Is the Macbook Pro hinge durable?

Is the 15" Macbook Pro hinge durable? I feel like I'm going to end up breaking it someday because the tilt angle is so small compared to other laptops. Every time I push the screen back I meet the resistance a lot quicker than my work laptop; force of habit I guess.

 

It's not ergonomically healthy for your neck and back to be staring down at the screen at too abrupt an angle

That said, how far back are you pushing it? I'm keeping mine at close to 135 degrees (since my keyboard is slanted from my cooler) and it doesn't meet much resistance unless I try to push past that.

 

It is very durable.

The resistance comes from your LCD frame touching the bottom case (Look below your LCD frame when you try to open it wide). For Old MBPs and PowerBooks, the LCD Frame can go under the bottom case, thus enabling the LCD to be opened to a wider angle on the old models of MBPs.

 

Actually my LCD stops about 1 mm before it hits the bottom case. I use it alot standing up so I have the LCD pushed all the way back. Are the hinges made of aluminum inside as well or are they plastic?

 

I hit that limit fairly often, too. It's a minor annoyance, but annoyance still.

And now that I checked, you are absolutely right - the hinge stops _before_ the top panel touches the bottom case. There's still 1 - 2mm of space there.

That means there must be some locking mechanism inside the hinge that prevents it from going further. Too bad because those 1-2mm would make a comparatively big difference in the LCD angle, I could really use that.

To answer your question: It's very sturdy.

 

How does the durability of the macbook compare with the macbook pro hinge?

 

Both Macbooks and MBPs have very durable hinges, from what I've experienced. I wouldn't worry about them at all.

 

Actually, I believe they are steel.

 

I found a picture of Powerbook G4 hinge; its probably the same in the Macbook Pro because they share the same hinge design, seems kinda small to have a pair of those support the screen.