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What's your mentality on caring for your MacBook?

Y

Yumunum

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 24, 2011
1,452
0
U.S.
Do you let your laptop get beat up? Or do you keep it pristine? Buy a case for it? Why?

Maybe you think that the more marks, the more love. Or you want your computer to look perfect for re-selling one day. I'm just interested to hear what you do to care for your laptop (if you do) and why.

I just got a new MacBook Air, got a Speck case for it... and honestly I feel like it's kinda lame to have a case. But I don't want my computer to be worth less when I sell it. I'm afraid to take it off, but idk. That's why I'm looking to see what others do. Maybe I'll realize I should just leave it unprotected. But I do have another question, does this aluminum get scratched easily? My MacBook Pro never had a scratch, and it has no case, but it's been babied a lot. I'm still not sure how good the metal holds up. What I'm mostly worried about is hairline scratches, they look hideous! Anyways, thanks in advance!
 
Yumunum said:
Do you let your laptop get beat up? Or do you keep it pristine? Buy a case for it? Why?

Maybe you think that the more marks, the more love. Or you want your computer to look perfect for re-selling one day. I'm just interested to hear what you do to care for your laptop (if you do) and why.

I just got a new MacBook Air, got a Speck case for it... and honestly I feel like it's kinda lame to have a case. But I don't want my computer to be worth less when I sell it. I'm afraid to take it off, but idk. That's why I'm looking to see what others do. Maybe I'll realize I should just leave it unprotected. But I do have another question, does this aluminum get scratched easily? My MacBook Pro never had a scratch, and it has no case, but it's been babied a lot. I'm still not sure how good the metal holds up. What I'm mostly worried about is hairline scratches, they look hideous! Anyways, thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

I don't carry it around a whole lot, but I do have a Speck see thru case for my 2011 13" MBP. I clean the aluminum and the case every couple of weeks, I want this to last as long as possible and sell for as much as I can get for it when it comes time.
 
I don't have a case or any kind of protection, but I'm very careful with it all the time. I "baby" it, so that when I decide to sell it, it will sell for the max possible.
 
murdercitydevil said:
I don't have a case or any kind of protection, but I'm very careful with it all the time. I "baby" it, so that when I decide to sell it, it will sell for the max possible.
Click to expand...

See, that's what I'm used to doing... But I feel like babying the computer makes using it miserable the whole time. I guess I'm deciding between a case + no babying, no case + babying, or no case - babying, and letting whatever happens happen.
 
I just take care when using it. No real babying of my system, but no reckless usage either. I am not really worried about resale values, as I don't resell my systems. If I move on to the latest and greatest, the family members usually inherit my gear. I use my gear effectively and earn my living with it. If it gets a scratch here or there (it does drive me bananas), but I eventually get over it and move on and just consider it to now have character. I do keep it in a top notch case when transporting.
 
I carry mine in an In Case sling pack... the laptop compartment in it is padded with furry soft stuff to protect the finish of the MBP.

Other than that I don't use anything. I have a 2009 MBP and the finish is still pristine! (and I don't plan to sell for awhile yet - she's still going strong!)
 
I'm careful with mine, but I don't baby it by any means. I want it to last as long as possible, but I'm not going to freak out if it gets a scratch. I've had it since early 2009 and it's been well used, but still looks nice. There's one scratch, on the bottom by the battery cover. Other than that, it's holding up well and I've never had a case on it. I don't travel all that much, but it moves around at home a LOT.
 
I don't use a hard case, but I do store my MBP in a sleeve (Incase Neoprene) when not in use.

I just couldn't fathom using my laptop in a case, it's made of Aluminum, it's not going to break easily.
 
No case for my MBP. I enjoy using it the way Apple intended it to be used. If I take it somewhere, it goes in a Booq bag.

I use my iPad and iPhone the same way. I guess I don't much care for cases and covers.
 
mpaquette said:
No case for my MBP. I enjoy using it the way Apple intended it to be used. If I take it somewhere, it goes in a Booq bag.

I use my iPad and iPhone the same way. I guess I don't much care for cases and covers.
Click to expand...

I'm the same way.

There's no point in buying nice hardware if you're never going to physically touch it.

That's why I don't enjoy using keyboard covers, screen protectors, and any sort of case. I enjoy touching my hardware and using it as intended.
 
Mine earns its keep, and part of the rationale for buying a top-of-the-range machine was that it would be good for 3-4 years, by which time it will owe me nothing. So resale isn't an issue. I'm not careless with it, but it's a work tool so it doesn't get babied. A few scratches won't hurt it.
 
Yea I'm really on the fence; on one hand it's my new laptop and I love the design of the MBP. Love it. However, I don't want it to get scratched or dinged and lower the resale value.

To be honest though, this is probably going to be my last computer for a very, very, very long time, so I'm probably just going to save up some money and get a sleeve to carry it but always use it naked. Plus, when I'm gaming, I reach temps of at least 95 C.
 
