MacToughBook??

[trims]

I love Macs. Use them at home. My wife and kids use them. But for business use they're just not rugged enough. For example, you might put them in a case, but they don't even have spill proof keyboards.

Panasonic seem to have carved out a niche with their Toughbooks. I've got an old Toshiba Tecra M5 which is semi-ruggedised (but heavy) and use a ruggedised Toughbook business laptop on my travels. They're OK, and survive the abuse they're given, but they're not Macs.

Do readers think:

- there's a market for a MacToughBook (other then me)?
- that the next generation carbon fibre / LiquidMetal MacBooks will be tough enough?

 

[ECUpirate44]

It would never happen, its just not Apple. Apple is all about elegance and cosmetically beautiful devices. They would never make a 1" thick laptop for construction sites and such.

With that being said, I think Apple is comfortable in the laptop market it is in now. High quality with large margins.

There is no telling what the next gen MBP case is going to be like, but I can guarantee it will not be tough enough to withstand a 4 foot drop without serious damage.

 

[' r i S e n]

You shouldn't really need any spill-proof keyboard in my opinion.

I feel like they can endure enough, no? I mean, what exactly are you doing with your laptop? What kind of business are you in where your Mac isn't suitable?

 

[KwanMan]

where do u work??

 

[Mobius 1]

1. Keyboard silicone from Moshi/Blink (use this ones)
2. External Casing (hard)
3. Palmrest guard
4. Screen Protector

hope this helps =D

 

[trims]

You shouldn't really need any spill-proof keyboard in my opinion.

I feel like they can endure enough, no? I mean, what exactly are you doing with your laptop? What kind of business are you in where your Mac isn't suitable?

My daughter is a student and uses a 13" MBP. Managed to knock a drink over it recently and required (an expensive) new keyboard. Many similar threads on here.

My business (IT consultancy) doesn't require ruggedisation - but overhead airline lockers, and other general travel hazards, do.

Not looking for 1" thick construction site rugged, just tough enough to avoid bent casing / cracked screen / damp keyboard.

 

[' r i S e n]

My statement still stands - you shouldn't need any sort spill-proofing, although it would be nice I suppose. Just don't knock a drink on it or leave it out in the rain or what have you.

Just take care of it and keep it out of harms way. If it can't avoid being bent or cracked with your care, then perhaps just use something else. I doubt a brick will make it into Apple's lineup, as previously stated.

 

[trims]

My statement still stands - you shouldn't need any sort spill-proofing, although it would be nice I suppose. Just don't knock a drink on it or leave it out in the rain or what have you.

Just take care of it and keep it out of harms way. If it can't avoid being bent or cracked with your care, then perhaps just use something else. I doubt a brick will make it into Apple's lineup, as previously stated.

Good advice. I shall pass it on to my daughter!

I'm thinking of a Sandy Bridge MacBook Air, but will probably have to put it in a case within a case to protect it. And avoid liquid refreshment at work

 

[mac00l]

Good advice. I shall pass it on to my daughter!

I'm thinking of a Sandy Bridge MacBook Air, but will probably have to put it in a case within a case to protect it. And avoid liquid refreshment at work

It's not a crime to have liquids near your computer, but it's a wise call not doing so.

In my opinion MBPs are solid enough to endure most typical traveling hazards, just by getting a cheap sleeve, and using an adequate travel case, you can be sure your computer will be safe. I think that is better, than paying a hypothetical $400 premium.

 

[kingtj]

IMO ,no... no market to speak of for this ....

I love Macs too, and think they have a place in business as well as at home. But that being said? Any piece of electronics gear you "harden up" to meet "military specs" for toughness or anything along those lines is going to wind up being ugly, bulkier than normal, and possibly heavier too. These are all the qualities Apple strives to get AWAY from in their product designs.

Panasonic has a niche with the ToughBook because that's precisely the problem with the idea; only a small number of customers really want that! If it was worth pursuing on a major scale, you'd see something similar from the likes of Dell or HP. You don't....

Having worked in corporate I.T. for 10+ years, I've repeatedly watched people destroy all manner of "military grade" ruggedized cellphones they were issued. Meanwhile, others were issued relatively fragile phones without so much as a nice case to put it in, and managed to return it in nearly new condition after using it for years.

