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Bent my macbook :(

Ive had it for two days.

I dont know if anybody else does this, but if I need to move my laptop I'll pick it up by one hand on either the left or the right side. Anyway... I picked it up on the left side with my thumb over the ethernet port and bent the chassis slightly. You cant see it but you can sure feel it, I also have a few little depressions in the left speaker grill from my fingers. Also if you hold it one handed on the right side it bends the superdrive slot slightly.

I just wanted to let people know that this isnt as "robust" as one might think.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.5), 2nd gen

Posted on Nov 6, 2008 9:25 AM

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110 replies

Nov 6, 2008 10:54 AM in response to greene-r74

I'm generally a little cautious when it comes to picking up any notebook. If it's 13" or larger, I'll almost always pick it up by both sides... or if I do use one hand, it's more towards the middle to balance the weight. Subcompact notebooks I don't usually worry about. Having said that, I'm still a bit surprised. The single chunk of aluminum construction should lend to fairly high structural integrity. While I don't pick up my notebooks by one side, my roommate has picked his up that for years (including a 17" MacBook Pro) and has never had any problems. I would hate to think that the new design is actually less sturdy.

Nov 6, 2008 12:47 PM in response to LukeD

You know, theoretically they could mill the new unibody chassis down a lot thinner than the old ones and keep the same structural strength, but the strength of the panels would be less. Kind of like the skins on an airplane, strength comes from the design. Personally I have carried my old-design MBP around like that a lot and never had any issues with the chassis bending or leaving finger dimples in the skins.

Nov 7, 2008 2:47 AM in response to greene-r74

This is verry disturbing.

If it really happens the way you explained, than this issue is a no go for Macbook and Me.

I ALWAYS pick up a laptop on the side with one hand... This because I have to move from 1 to another room like 100 times a day... Meanwhile I am often on the phone or have papers in my second hand.. so I cant use it for picking up the Macbook with 2 hands...

I was doubting if I would buy a 13" version or a 15" version. I decided to buy the 15" but now i don't know so sure anymore... 15" is more heavy... so this kind of bending would happen definitely in my case.

Ill wait out some more experiences... and foto's for now...

Nov 7, 2008 4:22 AM in response to greene-r74

Oh man, that bites. What can I say but thanks for the heads up. I typically use two hands to pick up my laptop, more out of habit then anything else. I'll make a mental note to be a little more careful.

If you're a handy sort of person who doesn't mind disassembling their computer. Start searching the net for replacement parts. I'm sure you'll be able to find them shortly if not already (you may be able to get an apple authorized dealer to order them for you) and replace the case yourself. If you take it to an apple store it will be expensive but another apple authorized dealer may do it for less as well

Nov 7, 2008 7:44 AM in response to Michael Flynn

I would always go back to Apple first. They have a brand new product with a "revolutionary" manufacturing process. The last thing they want is bad press at this early stage because of a relatively minor issue like this. The only thing I would encourage the OP to be persistent and if necessary get this to the store manager, the regular "geniuses" are anything but at some of the stores especially when it comes to marketing relations.

Bent my macbook :(

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