Mac build quality?

I noticed some pc manufacturers eventually decrease their build quality. For example thinkpads now are not as good as the ones a few years ago.

Does this trend follow macs as well, keep in mind I'm eyeing the macbook pro 13"

 

Well their new manufacturing process helps eliminate some of the problems they had with the older MBPs, namely the metal panels separating at the joints. But whether or not it's better, I cannot say as I do not own one.

 

depends who you ask... everyone has a different opinion on what they consider important to "quality"

 

It also depends on one's usage patterns such as the environments they usually use their Macs in, the way (how rough) they handle their Macs, & so on... IMHO, build quality is a very subjective topic.

 

If you are asking whether they will last 5 years after normal use, then ya, the build quality is fine.

Answering such a broad question requires more specifics. Like what makes your situation unique to where a laptop's build would deteriorate faster versus normal use.

 

Well, I guess I didn't make myself clear enough. My question basically comes down to this; are the macs now tougher and can they handle more abuse then the previous generations of macs.

If yes, do you feel that apple will always strive to improve the durability of macs?

 

They dent easier with the new case when compared to the older ones IMO. I've only tried my roommates and he just got one a few months ago to replace his previous one.

 

You picked quite an example. You are aware that the Thinkpads of now are not made by the same company that made them "a few years ago," right? There's nothing the same at all about them except the name "Thinkpad."

This is like saying "I noticed some countries tend to degrade over time. I mean look at Iraq for example."

???

 

So??... Thinkpads from say 5 years ago where built better then ones today, being a different company doesn't change that fact.

 

There is a whole nother thread to argue Thinkpads.

I would wager they can take more punishment than previously. Of course, what kind of punishment are you refering to? Normal wear and tear? Sure. Dust storms and lots of outdoor use? Maybe not...

 

Well it does only have one vent, they might be good in dust storms XD

 

Apple products are pretty much all manufactured by Foxconn.... issue of quality relates to cost.. high quality = high cost......

 

the airbook I have has held up just fine over the last year or so, the case is dent-free and the only noticable wear item is the keyboard, which is to be expected.

 

it is a very solid piece of material...no plastic notebook can be compared with it...i've used dells, hp's, acers, toshiba's and the mac's build quality surpassed all of them..

 

I have mine for a month, no scratches, quality is on pair with my 6 year old built-like-tank thinkpad!

 

It's debatable. By normal use, do you mean treated like a glass doll? If so, probably.

No. They are more visually resistant to corner impacts though.

 

I'm guessing that, statistically, the vast majority of Macs out there won't fail in five years. Normal use is well, whatever falls within one standard deviation.....

I figure this is the "average" definition of normal.

 

as a college student, i throw my pro in and my backpack and out again a couple times a day. so far, it has been quite solid.

 

These days I think the build quality of most consumer notebooks are about the same. It seems it's more of an aesthetics game now...which laptop looks the best? etc.

 

short answer to your question. no. mac has quality is always improving. their product always feels premium and class-leading.

the new unibody macbook is so much better than its predecessor and worlds away from its competitors.

there will always be problems, but i think with the MBP 13" there are nothing major i can think off. the larger 15" and 17" with 9600m gt, might suffer from certain graphic card failure because reportedly; nvidia still using the defective solder material. the 9400m is said to have the new, solder material, so you shouldn't worry.

i noticed this too with many pc maker. this is mainly because of price reasons.

notebook use to cost a lot, to drop the prices to such a ridiculously low level, sacrafices had to be made. so now you see many budget notebook with cheap shell but good spec and people love them. if you see correctly, proper business notebook prices is still expensive yet their spec is similar to that of the cheaper unit; but their build quality is still impressive as always.

my thinkpad x300 feels really good for such a thin notebook; i really miss the magsafe though when i'm using it. gotta be really careful with the cord than what you're use to with mac.

i feel that many stuff made nowadays follows the mantra; release now, fix later.

 

With Apple more than anyone else - Rev.A issues are still clear and present.

What they do better is, as with the aluminium skinning and now the unibody process, pander better to the assumptions of the general public in terms of quality - marketing uber alles.

 

we all know Vogelbung's experiences fall well outside a standard deviation, no one complains more about build quality issues. I think these things are built awesome, and have improved over time. Some people expect to be able to treat their laptop horribly and have it to keep going without a problem, or looking bad. There are plenty of people in the world with extremely unrealistic expectations.

