New M1 Owner! Anxiety to use in the real world??

[flat6pilot]

My new 2020 M1 Air came today. I've wanted a laptop that is easily portable because I got tired of hauling around a unibody. Bought a $200 Mid-2013 i7 Air last month but can't stand those huge silver bezels. I've had a crush on the M1 Air in Space Grey since launch and stumbled upon a deal too good to pass.

It's my first NEW laptop. It's a like a piece of artwork. Problem is, it's so nice I'm going to feel guilty actually taking it out into the real world for fear of damaging/denting/scratching it. Bought a nice leather sleeve and always treat my belongings with respect but stuff happens.

Thought about using the Mid-2013 MBA as a runaround but then it would literally defeat the purpose of ordering the M1. I guess I'll look into AppleCare and deal with whatever happens. Just curious if anyone else is hesitant to take their beautiful new laptop out into the wild? Any tips or suggestions welcome!

 

[jdb8167]

Get Apple Care and don't worry. You can also find a hard-case for it if necessary but I wouldn't bother. Keep it in the leather sleeve when moving about should be sufficient protection.

A portable computer that you are afraid to use while mobile is kind of a waste.

 

[Pilot Jones]

I know exactly how you feel, but (and I mean this completely unironically) once you get that first little knock or scratch, it becomes far easier to re-adjust and treat it like what it actually is...a tool to get work done.

I'm not asking you to purposely go out and try to scratch your device, but my rule of thumb is that if your instinct to protect the device from harm actually intrudes upon your practical usage & workflow, you need to force yourself to work through that phase.

Think of it this way. What's the point of spending so much money on a device like this if at the end of the day you're getting even less work done on it that with the device you had before? You gotta get your money's worth!

 

[Pilot Jones]

Oh and even if you do decide to go the route of hard cases, etc. be careful of what you get.

I also babied my brand new MBP in 2015 for a while and put it in a hard case the moment I got it, but the laptop bumping around in the case actually ended up scratching it a lot more, because the hard material of the case itself was doing a lot of the damage on the surface of the laptop.

 

[Fozziebear40]

That's why I always try to buy a Refurb. Never feel as precious about it, plus, saved £200.

 

[TechRunner]

I felt that way when I bought my 2015 MBA new. I tend to take great care of my devices, and I babied it for the six years I owned it, rarely taking it from the house or moving it from my desk. What I ended up with was a pristine MBA with a bad battery that, in spite of my great care, was worth no extra money to sell/trade, and I vowed to simply use the portable devices I own for their intended purposes from now on. Use it and enjoy it! It's a great machine.

 

[Ziperix]

People have really weird problems nowadays

 

[saudor]

might as well get it over with and just drop it now. That way, the thrill of a new computer will balance out the stress from the scratches.

 

[MikeDr206]

might as well get it over with and just drop it now. That way, the thrill of a new computer will balance out the stress from the scratches.

This. It’s a device. It’ll get used, and not look as good as new in a few days, weeks, months.

 

[Jeven Stobs]

The f… it’s a tool, use it. I totally get your incentive, I’ve been the same, until I realised how silly I was.
If you can afford Apple Care+ and want it to ease your mind, get it. But don’t baby your tools.

 

[monokakata]

Long ago, Car Talk ran a very funny segment in which a guy called in to say he was worried about going out and parking his new Mazda, so much so that he didn't drive it. They said -- amidst the usual Click&Clack humor -- that he should drive to a supermarket parking lot, park near the cart corral, and leave it there over a weekend. "Then," they said, "your worries will be over."