[The Placid Casual]

Now they have been out for a good amount of time, I just wanted to ask you all how your MBP's looks after 1 year+ of use?

I'm not talking about 'vanity' machines that get treated like you are handling Polonium 210, but real machines that are used extensively.

I have used my 2.0 MBP machine daily for work for just over a year now (QA, development etc), as well as using it for home use, and also used it while traveling. This is what is has gone through:

On average 16+ hours work usage a day (yes, I know, but I worked for a tech startup).

Carried in a Timbuk 2 bag on a 30 min train journey every day for 1 year in a sleeve.

Daily gaming daily, mostly WoW.

10 or so foreign trips with work and 2 holidays.

So, how has my machine held up?

If I am honest, not so great...

Cosmetically, the outside of the machine looks great. The lid is flawless, as is the underside of the machine. But this is were the good news ends. When you open the machine, the top case is just plain awful. Where you rest your hands on the machine, there is extensive corrosion of the metal, making it look really 'pitted' with dark spots.

In the 'groove' just in front of the keyboard, the paint has worm off and become dark and dirty. it has 'peeled' randomly across the whole panel.

The Screen, hmm, I seem to have been effected over time by a loss of back lighting over the left hand side of the screen, and until it has been on for over an hour or so, it does not even up.

I also have developed a nice 'white' spot in the centre of the screen, seemingly caused by some kind of de-lamination of the glossy screen. If you 'tap' the area lightly with your finger, it goes away as the layers seem to bond together again temporarily... kind of annoying.

As per a previous post, I have gone through 4 power adaptors :/ the ends just kep coming apart and the actual 'magsafe' connection becoming loose (loose wires, frayed plastic etc).

I also have a big issue with Airport. On my home network (a network of 3 Airport Express), when I move between coverage areas and to a different base station, I get cut off and have to rebook to regain any kind of connection :/

As for heat, not sure why, but it has got worse... I am forever trying to prop it up on books, or get my Coolpad. I use it in bed from time to time, and 50% of the time I get a freeze and shutdown... Just seems, well, meh.

All in all, it has been a good year, but the machine now feels really 'tired'... and I am even thinking of replacing it now, although I can't sell it for anywhere decent money on ebay or in the press as it looks cosmetically not so great at all.

In comparison, I also use a Lenovo T60, with a black plastic case very much like the old 'Wallstreet' Powerbook g3 ones, and it doesn't have a mark on it after a year, and has had no issues at all as to build or performance... :/

Certainly makes you think... Should I be 'going through' a laptop in a year, with 'normalish' usage pattern? I certainly feel the quality has definitely dropped with these machine.

Wondering how other MBPs are faring in the wild?

[PaperNotes]

I can only say that any machine that is used or moved around extensively is going to have wear and tear.

About the circle in the center of your screen, that was caused by sunlight entering the Apple logo on the lid and burning the LCD. Long time PowerBook users have known not to use a Mac laptop facing light, especially outdoors.

[The Placid Casual]

Originally Posted by PaperNotes 

I can only say that any machine that is used or moved around extensively is going to have wear and tear.

About the circle in the center of your screen, that was caused by sunlight entering the Apple logo on the lid and burning the LCD. Long time PowerBook users have known not to use a Mac laptop facing light, especially outdoors.

Nope not the sun I'm afraid (very aware of that issue), it is not directly infront of the apple logo, I should have been more specific. It is to the centre left of the screen, and definitely seems to be de-lamination of the 'glossy' layer of the screen, as when you touch it, it goes away for a day or so.

As for wear and tear, yes, I expect some obviously... but why should my MBP look so much worse than say my Thinkpad or Vaio after the same exact same usage?

It is imho down to quality of materials used and build quality as well as design...

Has Apple sacrificed ergnomics and practicality for aesthetics?

[PaperNotes]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

N
As for wear and tear, yes, I expect some obviously... but why should my MBP look so much worse than say my Thinkpad or Vaio after the same exact same usage?

