Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

New Mac Book Pro 15" Design Flaw?

R

robilium

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 18, 2008
3
0
Anyone else have a new 15" MBP? It seems like they have a design flaw if the laptop is held vertical, i.e. laying down in bed, the lid is too heavy for the hinge and it shuts. The new glass and aluminum is fairly heavy. It seems the older 17" models had this problem due to the type of hinge.

Do the new MBP 15s have this same hinge? Did I just get a dud? I wonder if these hinges can be tightened?

very annoying
 
This also happens on mine. I've never held it like that, but I can certainly recreate the result.

I'm not sure I would call it a design flaw though. The lid stays open in the normal position and glides very smoothly.
 
I dont think the hinge can be tightened, the extra weight, from when it went from 5.2 to 5.5 lbs is probably mostly in the display with that glass piece, that's too bad.
 
I'm actually sitting in bed right now and if I had a new MBP already, the screen would supposedly be falling down. This doesn't make me too happy. Is it just me, or are there a lot of things wrong with the new MacBook Pro's? What are the pro's to this device other than the Nvidia cards? The design seems like no big improvement, actually a step back in some regards, the screen is just...well, you know, and I could go on. I don't get it, Apple? Do you not want me to buy a new MBP?



I probably am anyways :p
 
design flaw LOL. what desiger would make such special allowances for a laptop being held in such a retarded position :rolleyes: LOL...No offense though. If it bugs you, it bugs you.
 
Fair point - but....

A good industrial designer (APPLE) will typically design a product for most use cases. In fact companies can be legally liable for customers using a product in unexpected but valid ways. For example, if I use a wrench to hit a nail in and it shatters and blinds me than the wrench manufacturer is responsible. Designers must design to multiple use cases.

Now - using the laptop in that position is very frequent. I often use it in bed while my wife is sleeping. That way she doesnt have to go to bed alone and I can finish up a fair amount of work stuff or get to those RSS feeds i couldnt earlir in the day. The second use case would be for all those business travellers who work in their hotel. business travellers tend to work on the bed and not at those desks. Finally - what about the hippie lying on his back on the park using wireless? :)
 
btw - I HATE glossy. However, the LED has been light enough to overcome any gloss so far. TIme will tell - but so far so good.


btw the design of the case etc it MUCH stronger. I would rather strength over 3 ounces
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F136 Safari/525.20)

just got mine yesterday. No problem with lid closing while using it lieing on couch, etc, but edges are so sharp they are quite uncomfortable on wrists etc.



Probably going to return and eat the re-stocking fee. Not because of that but the glossy screen. I will give it a try for a week but so far not liking it. And it is not just the glare, it doesn't seem as sharp or crisp as the matte. I think I will get one of the new 17s or a 15 refurb.



Crap, I really wanted to like this one, lots to like except the screen.
 
robilium said:
For example, if I use a wrench to hit a nail in and it shatters and blinds me than the wrench manufacturer is responsible. Designers must design to multiple use cases.
Click to expand...

If you use a wrench to hit a nail in and it shatters and blinds you, that's natural selection in action.
 
chilipie said:
If you use a wrench to hit a nail in and it shatters and blinds you, that's natural selection in action.
Click to expand...

I thought natural selection was the drunk redneck trying to drive the nail into the board using his forehead.
 
chilipie said:
If you use a wrench to hit a nail in and it shatters and blinds you, that's natural selection in action.
Click to expand...

Seeing as hitting wrenches with hammers is a common method for trying to free stuck bolts I'd be pretty disappointed with a wrench that shattered/broke when being used as one... I'm having a hard time buying that intelligence would make you predict that kind of reaction. Plus being blind (most likely just in one eye unless you're seriously unlucky) doesn't really decrease your chances of reproduction enough that I'd consider it a case of natural selection.
 
I checked out both the MBP and Macbook's new design and put the two through their paces and one thing I checked was the resistance of how the things opened and closed.

The several laptops I tried at the Apple Store actually seemed somewhat stiff.

They both seemed OK otherwise in every way, except for the Macbook lacking firewire. I also noticed that after I played around with the glass? trackpad that when it warmed up it lost sensitivity some and the mouse would jump around a bit.
 
robilium said:
Fair point - but....

A good industrial designer (APPLE) will typically design a product for most use cases. In fact companies can be legally liable for customers using a product in unexpected but valid ways. For example, if I use a wrench to hit a nail in and it shatters and blinds me than the wrench manufacturer is responsible. Designers must design to multiple use cases.

Now - using the laptop in that position is very frequent. I often use it in bed while my wife is sleeping. That way she doesnt have to go to bed alone and I can finish up a fair amount of work stuff or get to those RSS feeds i couldnt earlir in the day. The second use case would be for all those business travellers who work in their hotel. business travellers tend to work on the bed and not at those desks. Finally - what about the hippie lying on his back on the park using wireless? :)
Click to expand...

Everyone hates hippies. That is the secret reason that Apple only sells the screens with a mirror finished glossy coating.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F136 Safari/525.20)

that's a shame... but I guess you can still sit upright in bed so it doesn't fall down.
 
Stang68 said:
I'm actually sitting in bed right now and if I had a new MBP already, the screen would supposedly be falling down. This doesn't make me too happy. Is it just me, or are there a lot of things wrong with the new MacBook Pro's? What are the pro's to this device other than the Nvidia cards? The design seems like no big improvement, actually a step back in some regards, the screen is just...well, you know, and I could go on. I don't get it, Apple? Do you not want me to buy a new MBP?



I probably am anyways :p
Click to expand...


you just answered your own question.....you dont actually think that apple hasnt thought about this and decided you will buy it anyway do you?
of course they have....its called fanboys. we all are..
call it a slight gamble, but they will think its worth it when they have 4.5bn in cash in the bank
 
FWIW, I checked out the new MBPs at the Apple store a couple of days ago. On two new MBPs sitting next to each other, I noted a distinct difference in hinge tightness. If you feel that yours is too loose, take it to the store and ask for it to be tightened.
 
I have to hold mine with the base pointing straight up to the lid to start to close. It's "tighter" than the 17" but "looser" than the old 15". But it's part of the design, nothing you can change about it.
 
I wouldn't call it a flaw.

I've never tried to use a laptop like that, might give it a go!
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F136 Safari/525.20)

Red-red said:
I wouldn't call it a flaw.

I've never tried to use a laptop like that, might give it a go!
Click to expand...

Mind you don't trap your face!
 
CD3660 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F136 Safari/525.20)



Mind you don't trap your face!
Click to expand...

"My mac ate my face!"

You can see it now...:cool:
 
When are we going to see a radical improvement in laptop LCD density? I see all the neat stuff at CES and it is taking so much longer to hit consumers. I would pay another $500 for OLED 13".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back