I'm convinced this "problem" has far more to do with the amount of care your employees take with the items they're issued than anything else. Some people just don't CARE about something when they know they didn't have to buy it themselves. If you build it tough enough to survive a 10 foot drop? They'll drop it from a ladder the next time they're 20 feet up. if you build it so a car can run over it and it won't break? They'll accidentally drive a forklift over it that's moving a big stack of heavy boxes and break it.

I love Macs. Use them at home. My wife and kids use them. But for business use they're just not rugged enough. For example, you might put them in a case, but they don't even have spill proof keyboards.

Panasonic seem to have carved out a niche with their Toughbooks. I've got an old Toshiba Tecra M5 which is semi-ruggedised (but heavy) and use a ruggedised Toughbook business laptop on my travels. They're OK, and survive the abuse they're given, but they're not Macs.

Do readers think:

- there's a market for a MacToughBook (other then me)?
- that the next generation carbon fibre / LiquidMetal MacBooks will be tough enough?

 

[coldmack]

Man I would love to get a ruggedized 12in powerbook that be soo awesome, specially if it has a HYDIS matte screen, that is scratch proof. I'd even pay $1800 for one easily.

Then again that Lenovo X220 with the spill proof keyboard and dust proof body does look nice, but it has two fatal flaws. One it's using Wind'ohs OS, and the second is the dead legged Intel cpu in it.

 

[trims]

Clearly no clamour for a MacToughBook. And good advice about how to take better care of my current laptop.

But do the panel think the next gen MacBooks (with their macho case materials) will be any tougher?

 

[DustinT]

Clearly no clamour for a MacToughBook. And good advice about how to take better care of my current laptop.

But do the panel think the next gen MacBooks (with their macho case materials) will be any tougher?

Nope...

If I wanted the Mac experience in a toughbook I'd start taking a look at the various ruggedized options from Panasonic, Dell, HP, and others. One of them will be hackintoshable.

 

[coldmack]

Nope...

If I wanted the Mac experience in a toughbook I'd start taking a look at the various ruggedized options from Panasonic, Dell, HP, and others. One of them will be hackintoshable.

As much as it really pains me to say this Lenovo's 12-14in offerings have about the same specs as the 13in MBP(and in the case of the 14in quad core cpu) for one to make their abomination of a machine(Intel Mac fit this category also).

 

[trims]

If I wanted the Mac experience in a toughbook I'd start taking a look at the various ruggedized options from Panasonic, Dell, HP, and others. One of them will be hackintoshable.

Yeah - I guess this is an option, if Apple are unable to produce suitable hardware. Naive question - does much of this go on? I presume it would be legal??

 

[coldmack]

Yeah - I guess this is an option, if Apple are unable to produce suitable hardware. Naive question - does much of this go on? I presume it would be legal??

Nope not legal, and it goes on a bit and there is a whole site and forum dedicated to this blasphemous actions(including getting OSX to run on modified mac pros and imacs, which is just as blasphemous).

 

[duncanbrodie1]

Nope...

If I wanted the Mac experience in a toughbook I'd start taking a look at the various ruggedized options from Panasonic, Dell, HP, and others. One of them will be hackintoshable.

This is what I would do if I were seriously interested in a tougher macbook.
But really, macbook pros with their aluminum unibody are already significantly more durable than other notebooks. Many people will report having dropped and dented their machines but survived with no negative effect on functions.
And I agree, you should not need a "spill proof" keyboard. That's ridiculous.
its pretty simple: keep. liquids. away. from. computer. As long as you do this, there is no chance that you will get a spill. I don't know about you, but the $2000 price tag on my machine reminds me of this every time I see someone come near me with their beer.

One more thing; a couple people on this thread are talking about the new macbooks having alternative body materials as if it has been announced. Isn't this just speculation? I never thought that apple would really make a liquidmetal or carbon fibre macbook, however cool it would be.

 

[fibrizo]

And I agree, you should not need a "spill proof" keyboard. That's ridiculous.
its pretty simple: keep. liquids. away. from. computer. As long as you do this, there is no chance that you will get a spill. I don't know about you, but the $2000 price tag on my machine reminds me of this every time I see someone come near me with their beer.

