Have you ever accidentally dropped your Mac?

[ET iPhone Home]

Yes! I've dropped my 2011 MBA numerous times from sliding off my bed when I fall asleep. It's a little scuffed up, but works well. I really want a new MBA or MB Pro, whichever comes out first. When is it getting released. I need a new laptop.

 

[brclark80]

I've never dropped mine, but my Windows laptop that was only 6 months old, my 4 year old was on it with headphones watching cartoons on Youtube, spun around in the chair which tightened the cord and it fell on the floor hard enough to break a piece off the motherboard. I hate Windows, but it was my gaming laptop and I can't afford to fix it right now.

 

[Orizence]

Sadly yes. You'd never be able to tell though thankfully.

 

[asoksevil]

Yes, once. I accidentally dropped my laptop from the table causing it to have a bent near the lower end of the screen's bezel.

 

[DeltaMac]

Other than occasionally sliding off a couch or bed to carpet, once had a Titanium g4 go spinning off a workbench, about 4 feet to concrete. Somehow landed flat, and cracked the display bezel (but not the display itself), and nothing else except minor scuffs. It seemed pretty rugged at that time! Happened 8 years ago, never repaired anything, and I still use it occasionally.

 

[zzLZHzz]

someone knocked into my desk and resulted in my MBP 15" (non-retina) to drop onto the floor. Apparently the only damaged component was the magnetic part on the charger. But it just normal desk height so i guess the impact wasn't that strong.

 

[David G.]

One time, shortly after I got my current MBP, I was watching some movie or something on it while laying down in my bed. At some point, I closed it and fell asleep. I woke up around 1 or 2 am because my light was still on and it (the MBP) was next to me. Because I was half asleep I thought it was a textbook for my training in becoming a lab tech, so I tossed it on the floor. Halfway through the air, I realized what it was. A portion of the aluminum case body bulges up about 1/16" on the corner below and to the left of the keyboard. Otherwise, the computer works fine except for the iSight camera. That broke with some 10.9.X update...

 

[MrChurchyard]

Well, have you?

My uncle tripped over my MacBook's USB-C cable once and dented it. With MagSafe that would have been no problem at all. Sigh.

 

[snorkelman]

On Thurs stopped off to pick up some material for a job we were going to. While my colleague went in to pick up the items I sat my macbook pro on hood of the works van and took the chance to grab a quick cigarette and yes ...forgot all about it when we drove off.

Penny didn't drop till around 20 mins later when we pulled in to grab a coffee.

Cue a 20 min trip back to where we started and a careful retrace of the route we had taken but no sign of it.

Its charmed life had finally come to an end


...or at least so it seemed

Saturday morning I got phone call to say someone had stopped to pick it up after almost driving over it around half a mile from where we had initially set off.

The red neoprene sleeve is toast, the top half of the macbook is now a couple of mm out of line with the bottom half but it powers up, charges, has no cracks to the display and all the ports still work - we must have been travelling at around 40 to 50mph by that point in heavy traffic so its nothing short of a miracle that its still intact 🙂

if this particular dent had been a mm or two deeper I'm not sure the screen would have made it (it just stops short of putting pressure on the display panel)

 

[MultiFinder17]

When I was in college, I used a 12" PowerBook as my main laptop. It was an absolutely wonderful little computer, that I still have around. One day, I was rushing down a flight of stairs to get to class when I tripped and sent myself and my bag flying. It was one of the science buildings, and the stairwells had these large pipes mounted to the walls going between the floors. I landed flat on the floor, while my bag continued on, smashing side first into one of the large pipes, putting a beefcake dent in the side of the PowerBook, bending in the SuperDrive and lid. After an evening of swearing, screwdrivers, and small hammers, the little PowerBook was back to 100% functionality and looked fairly decent once more. It went on to serve me well for several more years, and in fact continues to function just fine.

