[STAT]

Although aligning all the ports on the new iBook along the side and leaving them exposed looks cool, I wonder about possible problems that could result. A while back, my Samsung cell phone starting smoking in my pocket because a Trident gum wrapper had gotten up in the open power port on the bottom of the phone and shorted it out. I'm curious if something remotely similar could happen to the new iBook and if so, what could be done to prevent it. Any debris in these ports has to be bad.

[gumby5647]

since all the ports are nicely aligned in a neat row.....its possible that some 3rd party could come out with some sort of rubber/plasitc 'cap' that would fit in and come them up.....

gumby5647,

Quick! Submit a patent request and sell your idea!

Seriously, you should suggest this idea around, it's neat. I'm worried too about the wide open ports, and a little rubber cap would be nice.

[jblakeh1]

I never had a problem with my old iBook... I think a more common problem is when the door that protects the ports on a powerbook breaks off. I don't think computers are as likely to encounter gum wrappers (not mine, anyway ).

[sine -''-..-]

an occurance as you pointed out with your fone cannot happen with the ibook. the ports on the ibook dont have a power suppy of more than 5volts, and if they were, it is low current and most likely somehow electricly protected. so no smoke will be coming out of you bookbag, at least not because of a shorted port.

[STAT]

I still don't think it's a good idea for stuff to be able to get up in there. Think about what could happen if some debris got up in there, then you shoved a cable into it. That could cause problems. I mean...who visually checks every port before you plug something into? Not me. I've also heard of people having some of the Ethernet/modem pins get bent down, causing connection problems. If you kept those ports closed, I doubt that would happen as often.

I've thought about a simple rubber strip and it wouldn't be that hard to make and use. Just connect it at the back or something for tethering purposes. Motorola 2 way radios have these type of plug covers. I think that protecting your $1200-$1700 investment with something like a rubber cover is a very smart idea. I know I'd do it. It's just such an easy solution that I'm surprised nobody has come out with a product yet. Any day now...

[SupahCoolX]

Yeah, that plastic cap is a GREAT idea!! Market it! Also, you could put a strip of tape or something along the side, though that won't look too pretty. Of course, a fried computer isn't pretty either. However, I've never heard of problems like this actually happening to anyone's iBook in their 2 year history, so they must be pretty safe from shorting/frying anyway. Of course, a sharp metal object could wreak havoc on an exposed port and render it useless, which I think is more of a concern than electrical worries.

[icruise]

Originally posted by STAT:
<STRONG>I think that protecting your $1200-$1700 investment with something like a rubber cover is a very smart idea. I know I'd do it. It's just such an easy solution that I'm surprised nobody has come out with a product yet. Any day now...</STRONG>

Personally, i think putting the ibook in a bag or sleeve of some kind would be the better solution all around. I doubt it would be much of a problem in any case, though.

[todrain]

I dunno about all the rest of you, but I keep my laptop bag clean so that I won't have anything get in there.

If you have a lot of junk at the bottom of the bag, even the cap won't help much. Your laptop still has vents to let the heat escape, and while they are smaller, dust and dirt can still get in there, and I would worry a lot more about that then stuff getting into the ports.

[vmarks]

Originally posted by sine -''-..-:
<STRONG>an occurance as you pointed out with your fone cannot happen with the ibook. the ports on the ibook dont have a power suppy of more than 5volts, and if they were, it is low current and most likely somehow electricly protected. so no smoke will be coming out of you bookbag, at least not because of a shorted port.</STRONG>

Well, the firewire ports carry 12-17 VDC at 7 watts
the USB ports carry +5VDC
The RGB connector carries +5 VDC

These are very sensitive technologies, which you suggest are "somehow electrically protected."

I posit that they are not electrically protected, as any kind of protection would introduce resistance, slowing down the data rate and dropping power. A short is a short, and causes damage. At least with firewire and usb, they're meant to be hot-pluggable, so you have SOME assurance that they're ok, but a gum wrapper will still fry 'em.

[BobVB]

A short is a short, and causes damage. At least with firewire and usb, they're meant to be hot-pluggable, so you have SOME assurance that they're ok, but a gum wrapper will still fry 'em.

Of course the real question is who puts anything other than their iBook in the iBook compartment? Or as my dad so bluntly put it:

You don't have to punish stupid people, stupidity produces its own rewards.

[eTard]

If you look on the bottom of your iBook, next to the battery port, you will see a small disclaimer that states "Surgeon Genral claims that putting the iBook in your pocket can cause terminal damage....to your iBook, not you."

(sorry..........couldn't resist)

[STAT]

Listen, you nihilists... You're all being way too critical of this very simple 3rd party solution to a potential major problem. If you're anything like me, your desk is often pretty cluttered with all kinds of junk that could cause some damage.

Also, Apple is pushing the iBook for educational use. Off the top of my head, I can name 11 small children I know who would love to get their hands on an iBook and put technology to use as a learning tool... Then they'd take a screw from the battery compartment cover off a Pokemon Pikachu coin bank and cram it in the FireWire port!

Now if your iBook lives in a bubble and never comes in intimate contact with any metal things or any other undesirables, you don't have to buy one! Otherwise, CAN IT!

[ 06-07-2001: Message edited by: STAT ]

[vmarks]

Originally posted by STAT:
<STRONG>Listen, you nihilists... You're all being way too critical of this very simple 3rd party solution to a potential major problem. If you're anything like me, your desk is often pretty cluttered with all kinds of junk that could cause some damage.

