Don't quite understand

It's very thin aluminum. My machine is rock solid. The entire machine is very thin, though, and I'm not sure I like that.

No, it's not like an IBM. The MacBook Pro is fairly solid although it is considerably thinner in design so it’s more flexible. However, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else on the market.
Regards,

no....... and i wouldn't recommend trying...

Why in the world would you ask if you could drop a computer from 6 or 7 feet and "think it would be fine"?

it would probably be fine if it fell 3-4 feet on a flat surface, screen closed of course. i wouldn't try it though.

edit: fine in the operable sense of the word... the case might not be without some nicks... or dents.

secondly, why would it be at a height of 6-7 feet? are you holding it at eye level or above your head? is it at the top shelf of your bookshelf? what gives?

The gauge of aluminum sheeting appears thick enough, however, I think the warping problems, bulging along the palm surface, and "loose" fit over the DVD represent a design weakness. This is not an IBM or Dell Inspirion Workstation notebook, but it is thin and light. From my 4 months of experience, I would not recommend it for traveling or frequent opening and closing. It makes a nice desktop, though, and I have decided to leave mine, open, on the coffee table, rather than to risk further warping and problems. Maybe Apple will work this out in a future design (too bad for us!). I hope so, as I love OSX and I think the underlying system is powerful (well, except for the unadvertised crippling of the graphics card). If you have a need for a really solid workstation replacement, consider Dell. They are a bit heavier, but offer dual hard drives, metal cases that are coated to discourage pitting, and have much better graphics capability. SuSE Linux 10 is a good replacement for OSX, although I prefer OSX. You will have more issues with drivers as new kernels are released, but each new kernel release will bring more capability.

My hope is that Apple will get their act together on the MBP and either replace it with a better product, or fix the design flaws in the current model. It's a new release I have only myself to blame for buying a first generation Apple. Thank God for AppleCare.

6-7 feet is what the OP asked - do not want to start a flame war but dropping any computer from 6 feet and wondering if it would be "fine" is a less than valuable question - period.

Pip - I agree with your assessment - I am with OS X and, like you, hope that Apple can get this design / quality issue resolved - we are at 27 weeks and counting 😟

I disagree entirely. I traveled frequently and sometimes somewhat roughly with my powerbook g4 17" and the MBP 17" feels even sturdier to me. i quite often pick it up with one hand.

How do you "disagree" with a person who reports multiple problems? Your own system may be fine, but to suggest that design and engineering are peachy-keen, regardless of the real data we are reporting is a bit silly. I'm glad for you experience, but it is rude to discount the bad experiences of others as if it is all a confabulation.

Overall, the machine is sturdy - it does not feel like the portables of years ago that would break with a stong breeze; but that said this is not the most sturdy portable you can buy. If your plans include briefcase trips to and from a workstation you should be fine, but the MBP is not a "rough and tough" portable like say a ThinkPad or the old-school Toshibas. I think Apples plan here was a desktop replacement with limited portability; where in a Dell laptop you would get both (in a louder, thicker package)