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squeeks · Nov 4, 2008, 10:55 AM

someone posted this shot of their new macbook over at macrumors

not sure what they dropped on it, they were just asking about getting it fixed

poor guy

solofx7 · Nov 4, 2008, 12:27 PM

that stinks.
i am worried about that and the glass screen breaking too...

squeeks · Nov 4, 2008, 12:54 PM

turns out he dropped a coffee cup (empty) on it, so yeah, its not wonder it broke

Urkel · Nov 4, 2008, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by squeeks

turns out he dropped a coffee cup (empty) on it, so yeah, its not wonder it broke

No, there is a "wonder it broke". It's a trackpad! No other trackpad out there would suffer damage if you drop a coffee mug on it, so why did this one? Because Apple once again decided to ignore standards and do something unnecessarily different.

Some people blindly accept everything Apple does to be "the right decision", but things like this should point out one thing that Apple doesn't seem to care about. If it aint broke, don't mess with it. (BTW, I'm not necessarily against glass IF they put a screen under it. But considering it's nothing more than a new trackpad that we have to relearn then I'm not a fan)

schwank · Nov 5, 2008, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by Urkel

No, there is a "wonder it broke". It's a trackpad! No other trackpad out there would suffer damage if you drop a coffee mug on it, so why did this one? Because Apple once again decided to ignore standards and do something unnecessarily different.

Some people blindly accept everything Apple does to be "the right decision", but things like this should point out one thing that Apple doesn't seem to care about. If it aint broke, don't mess with it. (BTW, I'm not necessarily against glass IF they put a screen under it. But considering it's nothing more than a new trackpad that we have to relearn then I'm not a fan)

Do NOTHING innovative! bring back the beige desktops! Down with iMac! where's my portable cassette player! Wheres my serial port?

You dont think your "Normal" trackpad would be dead dropping a mug on it?

Simon · Nov 5, 2008, 09:50 AM

Wow. How old is that MBP? Two weeks tops? And it already looks like that (I'm not talking about the crack)? WTF? I'm not surprised he dropped a cup onto it then. Maybe he should look into getting an original Mac Portable. They were a lot more rugged. Leopard might be a problem though.

ajprice · Nov 5, 2008, 09:51 AM

If you drop a mug on something sensitive like a trackpad, its not going to end well, glass or not.

itguy05 · Nov 5, 2008, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by Urkel

No, there is a "wonder it broke". It's a trackpad! No other trackpad out there would suffer damage if you drop a coffee mug on it, so why did this one? Because Apple once again decided to ignore standards and do something unnecessarily different.

You think? Take a coffee mug, drop it on your pre late 2008 MacBook/iBook/Powerbook/Macbook Pro and see what happens. Try again with another notebook with a trackpad.

I'd almost guarantee some sort of damage. May not be cosmetic, but there will definitely be some damage somewhere.

Urkel · 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by itguy05

I'd almost guarantee some sort of damage. May not be cosmetic, but there will definitely be some damage somewhere.

Originally Posted by schwank

You dont think your "Normal" trackpad would be dead dropping a mug on it?

Originally Posted by ajprice

If you drop a mug on something sensitive like a trackpad, its not going to end well, glass or not.

I'm curious if this the general consensus on notebook quality. I tend to treat my notebooks like tools and even the cheapest ones tend to be pretty resilient, so I'm surprised people have such little faith in hardware quality, especially Apple.

I'd fully expect the glass one to crack under any pressure, but haven't heard of impact damage destroy a standard trackpad on any other notebook. So I really don't see gravity pulling down a coffee mug from drinking level to a desk to be considered "destructive" to a non-glass trackpad. If anyone knows more about the cup dimensions then I wouldn't have a problem trying it on my old Macbook and Sony Vaio.

imitchellg5 · Nov 5, 2008, 09:55 PM

How is a Mac that new that messy already? Looks like a crumb on the side or something.

Simon · Nov 6, 2008, 04:01 AM

And what's that gunk stuck to the bottom of screen?

Jerome · Nov 6, 2008, 01:44 PM

How about learning to hold the cup? It's not that hard.

macintologist · Nov 6, 2008, 05:03 PM

Probably some spoiled college students breaking something they never paid for. I work at a university IT department, no college student takes care of their laptops because they got it for free. Little f*ckers need to learn SOMEHOW.

0157988944 · Nov 7, 2008, 08:39 PM

Aluminum notebooks get nasty real fast, and it becomes apparent when a picture is taken with flash. nothing out of the ordinary there.

Simon · Nov 8, 2008, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by adamfishercox

Aluminum notebooks get nasty real fast, and it becomes apparent when a picture is taken with flash. nothing out of the ordinary there.