Also, Apple is pushing the iBook for educational use. Off the top of my head, I can name 11 small children I know who would love to get their hands on an iBook and put technology to use as a learning tool... Then they'd take a screw from the battery compartment cover off a Pokemon Pikachu coin bank and cram it in the FireWire port!

Now if your iBook lives in a bubble and never comes in intimate contact with any metal things or any other undesirables, you don't have to buy one! Otherwise, CAN IT!

[ 06-07-2001: Message edited by: STAT ]</STRONG>

The way I read it, you're all for taking care of your iBook by using rubber plugs to protect the ports.

Others are all for protecting their iBooks through careful use and placement out of harm's way.

Any kind of animosity over the same goal (preservation of your computers) is foolish. I for one, would like to see you develop the rubber plug idea. I'm sure it could be done.

maybe something like what they show here
metro rubberis what we need- take a molding of the side port panel, and have them make up a pliable plug cover that will be easy to slap in place.

Let us know if you decide to try and make one of these!

I don't have an ibook yet, but I hope to either find an idea for a workaround for this prob, or use someone elses idea for it. I'm mostly worried about keeping the ports safe from lint, but can relate to your gum wrapper experience. Once I had a nine-volt battery in the front pocket of my pants and got burned when my car key came in contact with the leads.

__________________
Registered April 2000
Deregistered June 2001

[eTard]

Originally posted by &lt;?Forbodium?&gt;:
<STRONG>I don't have an ibook yet, but I hope to either find an idea for a workaround for this prob, or use someone elses idea for it. I'm mostly worried about keeping the ports safe from lint, but can relate to your gum wrapper experience. Once I had a nine-volt battery in the front pocket of my pants and got burned when my car key came in contact with the leads.

__________________
Registered April 2000
Deregistered June 2001</STRONG>

1. dude, who carrys 9volts in their pocket? (unless are you the guy who installs them in smoke alarms)
2. how does lint get into these ports anway, do people carry their iBooks in a pillowcase, or a carrying case made of jeans material?

point is, this seems to be one of those issues that is a bit blown out of proportion. I suspect it to be not as much an issue as it is made out to be. general daily care will prevent this issue....remember, it IS a portable.

as for this concept of making a rubber plug device to cover these ports, I say hooey to that. The next thing you know people will be bi**hing about them falling off in transit, or that the kids might choke on them, or something like that. if you must, Scotch tape makes a great product for this already. and it is cheap and disposable.

[todrain]

Just keep you bag clean! If you're a slob, and drop your laptop in a bag with a lot of crap, you'll have many problems, not just frying your ports!

My old iBook Rev A never had a problem, and the inset ports didn't make any difference. I just made sure that I didn't have lots of loose items in the same bag as my laptop. (I traveled a lot for work, so the iBook was on many adventures.)

[vinkint]

two things:
one - buuuuuump.
two - i carried my indigo ibook around in my backpack for three months. im a 17 year old girl. there were books in my bag, pens, calculators.. binders, texts loose papers, food on occasion .. nothing bad ever happened. im sure that this is a valid concern, id be pretty pissed if something got into my ports but nothing did. youd have to press the object up against the port with good pressure to do that and that doesnt usually happen, maybe with the new ibooks because the ports arent pushed in...

[nihilist]

Listen, you nihilists...

There is only one, my friend...

[nonhuman]

Originally posted by nihilist:
<STRONG>

There is only one, my friend...</STRONG>

If you were really a nihilist you wouldn't care enough to point that out.

The rubber/plastic thing is what I have thought about. Since I know that IBM has this for certain laptops they sell. It's rubbur and is great, when you ned to use a port just remove it, and stick it in your pocket. When you are done attach it back to protect your ports.

hmmm so how long is it going to be before the Ibook port protector is available?

[STAT]

Originally posted by nonhuman:
<STRONG>

If you were really a nihilist you wouldn't care enough to point that out. </STRONG>

ROFL!!!!!

[Mac Guru]

I have contacted several rubber molding companies in regaurds to this. I am working on getting these produced as soon as possible. So for you paranoid types... don't worry, I'm trying to make this a reality for you.

And yes I AM being serious about this.

Mac Guru

[Phoible]

The iBook ports are recessed enough that you would have to try to short them out. Sure, you could do it, but laptops aren't made to be indestructible, even the iBook. Apple decided that the risk of the port cover snapping off was greater than that of getting things in the ports. Maybe that's why the ports are on the side. When you put the iBook in a backpack, the ports face to one side. If they were on the back, they might face the bottom. This would make them more prone to encounter the junk at the bottom of the backpack.

[Mac Guru]

I'm still gonna work on this port cover...

Mac Guru

[x user]

I have a simple solution. Simply buy all the little connectiors you need. Say 1, 6pin Firewire connector, two USB ones, e-net connector, phone and so forth. Then shrink some shrink tubing over one side and plug the other side in all the time. when you need to put something else in that port, unplug that one and plug the other thing in.

DISCLAIMER!

I haven't tried this so there is no guarenty it works

[Mac Guru]

Ok we're trying to make the iBook retain it's asthetic appeal... that would look plain UGLY!

Mac Guru

[Phoible]

If you are seriously worried about shorting out your ibook, you could just plug cables into the USB/firewire ports. Heck, you could even dissect a few cables and use them to make a custom-fitting port cover.

[STAT]

There'd be too much chance of those breaking off. Rubber wouldn't cause that.