Macbook Pro -- What's the Wear and Tear like?

Background: I've recently decided that I am probably going to buy a MBP and turn it into a Windows 7 machine. I'm just about done with college and figure that a really nice looking Notebook will benefit me vs. one that has all the bells and whistles (I will be travelling a lot less) Every 200 days, these things will just continue to get better and better; with less traveling I will have to do, I can afford to game at home.

What I Plan to Buy: Low-end Refurbished 13.3" Macbook Pro.

What I Need to Know: Reviews mostly provide a look at the product fresh, new, and in perfect condition. Very rarely will someone follow up with a technology review months later.

I bought a Sony SR as my last notebook, but it was recently stolen when my home was robbed. While the Vaio SR's performance was a lot better than the MacBooks today can provide -- its keyboard and palmrests began to degrade showing very visible signs of shining and discoloration. This brings me to the point since users here have had their MBP's for a long time...

• Will the metal finish degrade/shine with a lot of usage? I notice people are basically saran wrapping their MacBooks...
  
• How long (if at all) will it generally take to cosmetically degrade the keyboard? (Cosmetic damage includes a plastic shine on the most used keys, letters missing, or breakage)
  
• How well does the backlight shine through a silicone keyboard cover? (I hate TPU covers like the Moshi Clearguard. They offer no flex on the keys and it feels like pressing into a hard edged plastic wedge)

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Is there a chance of having pre-made cosmetic damage on a newly purchased refurbished Macbook Pro? I refuse to pay any more than $1000 for the low end hardware within the Mac, so this will make or break the purchase if it has already worn.

Thanks in advance!

 

I bought a 15 MBP in late 2008. With the release of the new Alienware M15x in Oct 09, I moved on and passed by MBP to my daughter. After one year of using it almost daily, some days for hours (MMORPGs), it was like new when I passed it on. I never covered it with any type of cover either.

I usually wiped it down about once a month and used canned air about once a quarter to blow out dust.

I used Vista with mine (not exclusively), but never had an issue with it at all!

 

The metal finish is pretty hard to scratch, from what I've seen from my friend's MBP. People are just using skins to protect their investment. Do note, however, that rough handling may cause dents (if you haven't noticed, if there's any problems with used ones on eBay, it's usually denting). The keyboard seems like it'll last a while too.

I must say, the 13" MBP is by far, the most reasonably priced Apple product, even new. The 9400 is pretty decent, and the Core 2 within it is (or rather, was) standard. If I were you and worried about anything at all, I'd get a new one.

Or, if I were you, I have a totally different Windows notebook in mind. But as this is the Apple forum, I won't post it here (but you can PM me or post in the WNSIB forum if you would like).

 

I don't know if you read any of the threads about this topic but most experienced users will tell you that Macs run better with OS X.

Here's an example of such a thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=450823

If you are not interested in getting used to OS X I don't recommend buying a Mac.

 

MBPs wear quite well, as far as I'm concerned. I've had mine for about seven months, and the enclosure is in great shape. There is some scratching on the bottom aluminum panel, but that's a fault of my handling, not the material.

Shine-wise, no, the palmrests do not shine with use -- at least not to this date. I don't expect them to, either. The keyboard, however, can get that shiny appearance, depending on use; there is a shiny spot on the left side of the space bar on mine, no doubt due to my asymmetrical spacing habits.

I second the concerns about you getting an MBP to be Windows 7-centric. I love Windows 7 myself, but in doing what you're talking about doing, you're forfeiting a substantial amount of the MBP's battery life, and there are still little quirks within Boot Camp (like an overly sensitive touchpad). There is a supposedly coming Boot Camp update, but nobody knows if any of this will be addressed.

Have you considered something like the new Asus UL30VT-X1? Maybe the just-announced-at-CES Sony Z Series expected out in the coming months?

And then there's the newly-refreshed HP Envy line, if that's an option.

I know you said you don't want to pay much for the "low-end hardware" in an MBP -- although I'd beg to differ that it's that low-end, but I get what you're saying -- so if you're willing to shell out a little more, the Z series or even the expected i-series CPU refresh in the next-gen MBPs might be more to your liking.

 

I bought a used late 2008 15" MacBook Pro about 6 months ago and to this day, there isn't a single mark on it. Of course, it's always been protected by a Speck shell casing which I highly recommend.

 

The non unibody macbook pros experienced pitting from the moisture and acids from hand, but I haven't seen that problem arise with the unibody.

If you get one I suggest you clean the palm rests often so that oil and dirt from your hands aren't sitting there oxidizing the aluminum. Or you can just get a palm rest cover.

Other than that its pretty resilient, I have scratches on my lid but that was only because my friend dropped his huge powerbrick on it.

One last thing the speck cases can scratch the aluminum body from trapped dirt, so I would not recommend this product.

 

I'll echo some of the remarks that have already been made... My 9 month old MPB17 looks as new as the day I bought it. I'm usually a major klutz, dropping by WinMo HTC phones all the time (4 replacements using insurance, lol), accidentally scratching the matte screens on my other laptops, etc.