Well I have a couple of Al notebooks (see sig) and most of them are orders of magnitude older than the one shown here. And I can assure you even with a flash they would never look that crap. I see a notebook belonging to somebody who quite obviously doesn't want to take care of it. Considering it's a brand new $2k notebook, I'm a bit surprised.

phoenix78 · Nov 9, 2008, 02:40 AM

My MBP is about 3 yrs old now and i only have two or three small scratches on the underside. So yes it is possible to take care of a machine.

Accidents do happen though. :-)

I dont imagine any component for any machine holding up against the impact of a coffee mug.

Wonder how much it costs to replace the trackpad?? Warranty would now be void too?

Simon · Nov 9, 2008, 03:35 AM

Can only the trackpad be replaced or do they swap the entire top case? That's now pretty much the biggest single part and I imagine it will cost quite a bit to replace.

0157988944 · Nov 9, 2008, 03:00 PM

Oh wait, I never put the photo at 100%... clearly this guy isn't the most careful with his toys...

DCJ001 · Nov 10, 2008, 12:24 AM

For the individual who was so irresponsible as to do this:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...44650859&hl=en

dimmer · Nov 10, 2008, 02:39 AM

Is the fact that glass breaks new to anyone?

To earlier posters saying Apple should have remained where they were: the new trackpad allows for many more gestures than the prior did. It's called "Progress."

Spheric Harlot · Nov 10, 2008, 07:25 AM

I dare anybody to find a trackpad on ANY machine that will survive the user dropping a coffee mug on it. Except maybe the ToughBooks.

rmcalhany · Nov 10, 2008, 12:42 PM

Does anyone here really know what they're talking about? I mean have any of you ever dropped something on your trackpad? Does anyone have evidence that no trackpad can withstand an impact from a coffee cup?

Well, my 2005 Powerbook G4 sure withstood the equivalent of a coffee cup. A 100ml Pyrex bottle containing glycerol fell on my laptop (from a shelf 2-3' above it) when it was 3 months old. Broke one of the keys on the keyboard (which had to be replaced) and left a nice dent (yes dent) in the trackpad. The hard drive (which is underneath) makes some slight noise due to the dent, but everything has worked fine for the last 3 years.

So as I have first hand knowledge, I must say that trackpads MAY survive such impact. I doubt any glass one could withstand what mine did. Nonetheless, I have a CTO 2.8 on the way from Shanghai.

R

Urkel · 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by rmcalhany

Does anyone here really know what they're talking about? I mean have any of you ever dropped something on your trackpad? Does anyone have evidence that no trackpad can withstand an impact from a coffee cup?

I'm wondering the same thing. It's a bit odd how for years people would constantly praise Apple for high quality, well designed and solid machines. But then once Apple uses this new manufacturing process as a marketing device then suddenly we see a lot of people who have been living in fear of bending their notebooks in half or claiming that trackpads are delicate devices.

Personally, I find the whole update in material to be an odd mix. A stronger unibody frame makes it more rugged, but a glass screen and trackpad makes it more delicate. So overall then is this new design stronger or weaker than before?

I own both gens of Macbooks and in terms of durability then I'd consider the plastic Macbook to be more resilient than the new one because of all the glass involved. I've put my Macbook through some above average abuse (it's a tool, not a puppy) and the thing is rock solid. I just don't have the confidence to treat the new one the same way.

DeezNutts · Nov 10, 2008, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

I dare anybody to find a trackpad on ANY machine that will survive the user dropping a coffee mug on it. Except maybe the ToughBooks.

Its called a Thinkpad. I've done it without a problem. Hell I had the whole laptop fall off the fender of my car and land corner first on cement while using an ODB2 scan tool and the machine was fine minus a decent gouge in the corner of the case.

moep · Nov 10, 2008, 05:51 PM

See, people like that should just get a Dell. They still come with the built in cup holders.

Ted L. Nancy · Nov 10, 2008, 09:35 PM

I'm gonna be the first to say it: Photoshop.

jessjane · Nov 12, 2008, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by Ted L. Nancy

I'm gonna be the first to say it: Photoshop.

May be your are right but its don't because if you examine carefully you can see easily that one opposite crescent is their in the breakage area. This mark is prove that its natural.

DCJ001 · Nov 12, 2008, 10:16 PM

These new unibody MacBooks are supposed to be durable?

I had a little "run in" at a downtown Starbucks and the glass display couldn't take a few minor impacts from a 9mm.

The MacBook and its display still work. But shouldn't it have held up better than this?