MacBook Car-nage: Surviving a drive-over

Oh, I forgot that Macs should be kept in a shrine at all times. Macs - and Apple claims that some of them are meant for 'Pros', hence Macbook Pros. As a EE engineer that sometimes does field work I like the idea of having a user-friendly Unix based laptop. So I've recompiled a Linux kernel before, but who wants to spend their time doing that? From what I've read, the general quality of the MBPs is not that great, and the normal MB pretty awful (cracking cases etc). There's a video somewhere of a Thinkpad T400s being runover by a 26000 pound truck. The screen wasn't even cracked. Plastic is a good material, kids.

"on the ground" Well anyone who puts anything that is electronic and as expensive as a mac (or any computer for the matter) is just plain retarded. That guy deserved to get his computer crushed.

My titanium survived being under two inches of water after a hot water tank failed in the cabin we were in on a church retreat. the display back light came on but the display was 'whited out' so you couldn't see anything.

i got home and plugged it into an external display and it booted and ran like a champ. i got an insurance check from the church that owned the cabin and got a new one but i still use that computer to this day with an external monitor (well, my 2 year-old does but now it's getting too slow to run sesamestreet.com).

We had the same happen to a cheapy HP NX6325 and all it needed was a new screen. Absolutely everything else worked perfectly and the screen only cost £65.

I would like to see what would happen to a $300 netbook and if it could survive that type of punishment. I'm not trying to compare the netbook to the relatively expensive MacBook and I don't think any notebook computer should have to survive being run over by car. I'm just curious if one could survive and still be in working condition. It's not important if it doesn't because buying another $300 netbook isn't all that costly.

And the moral of the story: If your mailbox is just down the drive way, don't be lazy and drive there. Get some exercise and walk to it! Even if it is more than a few hundred feet away.

I was literally running out the door to drive over my macbook pro when I read the last sentence - you're warning not to try running over your own computer. Phew! Thanks TUAW!

I had a first generation 17" MBP that fell down a flight of stairs. It was closed and asleep at the time. The frame was bent a bit, making it a little difficult to get my finger to poke far enough into the latch mechanism to open it, but otherwise it was unharmed. I continued to use that MBP as my main machine for another year and a half, and have since handed it down to a friend when I got a new MBP Unibody.

Amazingly tough machines, these Macs....

Yeah that's all well and good by why, just sittin on my desk, do my Apple laptops disintegrate before my eyes. Last three have done it.

Bezels crack and fall to bits, things discolour, even the letters on the keys wear off.

They have terrible build quality for such a high priced product.

I love my mac, don't get me wrong. But really Apple, you can't manufacture a plastic keyboard by now, really!

I have not gone to Aluminum since my old one dented every time I even thought about the machine far less picked it up. Awful. I know the new ones are better but are the plastics?

Thats one thing I am sad to say a windows machine can do, stay in one piece for a couple of years. Even with their bad looks and hideous software they don't always fall to bits.

Wait, why won't apple replace only the Optical Drive Bezel???

Mine was bent from about 2 and a half years of use. And in Feb, when I had the actual drive replaced, the Genius bent it back, and in July, it was time for a replacement part (still under warranty). There was a tiny crack on the bottom case so I convinced the Genius to put in a repair for that-I do pay attention to Apple Service advisories. Luckily, he did that, but the machine needed to be sent out to Tennessee. They replaced EVERY outside case piece-including the top case, and display bezel (which did have a tiny crack).

I'm really glad my 38 month old MacBook is in mint condition (except the battery), but why won't Apple replace individual parts like that? Also note that it's been sent out to the repair center 3 times, and the only original part is the airport card.