how to protect mbr in student backpack

[lsh]

Does anyone have suggestions on a way to protect a mbp in a student's backpack?

My daughter just called, her new mbp screen is smashed and it won't turn on. I don't know if there's case damage - I haven't see it yet.
I'll get it to the Apple store (lucky she is close) but I'm thinking ahead for a better way to protect it.

She had it in a lightly filled back pack and put it against a well. I'm not sure if someone stepped on it or there was some other mishap in just carrying it. I had already talked to her about NOT placing her backup so the weight was sitting on the mbr.

She was using a sleeve with bumper protection (Incase Icon) - but that's not going to protect the sides.

 

[TheTruth101]

Glad she is a student, she needs to learn to use her brain. Now, do you need to come to a forum to figure something so basic out?

I have been using powerbooks since 1994, for concerts, electronic music, live shows. Went touring for more than 15 years with at least 5 mac book pros and guess what... NEVER had an issue. When they broke was the motherboards and it was Apple's fault. The same with smartphones, people break them, I had an iPhone 5 for several years until Apple vandalized it.

Take care of your equipment. If she does not use her bran and "Daddy" is always pampering her, she will break the next one as well.

 

[SDColorado]

Does anyone have suggestions on a way to protect a mbp in a student's backpack?

My daughter just called, her new mbp screen is smashed and it won't turn on. I don't know if there's case damage - I haven't see it yet.
I'll get it to the Apple store (lucky she is close) but I'm thinking ahead for a better way to protect it.

She had it in a lightly filled back pack and put it against a well. I'm not sure if someone stepped on it or there was some other mishap in just carrying it. I had already talked to her about NOT placing her backup so the weight was sitting on the mbr.

She was using a sleeve with bumper protection (Incase Icon) - but that's not going to protect the sides.

That’s a tough one. Mostly I think it’s bad luck, unless it was maybe over stuffed to the point of something else in the bag causing direct pressure on the lid while worn. I had a similar thing happen with a laptop in an overhead compartment. Someone else jammed something else in there with it and likely forced the door of the compartment shut to fit it in and the result was a broken display.

There are some alternatives to a soft backpack such as the “turtle shell” designs of the motorcycle specific ones such as the Ogio Mach 1 Motorcycle Backpack. Probably not all of them are motorcycle specific, but that’s my frame of reference.

These are a rigid single shot molded exterior that is much harder to bend or compress, but they have their downsides as well. You also can’t compress them any further to store them.

However, they will hold up to a 15” laptop and are heavily water resistant. I can’t say waterproof, because I don’t believe the zippers are fully sealed.

 

[Wingzfan61]

Glad she is a student, she needs to learn to use her brain. Now, do you need to come to a forum to figure something so basic out?

I have been using powerbooks since 1994, for concerts, electronic music, live shows. Went touring for more than 15 years with at least 5 mac book pros and guess what... NEVER had an issue. When they broke was the motherboards and it was Apple's fault. The same with smartphones, people break them, I had an iPhone 5 for several years until Apple vandalized it.

Take care of your equipment. If she does not use her bran and "Daddy" is always pampering her, she will break the next one as well.

Per the OP: "She had it in a lightly filled back pack...She was using a sleeve with bumper protection (Incase Icon)"

So she had it in 2 forms of protection and you want to question her intelligence? Then you want to insult a parent for taking it to Apple?

As to the original request for help, the only option I can recommend is to keep the screen side against her back. Typically the backpack will have a hard padding against the back so hopefully it will absorb any impact. The bottom side will be against whatever is in the backpack and should be able to handle a little more pressure than the screen.

 

[lsh]

Per the OP: "She had it in a lightly filled back pack...She was using a sleeve with bumper protection (Incase Icon)"

So she had it in 2 forms of protection and you want to question her intelligence? Then you want to insult a parent for taking it to Apple?

Thanks! And I'm the mom.

The Incase does have perimeter protection. I'll take a look at Thule or Pelican.

Now that I have the laptop, I see that glass is fine. The damage is behind the screen so doe hard from the outside? And although I can't see a thing with it on, it connected to my wifi network so it's working.

 

[AppleHaterLover]

It should be in a cushioned slot in the backpack/briefcase so that absorbs the impact and not the laptop.

I’d say that’s an entire top half replacement. Might be eye-watering so be aware.

 

[leman]

Best way to protect a laptop is to treat it responsibly. Don’t eat near it, don’t drink near it, do t touch it with dirty hands, don’t put it into a bag between other stuff, don’t throw the bag etc etc - all quite straightforward stuff. Use if neoprene sleeve and/or cushioned compartment is recommended, but not strictly nessesary unless of course the bag is exposed to stress during transportation (cycling etc).

