Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How sturdy is the MBP?

my mom sat on mine...

I've had someone sit on mine when it was in the back of the car, they were sitting on it for the entire car ride home. I have 17" led high res. person is about 170lbs-ish

absolutely nothing broken or bent. it keeps proving to me that its a lot more sturdy than I initially thought. not to say I freaked out when I found out....

w.
 
Sturdy enough

My wife has the 15" MBP, and she travels extensively with it. She doesn't use any special case, she just slids into her briefcase or carry on suitcase - along with everything else in there. It is scratched and dinged, but has always worked (aside from dropping the WiFi signal - but that is known issue with her version of the MBP). She has actually started to wear the letters off the keys she uses it so much. I don't think she has actually dropped it though.

Sturdiest notebook? No. Probably sturdy enough for what you want to do. Don't drop it.

Good luck at school, eh!?
 
For what it is worth, I strap my 15" MBP to the rack on my scooter in an incase sleeve and travel 20 km round trip daily to work on some less then perfect roads (potholes, bumps, big potholes, big bumps). I've not had any performance issues with it at all after a year's worth of riding and it still looks good. Seems sturdy enough to me. :)

I can't imagine what others are doing to their poor MBP to have dents and screen issues...

I also at various times carry an HP laptop (plastic body has more scratches than my MBP) and just recently started carrying an Acer Aspire One ( have to see how that holds up)

Just take the usual care and it will be fine.

Cheers
 
Juggalo said:
I tried searching for a threat to answer my question but, alas, to no avail. Now on to the question.

I recently ordered a 17" MBP and plan on using it for university (still on its way to me, haven't received it yet). I was wondering if these "desktop replacements" (ie. notebooks/laptops) could take quite a beating? Now I obviously don't plan on actually throwing the MBP around everywhere, but I do expect that there might be times when it might get bumped against chairs, tables, or hit against things on the bus and other things of that sort.

Will the case bend or get dinged? One issue I've come across on this forum is the MBP screen "shattering/blooming" for supposedly no reason at all. Should this be a problem with the notebook closed. My cell phone (Orig. Motorola Q) has a glass screen and I have accidentally dropped it from waist height a few times but the screen has never been affected (now I now that the screen is quite a bit smaller that the 17" MBP, but give me a break, it's the only comparison I have right now).

Sorry about the long winded question but to sum it up: Is the MBP built well enough that it can take a little non-intentional abuse around campus and on public transit, or should I baby the notebook and carry it around in a pouch strapped to my chest?

Thanks in advance for any/all help as this is my very first :apple: purchase.
Click to expand...

get a case like this.

take mine on mountains np.
 

Attachments

  • mbpmountain1.jpg
    mbpmountain1.jpg
    834.5 KB · Views: 107
  • mbpmountain2.jpg
    mbpmountain2.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 98
nephilim7 said:
get a case like this.

take mine on mountains np.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty nice case. I don't mind the aluminum look of the MBP, but I am very fond of the black colour/look you get with some of the cases (especially the leather look with the particular one mentioned above). Where did you get this case from? Also, how much did it cost?
 
Juggalo said:
That's a pretty nice case. I don't mind the aluminum look of the MBP, but I am very fond of the black colour/look you get with some of the cases (especially the leather look with the particular one mentioned above). Where did you get this case from? Also, how much did it cost?
Click to expand...

I leave the case off at home or when it's safe. I didn't get the plastic cases because they shred on rocks. The case is http://www.uniea.com/product-detail.php?id=140 it costs about twice the 'hardshell' cases but is wrapped in leather (still has a plastic shell underneath). Case snaps on and off in like 15 seconds too, unlike the others. I think I paid $50ish for it? got mine from amazon.

cheers
 
It's aluminum, silver and beautiful. Don't drop it or anything. Or just get a case as suggested if you can't be careful.

It does seem to have a very nice build quality so I doubt it will break spontaneously.
 
Thetinguy said:
Expect dents if you don't get a case. I have a couple. Computer still works.
Click to expand...

I transport my work MBP to and from home daily, set it up on my desk every day, and walk around with it at work. Been over a year, haven't dented it or scratched it yet. The prior owner of the work MBP (it was bought for another guy who quit) scratched the lid the first few months.

My home MBP is used every night. It sits on coffee tables, gets moved to a buffet/china cabinet, and put up in the entertainment console. I have yet to scratch or dent it.

