by 500 different people along a conveyor belt.

A Mac is mass manufactured in a Chinese sweat shop just like every other PC. Same engine, same drive train. In your Honda analogy, a Mac would be an Acura at best. And there's nothing wrong with an Acura. It's just not a Ferrari.

I'd have to agree the analogy was awkward. Anyhow, I'm just mentioning this to warn you guys that the aluminum corners aren't as strong as you might think. You may want to consider sacrificing form factor for a plastic casing like the specks casing I have on now 24/7.

 

[Anuba]

I'd have to agree the analogy was awkward. Anyhow, I'm just mentioning this to warn you guys that the aluminum corners aren't as strong as you might think. You may want to consider sacrificing form factor for a plastic casing like the specks casing I have on now 24/7.

Yeah. Aluminium looks good, the thermal aspects are good, the machine will be structurally rigid and all that. But it is still somewhat soft and will scratch and dent easily. It will also bend easily in places where it's thin. The alu body on a Mac will protect your hard drive, but it won't protect itself.

If you actually need a machine that can withstand anything, there are PC laptops out there for that. Panasonic Toughbook, Dell Latitude XFR etc.

This torture test video pretty much says it all... I could barely watch the 'waterboarding' part: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/24/durable-faceoff-and-torture-test-panasonics-toughbook-30-vs-g/

 

[thejadedmonkey]

<snip>Sorry it happened to you, but I do NOT fault Apple at all. My MBA stands the test of time well. I just put it in a designer bag which isn't even meant for a laptop and it is in perfect condition. I don't feel we have to baby these MBAs, but we do need to make sure we don't drop them.

Very unfortunate, but don't blame Apple. Don't blame yourself either, it was an accident. I would imagine it still works perfect...

I would blame Apple. They shouldn't make a portable product that can't withstand a 2 foot drop without suffering $1000 in damages.

Like another poster said, make sure your next laptop is the Thinkpad x200

 

[ducatidoc]

"Yeah. Aluminium looks good, the thermal aspects are good, the machine will be structurally rigid and all that. But it is still somewhat soft and will scratch and dent easily."[/url]

couldn't agree more. we use aluminum due to its weight savings, and these new manufacturing conditions allow for designs with the minimum possible metal in the case. at some point you cant have both light weight and durable, and this is a clear example of this effect.

the rub is that given how easily it dents, it seems as though apple should be more lenient on their "we don't warranty damaged/dented goods policy."

 

[MultiFinder17]

That's one thing that I like about my PowerBook with its non-unibody aluminum shell; sure, it'll dent or bend when you drop it, but you can usually just bang the bends out of it with a screwdriver and a few minutes. That's why the back left corner of mine is relatively straight, but has a ton of wee little dents from the screwdriver (lovingly covered with something soft) banging it back into shape. They're battle wounds; several drops and four years on and it's still chugging along!

 

[Benguitar]

Ouch..

I am so sorry for you, I hate it when something happens to my computer.