I am afraid that most likely cause is basic negligence on your daughters side.

 

[No. 44]

[...] Take care of your equipment. If she does not use her bran and "Daddy" is always pampering her, she will break the next one as well.

Ironically, this quote is actually the best part of an otherwise useless post, and you are correct: A high-fiber diet is always a good idea, but I doubt that will help her laptop.

OP, you wrote that it was a new MBP, so I'm assuming that it is from 2016 or later. Unfortunately, these new models are extremely thin and delicate, making them on the one hand very easy to carry around, but on the other hand exceedingly prone to damage when one actually does use them on the go.

From your description it would appear that your daughter took all of the necessary precautions. The sad fact is that Apple has created such a delicate machine that it's not really a good idea to take it out of the house. The older models (2015 and earlier) are much more robust.

 

[TomOSeven]

Best way to protect a laptop is to treat it responsibly. Don’t eat near it, don’t drink near it, do t touch it with dirty hands, don’t put it into a bag between other stuff, don’t throw the bag etc etc - all quite straightforward stuff. [...]

I am afraid that most likely cause is basic negligence on your daughters side.

You gotta be joking.

What's the point of having a laptop when you have to walk on eggshells around it, lest it gets damaged?

Reading how fragile these things are, I'm seriously leaning towards a Thinkpad once my MBP13 2015 gets too slow to use.

 

[leman]

What's the point of having a laptop when you have to walk on eggshells around it, lest it gets damaged?

Who is talking about walking on eggshells? There is a quite a gap between treating your laptop as a delicate snowflake (which I never said you should) and sitting on it. The MBP is a rather robust machine - certainly more robust than the plastic ThinkPads that start flexing and bending every time you look at them. They have certain weaknesses - trapping a solid object between the keyboard and the display is a sure way to damage the later, but if you trat them as you would treat any expensive piece of equipment, the chance of damage is abysmally small.

 

[TomOSeven]

The MBP is a rather robust machine - certainly more robust than the plastic ThinkPads that start flexing and bending every time you look at them\

Saying Macbook Pros, especially the new ones, are more durable than Thinkpads is the stupidest, most delusional fanboyism I've ever read.

That's like me saying, 'Macbook speakers don't hold a candle to Thinkpad speakers!'

If you have 40 seconds, look at this Thinkpad be poured water over, set on fire, tossed around and still work:

And even if something does break, Thinkpads (T-series and above) come with three years warranty and after that, you can easily replace broken parts yourself.

Compare that to the current MBP line, for which you have to buy a bottom assembly replacement for 700 USD when a spec of dust gets under a key. Pathetic.

 

[leman]

If you have 40 seconds, look at this Thinkpad be poured water over, set on fire, tossed around and still work:

Thats a 2010 model. Do you have videos for anything newer? And no, the MBP is rather unlikely to survive throws like that since its display is made from glass.

On a more serious note, I though they stopped making water-resistant keyboards some time ago? I looked it up right now and it seems that I am wrong, sorry about that. The last ThinkPad I had in my hands was the X1 and that thing felt rather flimsy. As in — it flexes when you pick it up.

P.S. I looked at it in more details, and I have to admit that my comment was dumb. Yes, you are right, ThinkPads seem to be designed with more mechanical resistance in mind and are definitely more resistant to drops and spills. I still don't think that one should be throwing a ThinkPad around or sitting on it — if one wants it to last long enough

 

[DjanSeriyAnaplian]

To be honest i just hand carry mine. The casing is so thin that it will bend unless protected by something as rigid as metal inside a backpack.

 

[TomOSeven]

On a more serious note, I though they stopped making water-resistant keyboards some time ago? I looked it up right now and it seems that I am wrong, sorry about that.

ll

My relatively new T480 still has drainage holes. So you might ruin the keyboard, but the rest of the laptop will be fine.

Anyways, sorry for the rude reply, my inner TP fanboy got triggered.

 

[leman]

Anyways, sorry for the rude reply, my inner TP fanboy got triggered.

No worries, I deserved it

 

[SDColorado]

Who is talking about walking on eggshells? There is a quite a gap between treating your laptop as a delicate snowflake (which I never said you should) and sitting on it.

Sitting on it? Who said anything about sitting on it? She leaned the backpack against a wall.

Are we assuming another student then used it as a chair or a back rest, while sitting against the wall?

 

[leman]

Sitting on it? Who said anything about sitting on it? She leaned the backpack against a wall.