I agree with you also, but you have to take into consideration what the masses at large do with their macs. A simple perusal of the forums will probably yield at least 1 new topic a day "OMG HELP I ACCIDENTALLY POURED A GALLON OF WATER INTO MY 2 WEEK OLD MACBOOK PRO AND NOW IT WONT BOOT" lol

 

[DustinT]

Yeah - I guess this is an option, if Apple are unable to produce suitable hardware. Naive question - does much of this go on? I presume it would be legal??

Its plenty common. A google search for 'hackintosh toughbook' produced plenty of results. The legality of it would be questionable however unless you start mass producing and selling them I doubt you'll have Apple's lawyers knocking on your door. Its not really a big deal at all.

The key to making a hackintosh work well is choosing the right hardware as a base. If you get the right CPU, wireless card, graphics card, etc... its a piece of cake. If you fail to research properly you'll have a bit more work getting things working. Its all very doable, especially if you do your research.

If you know that a toughbook is what you really want then you already know that there's no way any MacBook will replace one. The vibration, dampness, abrasives and other features in the Toughbooks put them in a class of their own. And its a very different class than a MacBook.

PS, it is quite intuitive to get a VM of the Mac OS running under Windows. You could get a properly spec'd Toughbook with, say, Windows or Linux installed on it as a host. Then have your host just load a Mac OS VM. Performance would certainly be reasonable if you got a system with lots of cores and stuffed it full of ram and a speedy hard drive. Or even a SSD.

Man, that gives me ideas.

 

[stroked]

Nope not legal, and it goes on a bit and there is a whole site and forum dedicated to this blasphemous actions(including getting OSX to run on modified mac pros and imacs, which is just as blasphemous).

I hope your being sarcastic.

 

[DustinT]

I hope your being sarcastic.

I wouldn't be surprised either way. Hackintosh is a touchy subject around here.

 

[gngan]

I don't see the need of MacToughBook unless you work in a construction yard and carries it around.

I take good care of my late 2007 Macbook. There's no dent, crack, break down all these year. I travel with it. If you don't take care of your stuff then it won't matter if it's tough or not because it's not going to last.

I never spilled anything on it. I genteelly put it on the plane's overhead locker or just keep it in my backpack and put it underneath. I don't see any problem with Mac not being 'tough' enough. It's all about the user.

 

[palpatine]

if apple built it, i probably wouldn't buy it. computers by nature are sensitive, sophisticated devices that don't respond well to trauma like overhead bins, immersion in coca cola, and so forth.

instead of paying more for a hardened, ugly, and heavy computer, i prefer to provide my computers with plenty of tlc.

placing a computer under the seat instead of in the overhead bin (i am a frequent traveler and have never put my computer up top), keeping food and drink far away from the computer (rarely even on the same table when i am at starbucks), and using appropriate protection (molded plastic cases (see Speck), padded computer cases, and keyboard covers) ought to be pretty effective.

 

[coldmack]

I hope your being sarcastic.

Nope.

 

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

I love Macs. Use them at home. My wife and kids use them. But for business use they're just not rugged enough. For example, you might put them in a case, but they don't even have spill proof keyboards.

Panasonic seem to have carved out a niche with their Toughbooks. I've got an old Toshiba Tecra M5 which is semi-ruggedised (but heavy) and use a ruggedised Toughbook business laptop on my travels. They're OK, and survive the abuse they're given, but they're not Macs.

Do readers think:

- there's a market for a MacToughBook (other then me)?
- that the next generation carbon fibre / LiquidMetal MacBooks will be tough enough?

I've wondered why there aren't more tough PCs. The fact that Toughbook is almost it tells me that even the PC market is limited. I assume that most businesses just accept the occasional loss, rather than pay Toughbook prices unless the user actually works in a hostile environment- e.g. construction. If there is not much of a PC market, there sure isn't going to be a Mac market.

I have heard rumors that a few PC mfrs have specific product lines that are in-between. Not like Toughbooks, but, tough enough to take a hit while going through airline security, etc. Lenovo, maybe? (I'm not sure.)