How durable are MacBook Pros?

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DELETED_63174

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I'm really tempted to pick up the new 13" base model tomorrow, as my mate is home from uni and I get his HE discount plus a free iPod Touch.

The only thing that I'm a little unsure of is how durable they are. I am constantly reading threads in forums about people dinting them, and I'm also unsure how east they are to scratch.

I've never dinted an iPhone or anything like that before, but the amount of stuff I read is really putting me off.

Any feedback?
 
I'm a base model 13" macbook pro owner - 2 months now.

I have never felt such a durable laptop - it's solidly built with its unibody shell, and I have no scratches on it whatsoever :-)

Someone's been telling you bull!
 
I dinted mine on the top right hand side of the lid, it fell from my lap as I was sat on the couch onto the carpet wasn't a big drop at all.
 
Had mine since January and have 1 little scratch on a corner... I was very clumsy when I took it out of a cupboard :( However, they are really well made (very solid feeling) and I would definitely recommend one over the crappy plasticy laptops that are out there!!!
 
No scratches on my unibody MBP after a year of heavy use.

Except for a slight dent where I might've dropped a sharp knife vertically onto it :o
 
Yeah I dented mine too. They wont break or crack like plastic laptops but they will dent. Get a shell case for it. Snaps on to both halves of the macbook so just feels the same really. I have a Speck one, nice too.

Durable in terms of denting or breaking?
 
As above they are durable to the extent they won't crack or break but they are susceptible to dents if you drop objects on them, so If you have butter fingers don't hold anything near it! Otherwise go for it, they are great lappys.
 
Deyvy said:
Yeah I dented mine too. They wont break or crack like plastic laptops but they will dent. Get a shell case for it. Snaps on to both halves of the macbook so just feels the same really. I have a Speck one, nice too.

Durable in terms of denting or breaking?
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You couldnt provide a link at all?

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
caris_2007 said:
Just out of curiosity, if you dent your Macbook (I only mean a small one) does it void your warranty?
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It can do. We had a warranty repair rejected by Amsys (Apple Service Centre) because of a dent on the machine from a drop.

It's less likely that an Apple Store would reject it, but they would be within their rights to.

A really little one should be fine - one that's indicative of an actual drop much less likely.
 
I've got a Powerbook which is still going strong after nearly 6 years.

The aluminium surface of the Mac's doesn't tend to scratch very easy. Even when it does look like you have scratched it, it just rubs off.

Comestically, mine is fine, except for a thin bit of silver covering under the bottom of the keyboard which rubs off. Don't think it's an issue anymore since they changed the keyboard design.

I've dropped it on carpeted floor a few times in its lifetime and its been fine. Only major damage I did was when it once got pulled by the power supply off of a table onto a wooden floor. This has caused a dent in the metal where the power supply goes in.

So in summary, the durability of the machine wouldn't be my worry.
 
caris_2007 said:
I'm really tempted to pick up the new 13" base model tomorrow, as my mate is home from uni and I get his HE discount plus a free iPod Touch.

The only thing that I'm a little unsure of is how durable they are. I am constantly reading threads in forums about people dinting them, and I'm also unsure how east they are to scratch.

I've never dinted an iPhone or anything like that before, but the amount of stuff I read is really putting me off.

Any feedback?
Click to expand...

how do you get the free ipod touch. is this with all 13" base models and if you order on the website? :):)
 
Very. I dropped mine into a wall from chest height (I'm 6'3), the wall was left with a dented by about 1.5cm, the laptop didn't even scratch, just the HDD froze for a second then kicked into life again. Nothing lost or anything.
 
Unless the newest ones have significantly improved in build quality, not very, after 2 years my MacBook Pro is in worse shape than my 4 year old Dell - I didn't pay for it so I'm not bothered but if I did I'd be complaining.

I'm not sure if most Mac owners baby them because they're so expensive compared to equivalent laptops but after using it for work, taking it pretty much everywhere, it has quite a lot of scratches and a pretty big dent on it from where a light TV remote dropped onto it. A co-workers slid off the front of the bonnet of his car onto concrete while in a protective bag, and the screen still cracked somehow.

One good thing I can say is unlike most laptops the hinges stay secure even after years use so it still feels kind of solid, my Dells hinges are more than a little wobbly :p.
 
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I'd say they're about as durable as you're going to get for that type of laptop. I've dinged mine against doorframes and dropped it off the sofa onto carpet and they've come out unscathed but I wouldn't like to drop one outside.

But then you could say that about most things.
 
I think the thing it does best is give you the appearance and feeling of a durable laptop, without nessecarily being anymore built for the task than something less, well, metal. They feel fantastic in the hand, picking them up and throwing them in your bag (Unibody, not the old MBP), yet I still managed to scratch mine really easily and whilst I never dropped it I wouldn't be confident it would come off any better than anything else when faced with a concrete floor.

As i've learnt all too well with downhill bike parts, the things that appear the best built aren't always so. Still no other 13" laptop ide rather buy though!
 
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