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Ryan1524 · Apr 30, 2003, 06:55 PM

i'm not sure if this has been posted before, but i searched and found nothing.

so here goes..

we've all heard about how durable the iBooks are with their polycarbonate casings, and as the 12" Al is built pretty much from the 12" iBook, i'm wondering how durable it is compared to the ice.

any comments from users?? will someone care to drop their 12" Al to see how strong it is...

thx

eevyl · Apr 30, 2003, 07:10 PM

I feel my little preciousss very strong, however I will never, ever drop it on purpose to the floor

BTW, I remember reading here that someone dropped one PB G4 12" to the floor from the hands, it hit the floor horizontal and survived the incident without glitch. I bet that if it have fall on one of the side the result could be really worse, maybe broken TFT...

Anyway, I think the PB G4 12" is a very strong machine. I think stronger than the TiBooks for sure, and maybe stronger than its big brother the big 17".

icruise · Apr 30, 2003, 07:42 PM

My wife dropped her ibook yesterday... As far as I can tell there wasn't a scratch (well, lots of scratches, but they were there before...) If you are talking about durability only, I would say the ibook wins. The powerbook is more likely to get dented or bent out of shape than the ibook. It's not fragile, but it's not quite the tank that the ibooks are. As a computer, though, I would recommend the Powerbook.

escher · Apr 30, 2003, 08:24 PM

Yup. I have no doubt that the iBook's polycarbonate casing is more solid than the PowerBook's aluminum shell. For one, the aluminum is much thinner than the poly. For two, metal bends and dents while plastic springs back into its original shape after being distorted. Durability is one of the iBook's biggest qualities.

Escher

Ryan1524 · Apr 30, 2003, 08:40 PM

i'm the kind that totally babies everything i have, especially computers, gadgets, etc..
but i'm wondering if a university environment is more hazardous than most...since i'm assuming the machine will be moved around alot and rigorous everyday use in such manner might invite more than the regular wear and tear, namely, drops, being thrown into backpacks, etc. so i'm hoping for a durable machine.
anybody here using their PB 12 for school??

mcs37 · Apr 30, 2003, 09:05 PM

Originally posted by Ryan1524:
i'm the kind that totally babies everything i have, especially computers, gadgets, etc..
but i'm wondering if a university environment is more hazardous than most...since i'm assuming the machine will be moved around alot and rigorous everyday use in such manner might invite more than the regular wear and tear, namely, drops, being thrown into backpacks, etc. so i'm hoping for a durable machine.
anybody here using their PB 12 for school??

Ryan: I am planning to buy a 12" PB this August from Apple (hopefully, Rev B). I will be using it all next year at school as my last year. I have debated between a 12" iBook and a 12" PB, but I think I'll go for Rev B alubook since it might have 1 GHz G4 and any small remaining glitches fixed.

Of course, I could get a PB much faster if I accept Apple's offer for the summer. I have only a few days left to decide. Arrrrrrg!!!

Luca Rescigno · Apr 30, 2003, 09:47 PM

I have a 12" iBook that I carry around in my backpack a lot. I even strapped it to the back of my bike and biked 22 miles with it in there (in a case, of course!). No problems with it, other than the nearly infinite amount of scratches that form if you don't wear silk gloves and keep it in a sterilized, moisture-free environment. I haven't even gotten any keyboard marks - the bumpers on the screen hold it far enough away from the keyboard that they don't touch.

kcmac · May 1, 2003, 09:58 AM

I had a 12" iBook and now have the 12 PB. The iBook would seem to be more substantial by look and feel. I dropped my iBook several times (bad bag design) and it never skipped a beat. It was asleep every time as well.

The PB does not seem to scratch. I've had it since they first came out and it still looks just like the day it arrived. The iBook had scratches everywhere.

I haven't dropped my PB yet so don't know if it will dent or get damaged. Not hoping to find out either. I guess I would be more confident that the iBook would weather the worst situations. It may scratch, but it will keep working.

gauchogirl · May 2, 2003, 11:59 PM

I just recently had an accident with my powerbook where it fell from about four feet off of a desk. Now I am left with a very large dent on the corner of my book. My roommate has an ibook and she's dropped it several times with no visible problems. I think the powerbook is a lot more fragile than people think.

icruise · May 3, 2003, 12:58 AM

Is that the 12" powerbook that got dented?

gauchogirl · May 3, 2003, 01:15 AM

yeah, it was...

escher · May 3, 2003, 11:40 AM

Sorry to hear about that mishap, gauchogirl. Do you want to post a picture to share your pain with us?

Maybe this is a sign that I should stick with my age-old iBook instead of lusting after a new 12-inch PowerBook. There's no doubt that my iBook has held up very well crunched between law books several times its size and weight in my backpack over the last two years. Fortunately, I've never accidentally (or intentionally) drop-tested my iBook.

Escher

Ryan1524 · May 3, 2003, 12:15 PM

ouch...sorry to hear that..
but to be positive, it's great that your powerbook still works after a drop that can give it a large dent.

hibbacross · May 3, 2003, 09:44 PM

My little baby cusin was over about 2 weeks ago and I had my PB 12" sitting on the couch. I walked out of the room for a sec(dumb idea) and I here a crash. Ohh no this can be good yep me PB is laying on the ground check it for damage, and the only thing I can see is a little scratch on the corner. Phew! It was pretty high up there on the arm and fell to a wood floor so I would say that it is pretty durable.

euchomai · May 4, 2003, 10:05 PM

I have 2 ibooks and a 12" powerbook. So far the powerbook holds up much better. I've had the ibooks for 2 years and the powerbook since february, so its a tough comparison to make. My powerbook feels more solid (hinge, crazy cable problems in ibook that make screen flicker, toughness of keypad, not getting scratched by the littlest brush against it) I'd think the powerbook will outlast an ibook... Just me though.

DietProZac · May 7, 2003, 06:56 PM

I had an ibook for about a year, up until this March when I got the new 12" PB. I ditched the ibook because after carrying it around in my backpack and sitting with it on my lap on the couch (general use really) the TFT died. I don't know if this was a factory defect but I didn't have the extended applecare and instead of paying a minimum of $300 for apple to look at, it made more sense to sell it for parts and upgrade. I didn't feel that the ibook was very well put together either- I had problems with keys falling off and the battery and cd drive not lining up flush. Good riddance!

Now I am pretty happy with the new PB, but it does scratch. Just the big scratches show up though, whereas with the plastic ibook every little graze of a fingernail leavs a small blemish.

My one major complaint is that the rubber feet fall off really easily. Just slide it across the desk and POP! there they go. I lost two of them already and you have to send it back to apple to get them replaced because they need to be put on from the inside of the case. HUGE inconvenience!

I know it's cosmetic, but other than those gripes I think the PB is really well made. love the keyboard and the slot-loading drive. I'm not going to drop it if I can help it, but it feels like it would hold up well.