Bent my macbook :(

I'd also be one to agree that the structure should be able to cope with being lifted one handed. I often have to lift my MacBook one handed - either because I'm carrying a child with my other arm, or because I'm on the phone or whatever. With my white MacBook I tend to lift it by the front edge one-handed because this has a large area to grip without pressing any keys - but I can understand people using the sides on the MacBook Pro because there is more space around the keyboard.

If the structure isn't able to support it's own weight then it should come with warning stickers that the user has to peel off before using the computer.

Personally I think it's a design flaw - and a particularly embarrassing one for Apple given the big deal they made over their new rigid unibody design. Maybe they should design a mini-ethernet port, and provide a short cable adapter. I find the current design of ethernet port fairly poor anyway - it seems hit and miss whether some cables click in properly.

Hi

Was near an area with 2 Apple resellers......remember reading your post & decided to check it out myself. Well.....it's 50/50; 1st one was good didn't have any indentations of any sort even after i picked it up your way & squeezed the area several times. Didn't have to do anything for the 2nd cos the indentation was already present & looks exactly the same as yours when you close it.....I don't think it's heat issues cos it has to be under high heat for it to be that malleable, put it down to design flaw or batch thingy!

It is unfortunate that your machine bent in this way. If you remember to the Titanium book and the Aluminum book, like I do, I have some insight. I routinely picked up my apple's with one hand and noticed that over time both my powerbooks had a slight bend in them. This was while picking them up from the sturdiest area, over the HDD.

I think the new MBP is a leap and bound ahead of its predecessors in strength. But, you still cant put 5lbs of force on a 1mm thick piece of aluminum and expect it not to bend. aluminum is an ultra strong, ultra light metal, but it will always be fairly malleable. I think we should all take this as a lesson learned, the new MBP is strong but its not made of steel! Get an otter-box for it if you want to toss it around like a football : ) (that was a joke).

-Ryan

Message was edited by: rdm190

Has anyone gotten their unibody case repaired/replaced yet? IF so can you talk about the process.

thanks

I always pick mine up with both hands and generally treat it like the $2,500+ baby it is. 🙂 I'm looking to get a new protective case for it too....probably the backpack kind.

M.

Just realized my few weeks old 15" late'08 MBP has a slight bend from picking it up with one hand also -- but on the main metal face at the bottom edge of the left speaker perforations. Hard to see, but can definitely feel it. Not cool. I've had the TI book and Aluminum PB for 7 years with none of this bending from normal finger/lifting pressure! Definitely going in to Apple Store...

This is really worrying. I'm not sure how my problem here could have occurred, maybe it is from lifting aswell, but when i shut the lid on my MBP the lid is slightly off centre of sitting on the body. Maybe it has always been like this and i hadnt noticed before, i dont usually close it as its always on doing something. I wonder if the heat could slightly warp things, its not has heat free as everyone says it is.

Good recommendation Mike! It would be better to pick up the MBP with both hands toward the front of the unit below where the speakers and ports are.

M.

thanks for the advice about the week spot, i think i would honestly cry if i did that to my baby. i am in the habit of picking it up with one hand when it is closed, now i'll be careful not to torque it.

Has anyone gone to their Apple Store and tried to duplicate this situation in front of the Store Manager? I would think that this would immediately get a response.

you might be having the "hinge" issue some people are reporting. As far as i know the hinge can be aligned at the apple store.

I agree with the comment about reproducing this in an apple store, can you imagine the look on the managers face when you pick up his display model and the whole left side of the frame bends and the speaker grill caves in. ROFL. I own this model and must say in osx it stays pretty cool even when playing wow for a few hours with the 9600. In windows this thing runs blazing hot but i thoroughly believe that will be corrected down the road as the bootcamp windows drivers get updates.

Great to read all the posts, especially the "hollier than thou" ones. I too have a bent MacBook Pro 15" unibody. Mine however was my own fault. I was at work, put the MBP in my laptop bag, a Brenthaven, that is supposed to be top of the line, and the bag slid off my office chair unto the carpeted floor. As my last MacBook Pro had been banged around without damage, I was not even concerned. When I got home and took my MBP out of the bag, OUCH, my MBP was bent right at the Ethernet port slot. It appears that the area is a weak spot. Now, I agree, it did fall BUT I have dropped my old MBP from a table in a coffee shop onto the floor with no issues. My new MBP unibody was in a protective bag, slid off my office chair onto carpet and it sustained quite a bit of cosmetic damage. A bit disappointing. The computer does work ok, despite the case damage, but I am heading to Apple tomorrow to see what their cost is to replace the case versus some on-line places. Though it was my fault, I must say, with owning Macs for over 20 years and yes, they all got scratches and bumps, I never had one damaged but such a trivial incident.

Here is the picture. It looks worse here than it is. the bend is from bottom to top, no indentation into the computer itself.

[IMG] http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp205/ajmac25/MBPOuch.jpg[/IMG]

Message was edited by: ajmac25