Dropping a MacBook

Question

Level 1

57 points

Dropping a MacBook

Has anyone ever dropped their MacBook, or know of what happens when you drop it? I know that the sudden-motion sensor will protect the hard drive and that most other components in it (RAM, CPU, motherboard) won't be damaged because they are all solid-state circuits, but what about the structure, exterior, and the monitor?

The MacBook exterior is very hard, so I'm guessing it won't bounce/spring very well, which means that parts of the exterior would probably break/shatter easily... Does anyone know if this is true?

I usually enjoy experimenting to figure things out, but I don't really want to try an experiment like this.

-Eric

 2.0GHz MacBook, 1GB ram, white, Mac OS X (10.4.8), 30GB iPod video

Posted on Mar 8, 2007 12:36 AM

Reply

Answer 1

macbook7 Author

Level 1

57 points

Mar 8, 2007 1:48 AM in response to Red Dwarf

I'm not suggesting that other people should deliberately drop their MacBooks so that my curiosity can be satisfied. All that I am asking is what people's experiences have been in dropping them in the past, by accident.

And, I already know that "if you drop it, it will break. The extent of the damage depends on the height it was dropped from, surface it was dropped to etc etc.". I just want to know some specifics, from people's past experiences.

-Eric

Reply

Answer 2

Antword

Level 1

89 points

Mar 8, 2007 4:16 AM in response to Red Dwarf

I work at a school and saw one literally go airborne the other day, landing on a very thin carpet. It was off but took one h3ll of a knock. No problems for the Macbook. Started right up. Better yet, we had a kid spill Snapple of all things IN the keyboard on another one. It wouldn't power on in protest for a day but once it dried out and I cleaned under they keys a little, it powered right up. They are unbelievably resilient machines.

Reply

Answer 3

macbook7 Author

Level 1

57 points

Mar 9, 2007 1:05 AM in response to arnold shewarzenager

Sorry, but I don't think my intentions have been very clear in this post. My only intention is information. All I wanted to know in this post is what I COULD expect if I dropped my MacBook, and I never wanted anyone to go out and drop their MacBook deliberately for me (nor do I EVER want to drop my MacBook). I just wanted to hear from people who have had it happen to them by accident, and find out what kind of damage happens. I find the MacBook to be somewhat fragile compared to other laptops I've seen, so I wanted to know how it compares in terms of durability (I know of some other laptops that can handle several falls from a few feet onto a hard surface -- I wanted to know if a MacBook can withstand this too).

I am not a MacBook serial-killer, and I am not going to do anything that I will "regret", as arnold put it. My MacBook is awesome and I want to know all about it, including what physical limitations it has.

Some people may think this topic is pointless, but I feel that it is important to know how durable my $1400 investment is.

-Eric

Reply

Answer 4

Apr 19, 2007 1:43 PM in response to macbook7

I agree and think that it is important to know how durable a MacBook is as this thread has calmed my nerves a little after reading it.

My MacBook tumbled down 7 carpetted steps to a carpeted hall floor 10 minutes ago which is why i'm trying to gain some reassurance. It was knocked by accident and will never leave my sight nor be left in a stupid place like that again. So far i can't see any cracks / scuffs.

Scared it won't live quite as long now.

Reply

Answer 5

Mar 8, 2007 1:01 AM in response to macbook7

I've heard one person dropping it at about 2 feet and having his screen shatter. If you drop it on carpet it might not damage at all or damage very little. But on tile or wood it will most likely at least crack the exterior.

Reply

Answer 6

Red Dwarf

Level 6

14,950 points

Mar 8, 2007 1:08 AM in response to macbook7

I usually enjoy experimenting to figure things out, but I don't really want to try an experiment like this.

?!?!?

And what, pray tell, makes you think that anyone else would want to deliberately "experiment like this" in order to satisfy a curiosity? 😉

If you drop it, it will break. The extent of the damage depends on the height it was dropped from, surface it was dropped to etc etc.

I suppose if you really are curious about it, you can experiment with several surfaces and heights. When the experiment is complete then you may be able to make a claim on your home contents insurance for accidental damage. But then, it wasn't accidental damage was it.

RD -> remaining continuously amazed 😉

Reply

Answer 7

kenyan

Level 1

5 points

Mar 8, 2007 1:29 AM in response to macbook7

curosity....
well of course es the SMS-Sudden Motion Sensor wil work...but do u want to risk losing ua Macbook jst 4 curosity sake.....
but the again it all depends on the height frm which u drop ua macbook frm and the surface on which it lands frm...
but one is 4 sure it won't be covered by warranty....
i work in an apple store so....i know how it goes down.

