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mintcake · Jan 13, 2004, 06:00 AM

I dropped my month-old powerbook! Augh! It was in a Tucano second skin, I was just putting it back on the shelf, it slipped out of my hands and fell five feet to a hard wooden floor. *sob*

The casing was nastily buckled but everything still works, even the clasp. I'm amazed I got away so lightly. I've actually tried to fix the worst of it myself, er, with a hammer (no seriously, I have a very light touch, don't flinch).

Didn't take any pictures of the status quo ante, here it is now I've "fixed" it.

As you can imagine I'm feeling a bit peeved with myself right now. Anyone have any constructive suggestions as to what to do next? As it's working OK and the only damage seems to be cosmetic, I'm inclined to leave it as it is and let it serve as a reminder of my own stupidity/clumsiness. I don't imagine accidental dropping is covered under the warranty...

slider · Jan 13, 2004, 06:44 AM

I feel for ya brother.

naderby · Jan 13, 2004, 07:41 AM

Not dropped mine yet, but you know that feeling you get when you nearly drop it... I get that often and I swear to be more careful.

ginoledesma · Jan 13, 2004, 09:29 AM

The damage looks minimal, but just like with "minor scratches" in cars, it _hurts_ a lot. How bad did it look before the fix?

mintcake · Jan 13, 2004, 09:51 AM

It did actually look a lot worse. I almost burst into tears when it happened. I'm glad you think the damage looks minimal. Of course, to me, it looks anything but minimal. I suppose it's haircut syndrome - you walk out of the barber's convinced you look like a freak of nature with your radical new haircut, no-one else even notices it.

I did actually manage to hammer the casing back into shape, more or less. In fact, the PB is now more stable resting on the table than it was before. However, there are still some gaps between the casing and the plastic surround, not to mention some very unsightly dents and scratches. Also, my amateurish attempt at panel-beating means that the battery no longer fits absolutely snugly, but I suppose that's not the end of the world. Touch wood, so far at least, everything functions as it ought to, and that's the main thing.

typoon · Jan 13, 2004, 10:08 AM

As long as it works I would say just leave it. It also shows how strong these machines are. Imagine if you did that to a PC laptop. Just keep that in mind.

tarkap · Jan 13, 2004, 10:10 AM

I dropped my Rev A 12" Powerbook in South Station before Thanksgiving and it has a dent similar to yours, but on the front left corner. The latch actually closes better now! Its a little more wobbly than it was before though.

I asked the hardware guy at work and the bottom panel costs $96 from Apple, and to replace it you have to remove *everything* else in the computer first. I haven't bought it yet (haven't even unscrewed the thing). But if they want to charge more, you'll at least know how much the actual part costs

mintcake · Jan 13, 2004, 10:12 AM

It's true. In a way, it demonstrates another advantage of the aluminium casing. It's relatively malleable, and so it can absorb shock by deforming in localised areas while maintaining its overall rigidity and internal integrity. A typical plastic laptop would probably have disintegrated. I was VERY VERY RELIEVED when I hit the start button and the chord sounded (even more relieved when it booted up as per usual).

-Q- · Jan 13, 2004, 10:33 AM

Originally posted by typoon:
As long as it works I would say just leave it. It also shows how strong these machines are. Imagine if you did that to a PC laptop. Just keep that in mind.

That's exactly right. I've never heard of anyone taking a hammer to a PC and having it survive. Of course, their motives were a little different than yours.

Good luck - I'm sure it will keep going along as if nothing happened. Those PowerBooks are tough!

mintcake · Jan 13, 2004, 10:46 AM

Can anyone tell me whether Apple Care covers this kind of thing? Their site is less than clear in this respect.

typoon · Jan 13, 2004, 10:49 AM

Originally posted by mintcake:
Can anyone tell me whether Apple Care covers this kind of thing? Their site is less than clear in this respect.

No It doesn't cover accidental droppage

stevek · Jan 13, 2004, 11:00 AM

Yep if I took a hammer to this Compaq laptop I use at work you'd just see little pieces of plastic start chipping away and falling apart. Glad your Powerbook survived the fall; bruised, but not beaten!

NemesisEG · Jan 13, 2004, 11:18 AM

/holds head in hands.

