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Mackbook air - college kid and durability

S

shenfrey

macrumors 68030
Original poster
May 23, 2010
2,558
825
Hey guys, so im at college and shortly will be heading to universty, i need a laptop and was thinking about the macbook air but worried about durability. I know the macbook pros have an edge to edge glass screen and the airs do not, as are they alot thicker in general. Is a macbook air going to be suitable for carrying around on a day to day basis?

I am studying business and so i just need simple tasks like document processing, fast internet performance and as i mentioned, durability.

Thanks for your help guys
 
I carry my air around in a nice padded sleeve every day in law school. So get yourself a quality sleeve, and it will hold up great
 
The Macbook Air will definitely will hold up to day to day activities and use as long as you take reasonable care of it. For example, don't drop it, leave it where it could fall, on the floor where you'll step on it, etc.

For carrying in a backpack, definitely get a sleeve or case. If you don't, your Macbook might be scratched by pens, zippers, etc if left in a backpack.

Of course, if you're really worried, you could always get a Pelican. ;)
 
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tiwizard said:
Of course, if you're really worried, you could always get a Pelican. ;)
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If I have to do that, I'd rather get a Panasonic Toughbook (do they still sell them?). Once to prove its toughness they threw a bowling ball at it and it survived!
 
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I carry mine around in backpack, no sleeve or anything, and it holds up great. Dont worry, i think you'll be fine
 
Mrbobb said:
If I have to do that, I'd rather get a Panasonic Toughbook (do they still sell them?). Once to prove its toughness they threw a bowling ball at it and it survived!
Click to expand...

They do still make them, and unfortunately my company still buys them. I've broken 5 of them this year alone - I'm pretty sure if it weighed less I'd drop it less often, and it would bounce rather than crunch. It might survive a bowling ball, but it doesn't survive slipping through my fingers when I'm not strong enough to lift it with one hand, or me hammering my (apparently rather weak) fist on it in frustration when it takes twenty minutes to decide it's not going to boot after all, and tries again, before crashing again, and when it finally does boot, it won't connect to any wifi networks without being rebooted. After an hour of this (when I only needed to go online to send one single email) I threw it at the floor, and it didn't bounce, it dented the floor and broke the screen. After that it did work when connected to an external screen, and didn't crash so often - you just have to show them who's boss.
 
I've got a Speck snap on protector on my Air, and REALLY like it. It's always there, so I don't have to worry about finding someplace to put it if I only need a couple of minutes on the computer, super easy to take off if I want to for some reason and does an excellent job of stopping the scratches.
 
I carry mine in an ACME MADE sleeve and haven't had any issues, it's great being so light as it means I can take it to work and if I don't end up using it I don't feel like I've been lugging a dead weight around.
 
I just bought one last week, and I've been carrying it around in my bag. I keep the screen facing out though because I'm paranoid about heavy books cracking the screen or something.
 
I carry my Air to class and work every day. I also carry it on the weekend when I go to the library. The Air is an excellent computer for college and it has been very durable for me.
 
If it were me and I was carrying school books in the same bag I'd definitely get one that has a separate compartment for the laptop AND keep it in a sleeve. Just in case. A few extra bucks to protect your $1000+ investment is a must.
 
rbrian said:
They do still make them, and unfortunately my company still buys them. I've broken 5 of them this year alone - I'm pretty sure if it weighed less I'd drop it less often, and it would bounce rather than crunch. It might survive a bowling ball, but it doesn't survive slipping through my fingers when I'm not strong enough to lift it with one hand, or me hammering my (apparently rather weak) fist on it in frustration when it takes twenty minutes to decide it's not going to boot after all, and tries again, before crashing again, and when it finally does boot, it won't connect to any wifi networks without being rebooted. After an hour of this (when I only needed to go online to send one single email) I threw it at the floor, and it didn't bounce, it dented the floor and broke the screen. After that it did work when connected to an external screen, and didn't crash so often - you just have to show them who's boss.
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:D:p:D
 
When I purchased my HP laptop a few years back, I received a free HP bag that has a really nice cushioned up slot. 6 years later it now houses my Mac. In fact the bag was the only thing good about that purchase because its the only thing still alive...
 
Had mine for 2 years, dropped it at a job interview from 5 feet onto the tile floor, it bent the corner so I took some plyers and bent it back, everything works perfect. My backpack has a laptop sleeve built into it, so I just put it in there. Rock solid.
 
OnEMoReTrY said:
Had mine for 2 years, dropped it at a job interview from 5 feet onto the tile floor, it bent the corner so I took some plyers and bent it back, everything works perfect. My backpack has a laptop sleeve built into it, so I just put it in there. Rock solid.
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Did you get the job? :D
 
I used mine at university and then again when I was getting my MA. I just put it in a sleeve and threw it in my bag. It's still in perfect shape.
 
rbrian said:
They do still make them, and unfortunately my company still buys them. I've broken 5 of them this year alone - I'm pretty sure if it weighed less I'd drop it less often, and it would bounce rather than crunch. It might survive a bowling ball, but it doesn't survive slipping through my fingers when I'm not strong enough to lift it with one hand, or me hammering my (apparently rather weak) fist on it in frustration when it takes twenty minutes to decide it's not going to boot after all, and tries again, before crashing again, and when it finally does boot, it won't connect to any wifi networks without being rebooted. After an hour of this (when I only needed to go online to send one single email) I threw it at the floor, and it didn't bounce, it dented the floor and broke the screen. After that it did work when connected to an external screen, and didn't crash so often - you just have to show them who's boss.
Click to expand...

Haha! Oh man, you nearly made me choke on my breakfast after reading this. :D
 
I think the MBA is more robust than, say, the MacBook Pro. I own both.

I'm sure my Air could survive a pretty substantial drop, although the aluminum might dent. The Pro, on the other hand, would be almost a write-off.

I'll stop short of saying the MBA is a very durable machine, since I don't torture-test mine. As another poster noted, it's meant to be carried about all day. I can't imagine doing that with a Windows notebook - even a Toughbook.
 
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