Reply

Answer 8

First Magus

Level 7

21,299 points

Mar 8, 2007 1:50 AM in response to macbook7

I know that the
sudden-motion sensor will protect the hard drive and
that most other components in it (RAM, CPU,
motherboard) won't be damaged because they are all
solid-state circuits,

What makes you say the solid state parts won't be damaged. I have opened and repaired many electronics after being dropped. The Motherboard can get cracked, solder joints can break, and parts in sockets such as memory modules can be dislodged.

The amount of damage depends on the angle of the device when it hits the surface it is dropped on. We ran test like this at Panasonic and Uniden on a lot of our products that were considered portable.

If you read some of the post there are others that have dropped their MacBooks. They were not experimenting they accidentally did it. The results were not good.

As for home owners insurance covering it, they usually require you have additional coverage for electronic devices. This also usually involves a deductible so it could still be an expensive way to experiment.

Mort

Reply

Answer 9

Red Dwarf

Level 6

14,950 points

Mar 8, 2007 1:56 AM in response to macbook7

Hi Eric,

The specifics will vary. It's not an exact science. Someone may drop their notebook from, say a height of 5 feet and there will be no damage apart from a scratch or two. Another person may drop their notebook from the exact same height on to the exact same surface and the screen will shutter, the hard drive will be damaged and the logic board will get a hairline crack.

Again, it is not an exact science.

RD

Reply

Answer 10

macbook7 Author

Level 1

57 points

Mar 8, 2007 12:18 PM in response to First Magus

Ya, i guess that some circuit boards would get broken. And, ya it's totally not an exact science, but it's good to know what some experiences have been like so that I know what could be expected if it ever happens.

It's interesting to compare these (sometimes) shattering experiences to some other laptops I know of. My friend has a PC laptop that has a fairly "springy" and resilient case, so it just kinda bounces and stay intact whenever he drops it (which he's done like 5 times and it still works fine...).

-Eric

Reply

Answer 11

Mar 8, 2007 3:31 PM in response to macbook7

I don't think this is a good topic.

It's hard to understand what your purpose is... A laptop, will break if you drop it from any significant height, on a hard surface, on an angle or not, but you can guarentee that if it falls on the corner its gonna break.

I don't know why you'd want to know how much it can handle, other than so you can know how much you can drop it. Things happen by accident, so you wont have a choice to drop it or not.

I say don't worry about it, treat your computer as if it was made of glass, and hope you dont drop it.

Cheers

Reply

Answer 12

Mar 8, 2007 8:36 PM in response to macbook7

macbook7-

I'm getting a little scared on what the true intention is here. I'm getting a similar vibe to as if my friend asked me what the damage would be if you fell off the sears tower. And asking people if they actually have first-hand encounter. Do you want to tell us something? Although we don't have access to macbook suicide hotline, you should consult your problems with us before you do things you will regret.

Curiosity killed the monkey. We don't want to see any more monkeys getting killed 😟

Reply

Answer 13

Apr 20, 2007 9:22 AM in response to Teresa Russell

It's a shame how much you have to pay these days... Applecare is nothing like Dell's replacement warranty... My mother dropped her iBook off her lap, and onto carpeted floor, the computer only fell two feet, the screen just snapped right off... And all they want is money to get it fixed, yet she payed 2,000 or the **** thing.

Reply

Answer 14

Frostine

Level 3

675 points

Apr 20, 2007 12:01 PM in response to marty charette

I guess apple expects mac owners to be more responsible with something that costs so much money. I dunno, I never had a problem paying for damages I knew were my own stupid fault, and I have never asked any company to foot the bill that I knew darn well I could have prevented with a little more caution and attention to what I was doing at the time.

Reply

Answer 15

jamesliu

Level 1

90 points

Apr 21, 2007 2:14 AM in response to macbook7

i dropped mine once. i was very stupid. the macbook was on my lap and i was sitting on a sofa. i was thirsty so i got up and my macbook fell onto the carpeted floor. i'm pleased that my macbook didn't have any damage except the right magnetic lactch magnet whick has cracked. the lid won't stay shut on the right side. i'm so ******. also the "MagSafe" power connecter is beginning to lose it's magnetism.

Reply