I can't say I fully agree because I've seen too many PowerBooks and MacBook Pros that have been kept in good condition. With all your travelling around you were bound to pick up wear and tear. Little bits at a time that you don't notice until they build up. Your MacBook Pro is designed as a prestige device which means it has to be looked after, like a sports car. I've seen sports cars that look terrible because owners used them like an every day get around vehicle. In other words use your MBP for your serious work at home or office and use your Thinkpad for your vacations. The Thinkpad being made of thick plastic is better for that.

[The Placid Casual]

I think you just proved my point.

Look at it like this: I have 2 machines, both very similar spec, both similar price. Both are 'Portable' machines, designed to be used on the move and be carried around (allegedly).

By your account, I can use one for traveling around and not see a problem, the other I have to keep indoors to keep it looking good and working correctly. Doesn't that strike you as odd? Or that there is an issue with the quality of the machine I have to keep indoors, while I am able to cart the other one around anywhere without it showing a scratch?

Surely I should be able to expect the same kind of wear from both?

To use your sports car analogy... I buy a Porsche Boxter and I buy a BMW Z4 (both similar spec and price). I do 5000 kms in each a year and look after them the same (as per intended and looked after to maker recommendations). At the end of the 5000 miles one looks great, like new, the other the paint is peeling off? Is that right?

I look after my machines very well, I used to work for Apple, I have all the Apple tech qualifications etc. The machine has in no way been 'abused' or used excessively as I think you may imply. It just wears very badly in comparison to the others I have which are built differently...

With this thread, I just wanted to see how anyone else felt their MBP held up after a year of use...

[PaperNotes]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

Surely I should be able to expect the same kind of wear from both?

You shouldn't expect an aluminum (hard) case to withstand wear and tear the way plastic (malleable) does. A machine made out of specially fabricated metals should be treated like any other luxury item. That's not to say it has no faults. I wish it was scratch and corrosion resistant, but such a lightweight low cost anodized metal doesn't exist and Apple don't employ scientists who could invent one.

[alangreenwell]

Mine is pretty good on all front, except the base of the machine which has lots of scratches. However this does not bother me.

In comparison to my HP NC6400 which is scratched to hell, and bits are loose and starting to fall off. The hinge especially is really loose and it now needs support to stop it flopping back. At the my MBP is in usable working order. They have both had about the same amount of abuse with the HP being picked up and transported around site, and the MBP opened and closed and moved from location to location.

The only gripe I have about the MBP is the number of screws that need to be done and undone to change the hard disc. I have done it twice now, first upgrade to 160G and a few nights ago I upgraded again this time to 250G. Other than that the machine is spot on and I believe very hard wearing.

[ghporter]

No cosmetic or functional problems in my machine. I have been careful with it, and kept it clean, but it's been with me in class every day, starting up and turning off frequently, used on battery or AC, on my lap or a desk, etc.

I've upped the RAM to 2GB, and that was an easy process, but I haven't taken it apart to upgrade the drive-and since I have the whole 3-year AppleCare package, I'll have an authorized shop do it for me when I get around to it.

[OreoCookie]

I'm fairly happy. The first two months were quite bad: I've had the keyboard, screen and battery replaced. Then I had the battery replaced once more and my power brick broke.

There are quite a few cosmetic problems which concentrate around the hand rest and the frame of the display, basically abrasions and discoloration from the sweat. I have been very careful, but I can't help that my hands sweat when I type. I also have four white blobs on the screen (which is matte), not sure why.

Performance-wise, I haven't had any problems after upgrading my RAM to 2 GB. Unless I run out of RAM which still happens when I use Aperture But other than that, it's pretty smooth in that department.

To people who have managed to keep their ProBook pristine: how did you do that?

[Randman]

Mine is still going strong, used for hours on end each day and no problems whatsoever.

[Sparkletron]

Placid, your experience is not unique. The MBPs are not as rugged as their much cheaper MB counterparts. I don't even consider them to have true metal chassis since there is plastic trim along the edges and plastic bits throughout. I have seen magnesium-alloy notebooks that you could hammer nails with and they still look fresh and new years later. So it's not metal-versus-plastic per se but how much metal and what kind, etc. IMHO, metal is used on the MPBs as a finish. I would prefer half a pound more weight if it would turn the MBP into a tank. I would prefer magnesium-alloy like that used in my rock-solid Canon SLR (not to compare apples to oranges).

