MacToughBook??

[DustinT]

Dell has a full product lineup called XFR that are mil-spec and ruggedized. But ya, Toughbook is the 'brand name' everyone knows about.

It must be a fairly small market.

 

[trims]

Last night I think I put something on my mac or something and today it has a blue spot you can see if the screen is dark. I have the 1 year warranty and was wondering if they would fix it for me. The splotch is blue and you can see tiny black dots in it.

Basically, I have the 2009 macbook pro, but as I was sitting on the table outside, someone knocked over a cup of water, and it went inside the vent of my MBP. I didn't realise for a few seconds, but when i did the first thing that I did was lift the laptop off the table and wipe the underneath (not realising that it had just flooded in through the vent at the back).

So here are quotes from two threads on the MBP forum with posts in the past 24 hours. Clearly no need for a tougher Mac then?

 

[trims]

I accidentally cracked my moms trackpad on her brand new Macbook Pro 13''. My dad just purchased it for her as a gift 3-4 months ago. Sooo...me not knowing that the trackpad was GLASS, I carelessly tapped the track pad very hard in frustration of a slow website. Now I need to buy a new trackpad and replace it before he finds out. My mom already knows that it has been damaged. The only problem that I am having is finding the correct trackpad that is compatible with my moms Macbook Pro.

Even the trackpad is broken!

 

[kingtj]

Thank you... my sentiments exactly....

I've owned a 17' Powerbook G4, a 15" version of the same, a first generation 15" Macbook Pro aluminum, and now a 2010 edition 17" Macbook Pro. In every single case but one, I managed to keep them in near factory-new condition as long as I used them, until I "flipped" them for a good resale price and upgraded to the next model. In the one case where something happened, it was a case of my carelessness while in a rush, working with a customer's server he had in the basement of an office. I accidentally stepped on a short ethernet cable that was attached to the side of my notebook and pulled it off the table and onto the floor. It survived just fine but had an ugly dent in one corner of it.

Honestly, the premium price I would have expected to pay for a company like Apple to "ruggedize" the thing enough to prevent that dent from a drop onto a concrete floor was probably just as much, if not more, than it cost me to get ahold of a replacement case bottom for it and fix it back up like new again myself.

Sure, you can find endless examples of people complaining about spilling things into their computer or sitting on them and cracking the screen, or dropping and breaking them. But that's equally true of pretty much ALL portable electronics on the market.... certainly of any typical portable computers of ALL makes and models. Again, most of us realize there's some level of RISK involved with these things. If we do drop them or spill fluids into them, they'll require repairs. Fine... I balance that against things like the extra weight and bulk it would need to protect against them better, the additional cost, and the styling changes it would require. That brings me back to concluding that no, I'd rather not go with the "rugged" version, thanks. There are insurance policies you can buy inexpensively for your computer if you're REAL worried you might screw it up.

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.

 

[maclaptop]

Macs are beautiful laptops designed to sit pretty on the desktop. Toughbooks are designed to operate in adverse conditions. These are two very different notebooks not to be compared

Apple would never want to get it's hands dirty, ha...ha..ha...

 

[trims]

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

Have lost count of the number of 'spillage advice' threads I've read over the past six months!

 

[thundersteele]

For accidents, insurance is the best protection.

For use in tough environments, a Macbook Pro is just the wrong laptop. There are a few alternatives that are not quite as crazy as a toughbook. Lenovo Thinkpads come with spill-resistant keyboards and are very stable and durable. They will survive a few raindrops and are less sensitive when dropped or hit.

There are a few companies specialized in customizing MacBooks. I'm sure you can contact them with your wish list, and some will respond with a custom built solution.
You can already buy keyboard covers, trackpad covers and cases for the MBP. They provide some protection. However if you plan to drop your MBP into the ocean or something like that, it is a lost cause.

 

[trims]

Have lost count of the number of 'spillage advice' threads I've read over the past six months!

Here's today's spillage thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1286897/

Agree that few of us need an armour plated Macbook, but am I alone in thinking it extraordinary that you can kill it by spilling half a glass of water?

 

[takeshi74]

Agree that few of us need an armour plated Macbook, but am I alone in thinking it extraordinary that you can kill it by spilling half a glass of water?

Definitely not but there's a difference between "not alone" and "enough of a market".