 

My expectations are only as unrealistic as maintaining a comparison baseline with what I buy from other vendors, not by buying one machine then deciding that my one choice is the best because I made the choice. It's not a static thing - Sony has for me gone down the tubes as of late to inhabit almost Apple-like depths (although it's hard to fully compare, as the stuff is still inherently more reliable and robust, but with the aftercare being like pulling teeth, which to Apple's minuscule credit - since they have to be used comparatively much more often - isn't), and the other vendors fluctuate.

With Apple, I am to date guaranteed a deal-breaker at new product release.

What is more interesting to me are the legions of people - and these are *only* Apple owners - who experience elements of these issues and can also proclaim their machines as the most reliable - or indeed, robust.

Like the guy who drops an MBP in a bag and is thankful for the MBP's build quality that only the back left hand corner is crushed a little - he may not realise that dropping a Latitude for example in the same way will result in near-zero damage and may not even realise that it was dropped. I carry my machines bagged all the time and I've never experienced more 'where the heck did I get that dent?' or 'jeez, that's gonna leave a mark' incidents as with past and present Intel Apple gear - and it's part of the reason I carry much more robust luggage these days, because I don't want to keep on re-buying Apples affected with cosmetic damage. But this is only one element of the build quality equation of course...

 

If you want durability, go with a Panasonic Toughbook.

 

LOL, got a few of those too. but for some reason most people dont want to drive over their laptops or wash them in the shower

 

People don't want to leave a laptop on the roof of their car and then drive off, but I can believe that it has probably happened someone.

 

high quality from my experience.

 

LOL, ummmm a few times actually

 

It does not really matter who the manufacturer is in my opinion.

It is a case of 'you get what you pay for'. If you are prepared to pay for a more premium product chances are it will be made with better materials, a more solid and possibly light design and will be put together better.

The manufacturers sell 'cheap' notebooks because people are prepared to risk/put up with some cheapness.

I imagine that any premium end product from Sony, Dell, HP, Toshiba etc all have what would be regarded as solid/good build quality.

You have to remember that Apple targets the more premium end of the market with its notebooks and therefore its build quality is generally very highly regarded.

 

Why do always people have this belief that expensive = good?
It is a stupid assumption with superficial reasoning.
Good is defined by usability not how much it cost.
Anyone can choose to raise the price to build on this belief who is to regulate them?

 

No it's not. Price and quality are closely related. However, there is a point of diminishing return after you reach a certain point.

The market

 

What I said earlier was definitely a generalization of the notebook market and of course there are exceptions.

 

Says you.
Are you involved in the production?
We can safely claim that the selling price > Cost price but can you ascertain the pricing will be fair?
So what are you saying?
Apple don't use made in China parts?
Or the Apple sticker on them implies higher quality?
It is free market there is no one to check out the actual cost price of producing of any Computer however for PC Vendors competition is stiff so competition regulates the cost price of PC Laptops but Apple Claim their product is a Mac not PC hence cost differently.
Like Apple Sony is another company that like to profit on people's belief that expensive = quality (aka Branding: you pay for the shiny sticker).

 

What I'm saying is--provided it's not a monopoly--the market will make it fair.

First, parts are one thing, how they're put together is another. And second, even in China, all parts aren't created equal. Some are better than others.

On the contrary, "branding" is your assurance of quality! That's why we all know the name Sony; it's been around for a long time, and if you buy a product with that name on it, you can be reasonably sure it won't fall apart on you after a short time. That's more than you get from those no name fly-by-night companies whose quality remains to be seen. And yes, you do pay more for that.

 

Says you.
You're saying that a $500 Dell has comparable build quality to, say, a MBP or a top-of-the-line Sony?

 

So how do you define built quality?
Shiny Sticker, Attractive Looking Casing?
My definition of built quality is simple: meaning it last for years without breaking down.
If it can last it is good.
Branding is not assurance of quality unless you tell me SONY laptops never spoils, Apple Laptop never overheats.
So if branded laptops are subjected to the same issues as normal laptop then the argument of built quality is OVER.

 

he means that apple uses the same components as pc laptops....if you own a mac, turn it upside down...you will read "Designed by Apple in California, Manufactured in China"

 

Motherboard.... foxconn?
CPU ..... Intel
Video .... Nvidia
Ram ..... Various primarily Samsung
Unibody machining .... Quanta as well as one I cant find a mark for
Keyboard .... various
Touchpad ..... primarily Synaptics from ones I've torn down
LCD's ... LG, AUO, Chi Mei
Hard Disks.... Hitachi, Samsung

Hey like almost everything its completly outsourced. and they are made in the same factories by the same company that makes other laptops... there are no special laptop factories for most laptop manufacturers. They send their design out for bid, one of 4 major OEM's assemble them in a plant with other brands from their sub contractors parts.