I have a Speck Satin Case on my computer... i sometimes put a keyboard guard on there, but not when i need to type fast.

I clean the screen when it gets dirty and take the case off often enough to keep it clean.
 
I love the feel of the aluminum so I would never cover it with one of those Speck cases. Plus, I have a friend who put one of those Speck clear cases on her MBP and the case scratched the sides of the aluminum case. She was not happy to say the least! I use my MBP naked and carry him around in an Incase Deluxe Protective Sleeve.

Now, I think I am the opposite with my iPods and iPhone. I have had every iPod I've ever owned in a case dating back to the first generation Nano. I also carry my iPhone in an Otterbox Defender because I am so terrified of breaking the darn thing! It just seems so slippery without anything on it plus it's made of glass, not a good combination with my clumsy hands! The iPhone 4 is my first one so I don't know if I would have done the same with the 3gs.

I guess to make a long post short (yeah, I know, too late for that!), I am not really consistent with what kind of protection I use but I do baby my electronics. My husband laughs at me because I have microfiber cloths in my incase sleeve, backpack, pocket book, and even one in the glove compartment of the car. I'm particularly anal when it comes to keeping my screens clean and clear of fingerprints!
 
Sleeve with only the MacBook Pro + backpack with all other components (mouse, charger, cleaning cloth for oils & such)
 
I like the look of the aluminum, and feel that a case takes away from the unique design characteristics of the MBP. That being said, having owned a first generation iPhone, I can tell you that aluminum is very soft, and will scratch. My iPhone 2g was extremely scratched up after a couple of months.

As such, I put a wrapsol full body protection kit on it. The wrapsol looks and feels extremely natural and does not take away from the design of the MBP at all. It does not have a cheap glossy look to it...or a tacky feel to it. And it protects from scratches!
 
For the first 6 months to a year, I mostly baby my machine. I wash my hands before using it, use on it clean surfaces, etc. I don't have a case on my MBP for two reasons. One, it doesn't scratch easily. Two, it looks so much better without a case. When I travel, I just use a sleeve for protection. If I end up owning it for more than a year (read:decide to keep without selling it off for the new models) I will be less nice to it.

With my iPhone, it's a bit different. The phone is extremely slippery, prone to scratches, and once dropped - cracks. I use a bumper with front and back screen protectors.
 
After i bought my first computer, the first unibody macbook pro, I was out of money, I did my best to protect it, I did not have the money for anything at the time, but I needed it for school. it fared well against the walks to the bus station, bus rides, carrying all over campus, and running home in the rain before my back pack gets soaked and my computer inside.

Apple's product durability really showed and I have grown to respect both Apple's Software and Hardware Engineers.
 
I baby my MBP, I'd be devastated if even the smallest scratch appeared on the body. I also have a Speck SeeThru Satin case on it, and am considering a keyboard cover.

I take care of it so I can get a good resale value for it when I decide to sell it, also, if I encounter any problems (I have the extended Apple care plan), there will be less question about me mistreating my laptop
 
I take care of mine the best I can, and I use a case when I need to move it from place to place, but I certainly don't baby it. I think it's just not worth the stress to worry about tiny scratched and the like.. Things happen and it's best to just go with it and not freak out. If you are careful with the Mac its not going to break, may get a few scratches but that's normal.
 
I took off my Speck case today. It feels pretty great! I love the aluminum, I hated the slightly higher temps from the case, and now I can finally show people my Air is actually pretty thin! haha. I feel like my computer will stay in spotless condition for the most part, but the only thing I don't like is CAREFULLY placing the computer on it's surface.

Anyone else know what I mean? Like, when placing your computer down you try doing it carefully so the back or front of the computer don't hit before the black bumpers do. I'd hate to look at the bottom of my computer after a month and see the edges losing their finishes really badly

Also, some people mentioned how they treat their iPhones differently... I completely agree. The iPhone is a small slippery device. I couldn't count how many times I've dropped my iPhone, or had it knocked out of my hand. It's a completely different item than a MacBook.
 
mystik610 said:
I like the look of the aluminum, and feel that a case takes away from the unique design characteristics of the MBP. That being said, having owned a first generation iPhone, I can tell you that aluminum is very soft, and will scratch. My iPhone 2g was extremely scratched up after a couple of months.
Click to expand...

Agreed, when I bought my MBP I had visions of my original iPhone with the scratches and chips. The thing is - I don't keep my laptop in my pocket, or drop it on pavement, or introduce it to my car keys.

I treat it like my 2 laptops before it, put it in a sleeve to transport and use it as is. I do have a keyboard protector though because I am often in dusty areas. If it gets scratched it sucks and you kick yourself for not protecting it but just like I didn't want a cheap plastic screen protector on my scratched up phone I'm not likely to put a hard case on my laptop.
 
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