 

[TouchedByAl]

I haven't dropped it but earlier this evening I was walking around my apartment when I tripped over my macbook as I just plugged it in and it took a nice tumble onto a hard floor and hit right on the corner by the charge port where it was plugged in. I was upset but as you'll see I think I came out relatively lucky with the damage as everything seems to be fine and outside of a nasty bump right by the charging port and the bottom portion of the screen the computer seems to be working fine otherwise. Makes me wish Apple would've never gotten rid of the magsafe port sigh.

 

[ApolloBoy]

I accidentally dropped my rMB face down while it was closed on my wood floor once. The Mac got a very, *very* slight dent in a corner while the floor got gouged.

 

[OcelotWreak]

Several times over the years...

Worst incident was going around a corner on a motorcycle with my 17" PowerBook in a backpack. Slid on the gravel and went over on side and back. In fact, I think the laptop took the majority of the impact as I landed on my backpack. Plus the laptop was only put to sleep beforehand!

I got home, repaired myself, and then my heart sank when I saw that the laptop body corner nearest the disk drive had been badly bent out of shape. However, I logged back in and all seemed well. I shut down, got some ViceGrips, and then pried the bent corner more or less back into shape so the lid would close correctly, although the plastic seam around the edge was never quite perfect after that.

PowerBooks take a lickin' but keep on tickin'!

 

[epca12]

Yeah I dropped my Air a few times and there are a a couple of dents along with chips but not much else. Luckily I didn't have to get anything repaired, but got a shell case after that. Although I didn't drop it after getting the case 😵 Maybe I was being more careful

 

[kiwipeso1]

I think I got the scratch by the TB port on my air when it wound up under my parents lazyboy chair. Didn't crack the screen though, even with over 160 kilos weight on it.

 

[jjhoekstra]

Well, have you?

Yeah. My MBP used to be my "road-warrior" laptop and it looks like sh*t with dents and scratches all over it. It functions well though. And I dropped my MB a few months ago while travelling on a bus. It slipped of my lap and dropped on the floor when the bus suddenly braked, and it then slid a few feet over the dirty floor, making a screetching sound like when you scratch your nails over a blackboard. Also still works fine.

 

[EliasM]

I dropped my old white MacBook years ago because I tripped over the power cord. The MagSafe kept coming off when I touched the cord accidentally so I had tucked it under the laptop to keep it in place with the Mac's weight (battery was already dead by then so I needed the power connection to be permanent). After taking this hit, the screen became slightly out of kilter but no other damage.

 

[ShufromChina]

Never dropped a Mac but dropped iPhones a lot of times. I think the chance of spilling liquid on a Mac is much larger than that of having it dropped.

 

[Larry-K]

I only do it on purpose.

 

[vjobs]

This is so easy to prevent. Learn yourself not to walk with the lid opened and when going out always put it in a sleeve or laptop bag.

 

[Stefan johansson]

I dropped mine,but fortunately it was just a short fall,and it landed in a soft place. Guess my dog did not like a laptop smashing into his body,but no damage was done,just a kind of pissed off dog....

 

[Les Kern]

Just once, and what a drop it was.
First, I am in great shape, but sometimes freak accidents win.
I was on my way to work. I walked out to my driveway and placed my 11" MacBook Air on top my Smart car while I unlocked it. The Air started to slide off the back, so I jumped to grab it. My feet got tangled on the rear wheel. I twisted as I fell around the back of the car landing on my hip, shattering it. I had it pinned at first, but it never healed. A year later after using a walker and having my wife tie my shoes every day, I had a Mako Robotic Arm Assisted hip replacement. I saved that laptop, but at a cost of three YEARS of agony and a few hundred grand in medical bills. (my insurance paid for all but 5 grand of it since the Maco was deemed experimental)
I am 95% healed, and it's not even apparent even to me I have a fake hip.
So here's the lesson for the day: Let the laptop fall. Seriously, let it fall.