 

On the contrary, that examples just means your logic is skewed. Fact is, branding IS an assurance of quality. However, it is not a guarantee of perfection. Rather, it is a relative value of consistency of structure and operation over it's competition.

In other words, since the name Sony is widely recognized as a leader in the electronics market, you don't need to research nor guess to know their products will be among he best. Branding establishes a reputation of quality. However, it does not dismiss other manufacturer's products from being just as good. Nevertheless, it is often used to maintain some margin of exclusivity in whatever industry it represents.

 

when buying a laptop, i would always do my research because money is money..i heard sony customer service is horrible....also i heard that it's only for style as compared with a true workhorse like lenovo thinkpads, ho probooks, dell latitude etc,

 

Unless you have solid proof Sony laptop fails less.
Like many vendors Sony don't make their own laptop parts.
They buy parts from the same source as other OEM.
Again you don't understand how computers are assembled and constructed and simply attribute it to market forces.

Crazycanuk has correctly pointed out how they sourced their parts.
That is my point exactly they use the SAME parts so it is stupid to claim it is "better quality just because its a SONY"
Their "quality" in other electronic products may be different from laptops since the parts are sourced differently.

You are just harping on branding repeatedly without trying to understand what happens behind the scenes.

If you are holding a SONY Computer I tell you what go into device manager and retrieve a list of all the parts that the computer use, you may have to use CPUZ as well.
After that look at the part list and think about it.

 

most " Names " dont even source their parts. That is left to the OEM/ODM company, for example I know Sony laptops are manufactured primarily by Quanta and Compal. Apple DOES do some of the design work but the rest of the build and design and construction is left to Foxconn and Quanta. 95% of the worlds laptops are manufactured by Foxconn, Quanta, Compal, and 3 or 4 smaller OEM's. Quanta alone makes up approxamatly 35%. SUPRISE in the electronics industry a few OEM's put it all together and everyone just rebrands it and puts their stickers on it then shoves it in a pretty little box.

 

I's sorry, but you missed my point completely. I mentioned Sony as an element in my explanation not the focus of it. As well, I was discussing the positive merits of branding as an overall concept and not of the reliability of Sony product computers.

 

Sony is an example.
My whole point is branding is an illusion, unless you really like how the laptop looks and the shiny sticker.
People should not mistake branding with reliability.

 

Ah, so it looks like you understood my point after all? In that case, I'm not sure what your purpose was for making that other point. An obtuse sidestep perhaps? Surely you must realize by now that debating the concept as age old and well established issue as branding is a lost cause. I promise not to hold it against you if you would like to acquiesce at this point.

 

I seriously don't know what you are getting at because the previous post you mention branding = reliability which is what I disagreed and still don't agree with.
That has always been the point of this argument please do not try to play word games.
Things change nowadays manufacturer and big brands no longer make products.
They subcontract them hence reliability of branding was subcontracted away as well.
You age old arguments no longer hold perhaps you need to keep up with times.

 

Actually, I was thinking the same thing of you.

Now you're over analyzing. Brand names are what people come to know and trust. The many myriad suppliers that operate to supply a company are irrelevant. So whether we're talking Sony, HP or McDonald's, when we see the name we know what to expect and what we will get for our money.

 

I am not over analyzing you are just not thinking enough.
Suppliers are not irrelevant since they determine product quality.
Trusting without questioning is no longer ideal in a highly commercialized world where people do thing just for profits.
1)Google SONY DRM Rootkit
2)HP battery recall
3)Nvidia G86/G84 issues
For Nvidia they are the Graphics OEM design supplier, you mean they are not responsible for the numerous dead laptops graphics?

 

I'm not exactly sure why computer components always comes up when it comes to how much Macs cost.

All laptops share the same components, this is not news. Do you really think all you're paying for are the hardware components?

Well, who pays for the R&D, or the designers who actually made the chassis of your laptop? That stuff aint free.

There's a reason why a macbook costs as much as it does, same goes for the Adamo, or even the HP envy. The construction costs of these laptops are much more than any 2" plastic brick.

 

sorry, i meant hp probooks...btw, to a reply above, the board is custom designed by apple.