Late 2013 rMBP 15" durable and truly portable?

[duffer6]

I broke down and purchased a new 15" rmbp for the ungodly retail amount we all know and love. I know it is a lot of computer for the money. I also purchased Applecare which I do believe is a solid investment with a portable machine. So my question is how durable are these machines. Are they truly designed to withstand the day in a day out of portable use (plugging in and unplugging the ear phones, power plug unplugging, lid open and close use, general bumps and jostles, etc). I typically baby my electronic devices but needed some additional insight from the group on realistic expectations. Final note I am a bit dismayed that the earphone jack is now attached directly to the logic board. With average wear that could be a expensive fix.

 

[caughtinfire]

You should be fine. Much of the dying of laptops that get carted around a lot comes from the hard drive being jostled, but since all the new rMBPs have SSD storage that's no longer an issue. As far as the chassis go, the unibody ones seem (to me, at least) to dent easier than the pre-unibody ones, but a modicum of attention, a decent bag and/or case should keep it from the worst.

 

[Alexjones]

A quality case such as the Speck hard shell case should put your worries behind.

 

[fs454]

A quality case such as the Speck hard shell case should put your worries behind.

I wouldn't bother honestly, unless you're looking to sacrifice your experience using it every day for an extra $100 in resale value 5 years down the road. It's not going to help with the durability of the headphone jack, either. Some people like 'em, but I really feel strongly about not adding tacky bulk to these machines, just be aware it's in your bag when you have it with you.

I would get a nice, protective sleeve to slip it in when you're not using it. As for the headphone jack, while it sounds risky, I've never actually had or seen a jack fail from regular use.

 

[thundersteele]

I've seen many highly abused MBPs... they rarely fail. Simple rules:

Don't drop it
Don't spill liquid on it or let it get wet

That's it. AppleCare gives you good protection against technical failures for three years, but even after that it is unlikely that you will experience any major problems. If the headphone jack should give up after 5 years, just buy USB headphones.

 

[whitedragon101]

I have 2 unibody laptops.

I use one of the clear film protectors on the bottom of the case to prevent it getting scratched. If you don't no matter how careful you are the bottom will become inevitably become scratched. Its rather easy with general care to keep the rest scratch and bump free.

I also put my laptop in one of these for protection
http://www.tombihn.com/PROD/TB0390.html

They make a 15" retina specific size

 

[duffer6]

Thanks for all the great replies. Much appreciated.