[dmw]

Can anyone who has used the aluminum powerbook/macbook pro tell me how those computers age? My white ibook has developed worn spots on the palm rests, scratches on the exterior, and several keys have lost thier letters.
I am looking at upgrading to the new MBP and I am concerned that the aluminum case and keyboard may be even more vulnerable to wear than the plastice was.
So, anyone who has owned one of these for a few years and can chime in with a comment, i would appreciate it.

Thanks
Dan

[chris v]

The track pad is the only thing I've seen that wears noticeably on the aluminum machines. Mine'll be 3 next summer, and it still looks great.

[Cottonsworth]

As long as you take good care of your stuff, I don't think you need to worry about the aluminum case becoming worn. When I had my aluminum powerbook, I always used a sleeve that full encloses the unit and polished it with iKlear solution and iKlear cleaning cloth every now and then. When I sold it three years later, the buyer remarked that it still looked like it was new. I don't have any statistics to back this up but my general observation is that aluminum powerbooks/macbooks hold up better than ibooks/macbooks based on seeing the number of ibooks/macbooks that looked fairly worn and dirty.

[rjt1000]

My aluminum PB is in great shape, because I take good care of it. But you wouldn't want to toss it into a backpack without protection. It is easily dented if you bang it hard (think aluminum can) and it is fairly easily scratched. Best is to keep it in a quality padded case and treat it with respect.

The iBooks/ MacBooks with their impact resisitant plastic are like motorcycle helmets--better at taking the occasional knock.

The Powerbook keyboards lettering is actually cut-outs (for the backlight to come through) so it won't wear off, like the keyboard on the iBook (or my Pismo)

[slpdLoad]

Mine's over 3 years old and looks brand new. I do clean it fairly regularly and put it in a sleeve when I travel. There's no wearing on the trackpad or keyboard, but that's partly because about half of it's use is with an external mouse and keyboard. The spacebar on my white bluetooth keyboard seems more worn already (and it's only a couple of years old) than any part of the PowerBook.

[TailsToo]

My 2 year old PowerBook looked almost new (the trackpad showed a little wear(, but it aged much better than my old TI did.

[ghporter]

I've been warned that some folks (like me) with rather corrosive sweat need to be careful of the palm rests. I clean mine (on my MBP) every now and then with an alcohol prep just to be on the safe side. I keep the computer in a sleeve to keep it from being scratched in my pack.

[BadApple]

My 4 year old Ti (my first Mac) was a mint condition and I sold it to iFixIt to make room for my C2D MBP. I take my 12" iBook daily in Radtech sleeves (it also has iSkin/Radtech screensaverz) on the road. I think iBook's condition is very good as I don't see fine scratches which are common on plastic surface. I use Palm screen protector on the wrist rest areas on iBook (so no wear & tear). My PBs are also in mint condition as I don't take them out on the road (if I do, it would be carried in the proper computer bag) and they stay on iCurve with external keyboads/mice. Since I use the wireless or BT mouse with my Macs, the track pads have been wear-free.

[tintin220]

Mine's only from Jan but if you treat it nicely, it will show.

[BadApple]

I am thinking about making my 12" PB as my daily computer companion. As of now, that job is filled by my 12" iBook. It seems PB's aluminum casing does not get scratched as easily as iBook's plastic casing (my iBook does not show scratches as it is carriered in Radtech sleeve). I am more concerned about the warping of the casing as it is made of metal. I noticed a little bit of flex with a 15" model; but a 12" model seems more sturdy as the aluminum surface is smaller than the larger 15" unit.

[wuzup101]

Actually, I'm hoping that apple goes to something like a carbon fiber shell on their next PB line. My PB (purchased in the summer of 2004) does show a decent amount of wear (though it's still a beautiful machine). The ironic thing is, I do take pretty good care of it. The palm rests both have noticeable "pitting" from sweat (as many others have reported). I've never used an external keyboard with my powerbook (I love the feel of the PB keyboard - which also does have some wear but the letters are cutouts so yeah... still can see um). My trackpad shows no wear at all, though I do use it (I do use an external mouse for anything remotely productive).

I have dropped my PB once, onto a carpeted floor, from a distance of about 1 foot. I was seated and packing up my stuff at the library, and it slipped out of my hand close to the floor, hit my leg, and landed partially on my foot before it hit the floor. The inpact bent the CD drive insert slot, and pushed the palm rest up. It's never felt solid since :/ Sadly, that all happened while it was in a 1/4" neoprene (sp?) full sleave case. Both the fan grills also have small dents around them, and to be honest, I have no clue where they came from. Not a single "scratch" on the machine at all, as it's always in a case if not on my desk.

I personally think the aluminum design is beautiful; however, my roomate has a t4x series thinkpad, and that thing is definitely built to take more abuse. I would greatly support a new material for the MBP when apple does a case revision. Truthfully, I won't buy another aluminum laptop. They bend/dent too easily in the places where Al is drawn very thin. For many people they are fine, especially those who don't travel much with them. Overall the build design is sturdy, I just don't like the material that's all :/