Let me preface this by saying that I have a first generation MacBook Pro that has endured like a champ, going around the entire world with me, twice. It’s survived heat, cold, humidity, and when I left my bag in a bush somewhere in the hills of Luxembourg during a rainstorm, it shook off the wetness like a Portuguese water dog. So this isn’t about the durability of Macs in general. But this new generation seems to carry a little more risk with it. So here are a couple reasons why you might want to be a little more careful with that new Mac.
1. The glass screen is irreparable if broken (obviously)
We have no reason to doubt the strength of Apple’s glass display covers (iPhone and iPod Touch breakages were far below what everyone expected), but think about this: say a rogue spoon at a coffee shop puts a crack in your glass, but the screen works fine. You can’t just replace the glass; it’s fused with the entire upper half — inseparable from the LCD screen. So instead of replacing a $30 pane of glass, you’re repairing a $500-$600 display. Oops!
Estimated cost: $500
2. The unibody design means you can’t just replace the dented bit
Remember the white MacBooks that turned yellow when you used them? Luckily, you could replace the plastic top panel for a pretty low cost. With my MBP, a ding on the right side meant a similarly low-intensity solution. Now, the new manufacturing process is fantastic, and guarantees a more rigid and durable frame, but if something should happen to it… well, either you’re hammering it out or you’re paying for a whole new “brick.” And somehow I doubt they switched to this new process because it was so cheap.
Estimated cost: $250 (arbitrary)
3. It tells on you if you spill
There are moisture sensors at the bottom of the keyboard and the top of the trackpad, right where you usually spill your coffee. If they’re tripped, it’s a dead giveaway when sending it in for repairs or reselling it that it’s had a wet past. I spilled on mine once, screamed at the coffee shop, and flipped my MBP over in time to get most of it out. I then pried off the keys and sopped up all the rest. I’ve had absolutely no problems with it since then, and it may as well have not happened. And speaking of spills…
Estimated cost: 1/4 of the resale value, or the cost of a replacement
4. The keyboard is nearly impossible to fix or replace
Check out this great teardown of the MacBook Pro. Certainly takes them a while to get to the keyboard, doesn’t it? Oh, it’s the last page. That’s because between you and the keys is every single other component in the laptop. Get some grime in there? Some tea? Hope you like screws, because there are about 80 of them to take out and put back if you want to wipe that sucker down.
Estimated cost: $150 or you can do it yourself and break it trying
5. You’ll go down in history
The first guy to crack his nice MacBook screen with a Wiimote or whatever (why not) is going to be laughed at forever. Similarly the first guy who botches a keyboard replacement or sits on the thing and bends the chassis into a butt shape. Every gadget and catch-all site on the internet will have you, your name, and your photo up within hours, with headlines like “This is why we can’t have nice things” and “What a nerd!!!” Is that what you want? No? Then for god’s sake, be careful!
Estimated cost: Whatever your dignity is worth to you
So. Scared yet? Personally, I’m not letting the threat of expensive damages hang too heavily over my head. After all, as I mentioned, my currently lappy has taken abuse of every kind and is still going strong — although the battery is shot. It’s always been an costly proposition buying a Mac, and the prospect of losing a little more cash isn’t going to scare anybody off.
But god damn am I going to laugh when you sit on that thing next week.
Awesome Post
Ordered a new MacBook Pro. Hope the FedEx guy handles it nicely.
This might be a good time for Mac Book owners to look into JB Weld. =)
Good points, but the unibody replacement is going to set you back way more than $250. As you pointed out you have to tear out every component and put it all back together. Labor alone is going to be over $250 for a project like that.
Apple replacement parts are VERY expensive- a new display direct from Apple is in the $800-$900 range. When something goes wrong with the display, Apple requires that the entire assembly gets replaced (even on old MacBook Pros). So not only are you paying for the LED and the glass, but you’re also paying for the aluminum lid, bluetooth antenna, iSight, etc.
You’re probably right, I just didn’t want to overestimate or I’d be accused of alarmism. I checked out a couple forums and the last generation macbook displays were being replaced for 400-500 dollars. I figured I’d just go with what I know.
As for the unibody replacement, I may have lowballed that one a bit. let’s say $400. Thanks for the constructive criticism!
Right now we sell upper cases for the 15″ and 17″ MacBook Pro models in the $200-300 range, so your guess was reasonable. However, for the reasons you mentioned above, the final price could certainly end up well north of that. Our prices are very dependent on demand. If something breaks frequently and we can’t get huge supply of that part, it’s going to be expensive.
The largest pricing unknown on the unibody case is going to be how durable it is. If there’s something on it that breaks frequently, then prices will certainly be higher. I don’t expect that, however. I suspect that the unibody will prove more durable than existing upper cases. Time will tell.
I had Apple estimate replacing the dented chassis on my MBP. If you send the laptop out to Apple, it’s about $600 (the minimum amount they allow — wtf is that). If you take it in to an Apple store, labor is $135 and the part is $185. So, you’re looking at $320 to fix.
As far as the new MBP’s chassis… I really don’t want to have to know that.
I’d sit this one out.
First generation Macs can be a pretty wild ride.
Heh - someone disagrees with you: http://is.gd/4g8L
someone else click it
MacBooks or is it MacCrooks are throwaway pc’s.
Oh you haven’t found the kill switch yet!
The below link is for MacBook owners only
http://is.gd/4g8L
Handle With Care!
You might not want to take this notebook outside your house, and definitely not through airport security or you may just have to buy a new one.
FYI- I had the misfortune of accidentally cracking the display on a friend’s Powerbook about five years ago, and the replacement screen set me back over $800. And that was going through an authorized Mac dealer rather than Apple, who quoted me a price over $1200. So to be honest, your estimate of $500 for a replacement display on a new Macbook sounds like a bargain…
eeeeeegh..
Mac laptops are for idiots with too much time and money on their hands…
aww the poor folk is a mac hater. just because you cant afford it doesnt mean its not quality.
You’d think that the nerds that authored this goofy article would have better things to do with their time . . .
You’re more likely to die in a plane crash over Antarctica that to seriously damage a MAC . . .
But if you’re that accident prone, or that risk averse, I’d say buy yourself a little property insurance policy on your MAC . . . it’ll cost you about 50 bucks . . .
Can you say “handwringer”??
Just say eeePC.
Use the Mac laptop at home (or in the office) with an extension keyboard & mouse. That makes for better ergonomics too: a milk crate sawed in half makes a great laptop mounting, with the screen just about at eye level*. Use open-source applications where possible or save docs in open-source formats. Use an eeePC for on the road in dicey locations. Move your work back & forth between the two as needed.
Cost, about $400.
This is not difficult.
—
*Then why use a laptop in the first place instead of an iMac? Flexibility. Built-in battery backup in case of power failures. Ability to take it with you if you must. Less desk-clutter.
Speaking of spills, compare to Panasonic’s office telephones, such as the KX-T7636 that’s sitting on my desk as I write this. All of ‘em have a plastic membrane under the buttons. If you spill something, it just rolls off, the phone keeps working, and the worst you get is a sticky button that’s easily cleaned with a toothbrush or something similar.
Though, really, there’s no good excuse for keeping liquids within spill range of your desktop electronics. Or if you must, then use the extension keyboard & mouse, that can usually be fixed at home or replaced cheaply if need be.
It will not protect you fro falling meteorites. They will smash through the case and the glass screen, and kill you. You wlll not have time to send a goodbye email, and even if you did it will not be able to send it when the processor is melted.
Ha Ha Ha, I think that the bum shape in the mac air would be brilliant.