-S

[PaperNotes]

What was the name of that thin protector product that covers the palm rest and trackpad?

[Simon]

I've been using my 2.33 GHz MBP now for ~10 months. This is my main machine at work and at home. I took it on several business trips and on vacation. It has been used for ~16h a day ever since I got it. I often use it in closed lid mode with external KB and mouse, so my hands aren't on the palm rests all the time.

It looks and feels almost as good as when I bought it. Three minor issues crept up in these past 10 months:

• The space bar squeaks when you hit on the right side; no biggie, but annoying in a quiet environment

• The lid doesn't spring open as much as it did when it was new (I'm now down to about 4 mm gap after pressing the button) -> I've had this problem ever since the first Al PBs came out; it seems the lid spring just becomes weaker with time

• Tiny bulge above the lid release button -> I've had this on two different MBPs. Each time it appeared after the case was banged against something. Obviously the stress on the case is released at the weakest point: a 3 mm strip of thin aluminum that's not firmly attached to an internal frame. Purely cosmetic issue.

All in all I feel the MBP is a very mature platform. I just recently ordered my fourth MBP.

[minitank88]

You can find it here, that's the one i know of, i am not sure if there are any other companies that sell them.

Protection Pack Plus for MacBook™ Pro

[PaperNotes]

Originally Posted by minitank88 

You can find it here, that's the one i know of, i am not sure if there are any other companies that sell them.

Protection Pack Plus for MacBook™ Pro

I looked at the close ups and wasn't impressed. The finish is so bad it looks like Marware employs underpaid blind Mexicans to cut the shapes out. And it has a big ugly Marware logo under the trackpad.

The one I'm thinking of was linked to about 2 weeks ago and was blended in perfectly. It had the same finish of the grey aluminum and was reusable adhesive on the sticking side. It came in three pieces: palmrest, trackpad, trackpad button.

[striker100]

This is the pet peeve I have with the MacBook Pro, beautiful to look at but somehow it does not inspire confidence as far as durability to me. I always felt I had to be especially careful with it. Sure sitting on a desk as a desktop replacement it's fine and even some light travel but I never thought of it as a real travel notebook. I would much prefer that Apple ditch the aluminum for a good looking plastic / magnesium case like some of the Sony Vaio's. I have a Vaio which I've traveled a lot with for 16 months and it still looks teriffic.

[Andrew Stephens]

Mine is used every day. At work it runs closed attached to an external keyboard and monitor, at home it's a laptop.
All in all the machine still looks pretty good. No flaking as such except the latch release button which is a bit worn.

Where I connect and disconnect the external monitor, the casing has become slightly distorted, hardly much but a mild disappointment in the overall good looks.

I just widh the damn thing would sleep properly each evening when I disconnect it. Every day the same ritual, sleep, disconnect monitor etc, fans kick in machine locks up.

[TailsToo]

I use mine all of the time too - it's in pretty good shape - I had to have the lid hinges tightened, but other than that, it has worked fine. There are some scratches on the bottom of the case, and it looks like the backlight is getting a little weaker, but overall I am still very happy with it.

[imitchellg5]

The one that we use for production at my school is doing pretty good, considering about 5 different people use it per day, and it's constantly in use from 6 in the morning to 4 at night (or later). The trackpad is showing some wear, but that's it. Also, I've noticed like Andrew Stephens that the case is bent a bit by the video output (it's constantly being hooked and unhooked from various projectors though). Overall, it's doing pretty good, although some more RAM is in line (it's a 2.0 GHz with 1 Gb of RAM).

[iREZ]

my mbp recently took a 7ft fall on to concrete and the only thing that broke was the hard drive, it still spins up but it wont mount, and the only thing that happened cosmetically was the thin piece of alu above the express slot bent out a lil, what a trooper.

no laptop would be ok after the abuse i put this one through for the last 1.5 years and this mbp is no exception. i have a scratch on the lcd (2mm long) and a palmrest thats starting to pit (two black dots that cannot be removed), but other than that its still going strong, but it still looks 100 times better than its pc counterparts.

[SEkker]

My almost 1.5 year old MBP has been used every day since I bought it in March of last year.

Has gone to work and back with me every day; has also traveled at least once a month to a trip via the airlines, sometimes more t