Why? Because I use a little bit of care. Just a little bit. I am as far from anal-retentive as one can get (you should see my garage). But I also park my car with less than 6" of room on the right, daily, for the last 4 years (I move it in until my right mirror is about to hit a cabinet), and I've never accidently scratched it parking.

It's an expensive bit of gear. Take a second thought about it when you transport it, and it's fine. Treat it like someone else bought it, and you'll bang it up like a 12 year old treats their dress shoes.

Yes, Thinkpads are sturdy. Let me put it another way: They are idiot-proof. If you break your MBP because you are being an idiot (bending the LCD back until it maxes out, and then pushing it more because you haven't figured it out yet), and it breaks, it's because you haven't got a freakin clue. Better not try and get a job as an electrician. You might be able to get a job programming for Windows systems, however.
;)
 
bplein said:
I transport my work MBP to and from home daily, set it up on my desk every day, and walk around with it at work. Been over a year, haven't dented it or scratched it yet....My home MBP is used every night. It sits on coffee tables, gets moved to a buffet/china cabinet, and put up in the entertainment console. I have yet to scratch or dent it.
Click to expand...

I was wondering bplein, do you have any cases or skins (invisible shield, etc.) on either your work or home MBP?

bplein said:
Why? Because I use a little bit of care. Just a little bit. I am as far from anal-retentive as one can get (you should see my garage). But I also park my car with less than 6" of room on the right, daily, for the last 4 years (I move it in until my right mirror is about to hit a cabinet), and I've never accidently scratched it parking.

It's an expensive bit of gear. Take a second thought about it when you transport it, and it's fine. Treat it like someone else bought it, and you'll bang it up like a 12 year old treats their dress shoes.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more with you here. By purchasing this notebook I am basically spending my this school year's hard earned "leisure" money. Like I mentioned in the original post, I am definitely not gonna purposely physically abuse the machine.

So from what I can gather from all these posts, if I just take the extra time/effort to put in a little bit of care, awareness and common sense my MBP should last me. I will probably get some sort of scratch protector (i.e. invisible shield) for the notebook and maybe a hard case, but I will have to find one I absolutely like.

Thanks everyone for all your helpful suggestions/opinions. For now, I will just make sure that I take excellent care of it, when I receive it.

P.S. Can't wait until my MBP gets here, probably early next week :)
 
I'm not quite sure what some people do there laptops but I've owned a Titanium, Al Powerbook and now a MBP and have never had a dent or scratch in any of them and I don't baby them, Just put them in a sleeve when I head out with it, otherwise it's always naked.
 
Apple apologists are ridiculous. As a longtime mac user, it's nuts to try to justify shortcomings of the computers. While my 12" PB is by far the best computer I've owned, the pretty casing was covered in dents within a couple years. Some of you guys are blaming the users for Apple's shortcomings.
 
Mine has been on the road doing production work for over two 2 years now and is still running like a champ. Hundreds of thousands of miles of flying with me. Constantly going through airport security and used to render video & audio projects on show sites, often all night. I think the MBP is a workhorse if you treat it right.
 
coupdetat said:
Apple apologists are ridiculous. As a longtime mac user, it's nuts to try to justify shortcomings of the computers. While my 12" PB is by far the best computer I've owned, the pretty casing was covered in dents within a couple years. Some of you guys are blaming the users for Apple's shortcomings.
Click to expand...

Ya well some users are idiots and any laptop is screwed if you drop it good enough. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjQVgNDuL4Y

Accidents happen as well. I don't see how thats Apple's fault. I wouldn't advise dropping flatscreen TVs either. Is that shortcomings of Samsung, Toshiba or Sony's?
 
MowingDevil said:
Ya well some users are idiots and any laptop is screwed if you drop it good enough. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjQVgNDuL4Y

Accidents happen as well. I don't see how thats Apple's fault. I wouldn't advise dropping flatscreen TVs either. Is that shortcomings of Samsung, Toshiba or Sony's?
Click to expand...

Not being durable is a shortcoming for anyone... yes... even Apple! I'm not talking about dropping it or anything, but just how they hold up under regular use. Remember the Pismo? The Clamshell iBook? THOSE were sturdy. You should see how warped my PB is, and I've never dropped it or abused it. I think temperature changes are to blame. Also, the bottom doesn't sit flush with tables anymore so I always stack some folded post-it notes under the front-right rubber foot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back