Thin Apple notebooks may come clad in black aluminum - Page 5

You do realise that what you ae saying goes against the laws of physics?

The more mass an object has, the more potential energy it has. If you drop it, it suffers more from that drop than a similar object that weighs less.

Assuming two items that are equal in build quality, the heavier one will always,suffer more damage from a drop than the lighter one.

If Apple designs a product with the more advanced materials then it will be sturder than one with heavier, but less advanced, materials.

Weight has nothing to do with duribility by itself, except for what I said above.

If the expensice carbon fiber materials are properly used for a case, along with proper shock mounting inside, a fall will result is less damage than the aluminum cases used now. The fiber cases distribute the shock throughout the case and allow the flex that acts as a shock absorber. Metal, has far less ability to do that.

It's simlar to the concept of kevlar vests. They are far more effective in distributing the shock over the entire vest than a rigid metal sheet would, yet weigh far less.

They are for that 11.1" 2.26 pound (without battery) Sony we talked about a few days ago.

What are the chances a lighter macbook will be created with an equal build quality? Get real I am not stupid I realize if you drop two EQUAL quality items the heavier of the two will take more damage, however as I already stated given Apple's track record with quality of casing do you really expect a laptop weighing lighter than a macbook to be build as sturdy?

Sure, because shaving off weight doesn't necessarily mean using 'cheaper' materials. There are plenty of materials stronger and lighter than what's used in Macbooks currently.

I am "getting real". Did you read all of what I've said in my past few posts? Apparently not.

Apple, like all companies whose products evolve, learns from past mistakes. Their computers have been no more vulnerable to banging or dropping than other manufacturers products.

Remember that Apple isn't competing with Panasonic's "Tuff Book". These aren't jobsite machines.

If you drop any portable, you are lucky if something doesn't get damaged. The only question is when will it happen, and how bad will it be?

Yeah. Actually, Apple's one of the few companies that even thought about that sort of thing; hence, the MagSafe (saved quite a few laptops I bet since it was introduced; more than a tougher body would). Apple gets points for that one in my book.

1) I wish they would - or that someone would come out with a 3rd party shockproof cover for the MBP. I need rugged a lot more than I need ultra-thin.

2) This is true. Does anyone seriously think Sony worry about people dropping the Vaio?

Personally I don't think Apple are going to come out with a PDA and a sub 13" MB/MBP. I think we'll get a PDA and a 13", slightly thinner MBP. Does anyone else remember that rumoured bulk order for 13" LCD screens that came out just before the latest MBPs were released? Gotta come out sometime soon...

I believe there is a company that will ruggedize your mac....maybe. I know they did XServes and the cost a pretty penny. I also read a blog or something of someone that brought their personal MB or MBP into a sea of Panasonic Toughbooks in Iraq so its not that horrid.

Get a pelican case. Its not shockproof but it will make your MBP pretty rugged when not open. They even have a 17"model that works with the MBP: http://josephlinaschke.blogspot.com/...-pro-case.html

Heh, I eventually decided to just use my ToughBook in the field and skipped buying this.

I went with TechShell, a polycarbonate mold that fits perfectly over your Mac notebook. The additional assistance with severe impact will be minimal but it's great for allowing me to be toss it around without worrying about scratching. Except for the touchpad,which isn't protected,my black MacBook looks like new.

My only complaint is that I had to Dremel a TechShell port to allow my Kensignton lock to attach correctly. The included slot was large enough for the pin but wouldn't let the lock get close enough to the Macbook casing.

i believe Apple will just add another member to their portable product line. look how many kinds of ipods they have, they divide their product for each type of consumer - professional, trendy, lightweight and something-in-the-middle. doesn't that make their current laptops line seem pretty narrow? i think so, yes.

they will leave mommy & daddy MacBook and MacBook Pro - and add this newborn MacBooklet! (catchy isnt it?)

all three products will be upgraded, same old macbook WITH cd drive and spinning hd, new slimy macbook with/without everything discussed above.

That's another
Oh Snap!!!! for melgross

Now now, not ALL companies learn from their past mistakes.

Yes, that's true. It's also why they do poorly, or even go out of business.

And I always question what on earth they were thinking. Do you think companies look at reviews of their own product? You think they'd see the phrase "horrendous battery life" and be like, oh, maybe we should fix that. What do you think they're more concerned with?

Those are very good questions. I wonder about them myself.

Most of the time companies don't go on the net and read what's out there.

They do read Consumer's Reports, and a few other publications.

I'm sure apple is aware of public outcries, if anywhere, on their own forums, and in the newspapers. But, do they care? That's a difficult question.

Sometimes companies can be very stubborn. It goes to both the leadership, and corporate structure. But, it also depends on just how many people they think are really protesting. It also depends on the publicity, both good and bad, they are getting on an issue.

Sometimes it costs so much to change what seems to the consumer to be an easy problem to fix, that it doesn't happen at all. The new model might incorporate it instead.

I'm speaking from having a background in manufacturing and design, so it's happened to me.

I think the optical drive situation only exists for us, as power users, and probably multi-Mac (or at least multiple computer) users. While we might not mind constraints on the optical drive because we have a second computer, most people only have one computer. I know that I wouldn't mind if it didn't have a DVD drive altogether, as I would usually do anything DVD related on my Mac Pro.

That said, for an ultra-portable user, the idea of "The DVD drive stays on my desk with the printer" might work. Most DVD uses can wait until you're home, or the stuff can be ripped off the DVD before hand.

Can't resist (sorry guys):


Realistically, you can do a RAID 5 of 4 500 GB drivers in under $500. You can add two other HDDs for another $100 each. A cheap Motherboard with 1 GB RAM, some Linux server distro (free) and a case isn't more than another few hundred. You have the real deal which can hold more than you can download in a year (bloody pirate) for under a thousand (say 2.5 TB for $1000, with 3.75 TB at about $1600, and 6 TB at $2500). Really, you can get bigger with a better MB and case. There exist stand-alone NAS units, which, while not price-competitive, are one-click setup. This is either built yourself or single-purchase CE, there's no continuing payments or internet access required, just a basic LAN cable or wireless.


Even if "warez kid" is out of style, it's like what, 3 years out of style? Sure, that's like half your life, but it's really not a long time. Try listening to your elders for a change. You do not, in fact, know everything. Really, you come across as knowing little outside of how to use bittorrent and what you read on digg.