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Dropped my unibody MacBook Pro

post #1 of 9
3/31/09 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 
I was setting my bag down and it slipped out of my hands from about a foot high. It dented the corner of the unibody, not the batter cover. It was in a bag with only a small amount of foam at the bottom.

I was sick about it. I called the apple store and they wanted $600, LA Computer wanted 500, and finally found a place in the midwest that only charged me 350 to replace it. I got it back and its as good as new. I DONT work for them or know them personally but Mission is the name of the place that helped me. They do deserve some credit.

I now carry it in a suspension laptop bag by Swiss.

The funny thing is that I have dropped my Thinkpads higher than that and they have never needed to be repaired.

Let me know what bags you guys and gals are using to protect your laptop.

Thanks,
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post #2 of 9
3/31/09 at 11:08pm
I'm guessing that's the before pic. Do you have an after pic?
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post #3 of 9
4/1/09 at 10:50am
Thread Starter 
i know it doesnt look too bad. I took it with the iphone before I shipped it to the repair shop. That is the before....
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post #4 of 9
4/1/09 at 12:47pm
Oh it's still at the shop? let us know what the results are.
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post #5 of 9
4/2/09 at 12:38am
Thread Starter 
I just got it back and its perfect. like new. If I would have had Apple fix it, they might have voided my warranty. This was something I read online.
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post #6 of 9
4/2/09 at 12:52am
glad everything worked out ok. do you have any pics of it?
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post #7 of 9
4/4/09 at 3:37am
The main drawback of the unibody Mac notebooks is the "dent-ability" of the chassis. The IBM is plastic, which means it would likely absorb the drop or crack the plastic. The metal will dent or warp in its shape. BTW, maybe you should try and be a bit more mindful with your notebooks if you're dropping them multiple times? My old Compaq notebook ONCE fell off the arm rest of my couch when I wasn't paying attention. I got that one in 1999, so 10 years with one drop with 3 different notebooks. It can be done. ;-)

The two hard sided sleeves I've found are from Brenthaven and Tom Bihn.

Tom Bihn Messenger Sleeve

Tom Bihn Vertical/Backpack Sleeve
...that's the one I have which I use with a Dakine laptop backpack

Brenthaven Trek Laptop Sleeve

As you can see on the Tom Bihn website, both brands use a plastic corrugated material underneath the canvas exterior along with the foam interior. I think both brands have suspensions at the bottom of the sleeve. The Tom Bihn has been damn solid as I imagine the Brenthaven would be as well. While I personally wouldn't do it, these sorts of sleeves allow you to carry your notebook in almost any bag without a laptop pocket, if need be. In any case, I don't think I'd get a unibody Mac without this kind of sleeve, given the warp/dent factor of the metal chassis. Brenthaven also makes a Pro backpack with this sort of system built into the laptop compartment.

The Tom Bihn products are made in the USA. I'm not sure where the Brenthavens are made.
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post #8 of 9
4/4/09 at 4:05am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the good tips. I do need to put it in a better case. Those sleeves look like they will work well. Yes, I am a bit clumsy but I am going to work on getting better.
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post #9 of 9
4/12/09 at 5:23am
i use a black matias laptoparmour case... looks great in person, very sturdy and functional. never have had an issue with them. the only downside is that they can be pricey but its worth it.

http://matias.ca/laptoparmor/index.php
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