Are we assuming another student then used it as a chair or a back rest, while sitting against the wall?

I was obviously being needlessly dramatic, but I assume that something along the lines has indeed happened. These laptops might not have the highest resistance to impact, but they are very rigid - and they certainly don’t get damaged if you just lean the bag in the wall. Even if there is a book or five pressing on them. There was probably a fall or some sort of other blunt impact damage involved.

But if course it’s all just speculation. One would do proper forensic analysis to find out the source of damage. All I can say is that I’ve never had a case like that in any of the approx 100+ mbps that we’re in my care - and our folks are not very careful. They routinely throw the laptop into their bag without any sleeve.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I will agree that the MBPro is more delicate than a Thinkpad.

Much of this "delicate" attention is due to Apple's love for thin!

 

[SDColorado]

I was obviously being needlessly dramatic, but I assume that something along the lines has indeed happened. These laptops might not have the highest resistance to impact, but they are very rigid - and they certainly don’t get damaged if you just lean the bag in the wall. Even if there is a book or five pressing on them. There was probably a fall or some sort of other blunt impact damage involved.

But if course it’s all just speculation. One would do proper forensic analysis to find out the source of damage. All I can say is that I’ve never had a case like that in any of the approx 100+ mbps that we’re in my care - and our folks are not very careful. They routinely throw the laptop into their bag without any sleeve.

I don’t doubt that there was some sort of impact or undue stress to the laptop that caused the break. I just couldn’t figure out where the sitting on it or throwing it around came from.

Putting the laptop backpack against a wall might not be the best idea if it is a high traffic area. Someone may have stepped on it, tripped over it, etc. You do have to take extra care about where you put your stuff, because not everyone is going to treat a backpack against a wall as fragile or valuable.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"Does anyone have suggestions on a way to protect a mbp in a student's backpack?
My daughter just called, her new mbp screen is smashed and it won't turn on."

Yup.
Considering what you posted above, my advice would be to tell your daughter:
DON'T put the MacBook (which YOU probably paid a lot of $$$ for) into a backpack AGAIN.

Buy her a well-padded carrying case for it and tell her to use THAT instead!

 

[sosumi99]

OP, it sounds to me like she was taking reasonable precautions -- using a case plus not overfilling the backpack. The biggest problem was likely leaving the bag leaning against a wall. Someone must have sat against it or placed heavy weight on it, and unfortunately, situations like that are common in a school setting.

I suppose teaching her to be more situation aware and to not leave the bag in a vulnerable position like that would help. But I don't believe you'll get far with looking for a case that can protect the top and bottom sides from damage when someone chooses to sit on her bag. Even if you found such a thing, it will be so bulky as to make the machine awkward to handle.

 

[deeddawg]

I will agree that the MBPro is more delicate than a Thinkpad.

Much of this "delicate" attention is due to Apple's love for thin!

While not untrue, I'm pretty sure my work-issued T470s wouldn't likely survive being sat upon or kicked in the display while closed.
[doublepost=1536598217][/doublepost]

The biggest problem was likely leaving the bag leaning against a wall.

I missed where the OP said the bookbag was leaned against the wall. Just that it was put against the wall -- which can easily include laying the bag down next to the wall. That orientation would lend a lot more potential for the bag being stepped or sat upon, or for others to set their bags atop it.

Still just splitting hairs -- in any event it's most likely there was some sort of impact or heavy weight on the laptop, causing the damage.

 

[lsh]

So the damage did not come from anything sitting on it (she also knows to set down so weight is not on top) - based on what they saw.

I'm told that one way screen damage might happen where it was on hers... is if the lid is closed with a USB C cord still plugged in - not sure how I see that could happen I guess unless the cord was on the keyboard.

It kind of looks like the corner was was stuck in something - so sounds like she might have done something that didn't occur to her would cause damage. It could NOT have been damaged like that with the case she had, so likely nothing in the backpack cause it - per discussion with Genius.

I guess the good news is that there aren't parts yet available for the 2018 so they had and gave us a new one. I think it would have cost us $99 with AC+ but free since they couldn't charge us for the swap. I feel bad for the trouble to Apple but appreciate their service quality - and ALWAYS buy AC+!

 

[sosumi99]

That is good service, and I'm glad Apple took care of you like that.

 

[bruinsrme]

I commute with two train transfers.
Thule backpack two computers, chargers, adapters and a lot of other crap.
2017 15” MBP in a tech 21 case slid into a.m. Incase sleeve and placed in the laptop area.
POS hp placed in front of it, a thick piece of cardboard between them.
Nearly 12 months and the MBP looks new.