May I suggest talc on those hands next time!

;-)

hodaddy · Jan 13, 2004, 11:54 AM

i'm glad the thing still works. dont beat yourself up too much. it sucks. we've all done dumb things (lost count myself)

anyway, at this point i dont think i'd bother buying applecare, if that was ever an option for you. now, because of the damage, apple will be highly unlikely to cover ANY issue, whether the malfunction happens tomorrow or in 18 months, by virtue of the fact that its been dropped.

nredman · Jan 13, 2004, 12:10 PM

ouch...i don't even own a powerbook and that hurt to look at

TheIceMan · Jan 13, 2004, 01:00 PM

Originally posted by mintcake:
Can anyone tell me whether Apple Care covers this kind of thing? Their site is less than clear in this respect.

Sorry to see and hear about the PowerBook. For acciental coverage try SafeWare.

ibook_steve · Jan 13, 2004, 02:53 PM

I'm sorry this happened, and people have given you some good suggestions, but I've got to know: why the heck are you trying to put a Powerbook up on a high shelf with the potential for a drop like this? It just seems kind of strange.

Steve

Lateralus · Jan 13, 2004, 03:16 PM

Well, while I never managed to drop the iBook I had a few years back, it was essentially ruined one week to the day after I got.

Long story short, I walked out of the room and when I came back 10 minutes later my cats had managed to chew my power adapter, put bite marks all over the palm rest and mouse button, and put teeth marks in the LCD.

Yeah.........

mintcake · Jan 13, 2004, 03:57 PM

Originally posted by ibook_steve:
I'm sorry this happened, and people have given you some good suggestions, but I've got to know: why the heck are you trying to put a Powerbook up on a high shelf with the potential for a drop like this? It just seems kind of strange.

You know Steve, I've been asking myself the same question all day...

I think the answer is a combination of (a) I didn't expect to drop it; (b) we have a toddler in the house, so putting valuable things out of her reach is kind of second nature; and (c) that was the only empty spot on the bookcase...

Anyway, update: I'm using it now and unless I look down, I really can't notice it. I think I'm going to learn to live with it. Must look into better protection than the Tucano second sleeve though.

Oh, and thanks for the support/suggestions everyone.

typoon · Jan 13, 2004, 06:04 PM

Originally posted by mintcake:
You know Steve, I've been asking myself the same question all day...

I think the answer is a combination of (a) I didn't expect to drop it; (b) we have a toddler in the house, so putting valuable things out of her reach is kind of second nature; and (c) that was the only empty spot on the bookcase...

Anyway, update: I'm using it now and unless I look down, I really can't notice it. I think I'm going to learn to live with it. Must look into better protection than the Tucano second sleeve though.

Oh, and thanks for the support/suggestions everyone.

That is what the Macnn Forums and community are all about. Glad we all could help out

vinster · Jan 13, 2004, 07:45 PM

I think I'm going to learn to live with it. Must look into better protection than the Tucano second sleeve though.

Oh, and thanks for the support/suggestions everyone.

I would at least call Apple and find out how much it will cost to fix it. They usually have a tiered repair charge for PowerBooks and the damage may fall into the least expensive category.

Let us know what they say if you decide to call.

Amorya · Jan 13, 2004, 07:57 PM

Originally posted by typoon:
No It doesn't cover accidental droppage

Got my Pismo covered on household insurance when I knocked it off a table. New case, new hard drive, new DVD drive, power adapter, even new keyboard (it didn't need half of those replacements but oh well).

Amorya

KidKit · Jan 13, 2004, 11:32 PM

I'm all for believing in the toughness of the powerbooks :-) but I was just wondering, does anyone know how the powerbook or ibook measure up against the other wintel notebooks in terms of how well they stand up to abuse?

I remember PCWorld used to publish an annual torture test of laptops and notebooks, where they dropped, crushed, spilled and plain abused notebooks to see which ones survive. Dell (gasp!) used to rank right up there I think...

Tantrum · Jan 14, 2004, 12:17 AM

Why won't apple fix the "accidental dropped notebook" through apple care, but they will replace the LCD screen with it?(and from what i heard, even "dropped" lcd screens"