But my MBP looks brand new. I admit it is because I hold onto it with a death grip and white knuckles when carrying it without the use of my TUMI bag. And the glossy screen (i know alot don't like it the glare) has been really nice. The glare isn't that bad really when the display is on. But it does make it easy to swipe clean with a wet clotch and it keeps me from accidentally damaging it like my other matte screens. "hey joe, take a look at this line of code here [pointing to screen with my pen]. Oh crap, my screen! "

I do notice a little extra "shine" to the black plastic keys like EXI mentioned. But I think that is normal for any keyboard. The letters are not scrubbing or peeling or anything like that.

I don't like the skins or hardshell cases, takes away from the svelte sexy look that my Mac exudes. lol. My niece has a clear pink shell on her MBP15 but the hard plastic shell sometimes cause the display to be too heavy for the hinge and the screen flops back because of the added weight.

 

I bought a moshi palmguard for the palm rest.... love it

http://www.amazon.com/Moshi-PalmGuard-Macbook-Palmrest-Protector/dp/B001Q5DOJC

 

I was a little on the fence of even replying to this thread as the OP is coming across suspect and his OP looks like flame bait. He acknowledges that the MBP is a slower machine and calls the hardware low end, yet he creates this thread considering to buy one? Hmph.

I agree with Phil in terms of this being a wasted investment to run an OS that wasn't built for the computer. W7 can run on a Mac but the keyboard layout isn't designed for Windows and other features are stuff you're paying for that you can't even use.
That being said, if the OP decided to no longer buy a Sony due to the keyboard getting shiny over time, well the Macbook Pro's lovely black keyboard is no exception. After 3 good months of using my Air and my old aluminum Macbook the the keyboard got shine and wear marks on the spacebar and the most used keys. I now have a 13" MBP and I do other things to prevent that from happening.
I checked out the Sony Vaio SR series and for under $1000 you can get a brand new 13" notebook with specs close to a brand new MBP. Sony is the Apple of the PC world. What would be the point in buying a refurb MBP and turn it into a Windows 7 machine (Eww) when the Sony SR comes brand new with Windows 7?
I'm going to continue to watch this thread but I have my suspicions what it's really about and where it's going to end up.

 

See, that's one of the things I was expecting from this board: The response above me.

Flame-bait eh? So you are telling me that $1200 for a MBP with 2.26 GHz 2GB ram non-discrete Graphics Card is faster than a 2.53 GHz, 4 GB ram, 4570 ATI 512 GDDR3 machine?

Sorry buddy, I don't care who or what brand you are a fanboy for... Specs are specs. If it were another Macbook with the same price of $1200 competing with the low end Macbook, people would cry lunacy. It's folks like you that seem to perpetuate this Mac vs. PC thing. Newsflash -- PC = Personal Computer.

I thank the people who chose to respond to the post understanding that while my Sony ran better, it looked horrible after a year of use. Like I said before, I'm almost out of school and I want to use a pretty computer for a long time rather than a "currently fast" one. There's no way I can get a computer that will last more than a year specs-wise, but MBP apparently has looks that will far outlast the Sony.

I also don't care for the attitude that I am somehow slapping you all in the face by running Windows instead of OSx. That's an end-user choice, and I never grew up using OSx. You know the fact that I want an Apple computer to run Windows is a HUGE compliment to Apple's hardware -- not an insult.

 

What pair of glasses are you wearing today? I posted a pic of a Sony Vaio with specs equal or close to the MBP for less money and recommended to get that. Where did I say that the MBP was faster? You're calling ME a fanboy? For what reason? You're the one with agenda with that type of response. If you were expecting fanboys to arise then why create this thread? You've got your guard up for no reason. I was offering a good suggestion to you, but you were to busy with your fanboy shield on to recognize that.

 

Ughh, time to et the popcorn.

If you are worried about wear and tear, get a $10 sleeve.

 

My friend has a mid 2007 MBP, they he has used EVERY day for years, and many hours a day, Video editing, Web, and every other thing you can do on a mac.. It has never had a problem, the palrest, lid, ports/side/bottom looks pretty good once cleaned up, the keyboard keys are smooth, and shiny, but still work, and all the back lit keys still light. The TouchPad is smooth as could be, but still works great. It does have a couple of very small dents, but seems to be going just fine.. I think it did age VERY well, because he really was not one to keep it clean. Just one to use it. It seems hard to scratch, that is a nice plus. The screen is still very clear and bright, but you can see, when the screen is off, where the keys from the keyboard always touch the screen when the lid is closed.. To this day, he still is using that laptop.

What i did, because i did not like the look of wear on my Latitude is i bought a new grade A top palmrest, touch pad, and mouse buttons for $35 and installed it. I will also buy a keyboard when this one looks to worn. It was already replaced once. It is 4+ years old this computer, and still looks under 6 months old, wear wise... If that would be something you were okay with replacing worn out looking parts every 2 years.. still might be cheaper in the long run..

 

I can see HLdan's point as the wording on the original post is a bit suspect. perhaps we can move past the argument and back to the topic.

The MBP wears very well. My last PC (Dell) before my MBP had paint rubbing off within months or purchase. I've got a few wear on the bottom over the last year but it was my own fault. It also survived a coffee spill last week (right across the keyboard mind you) with only a few slightly sticky keys and uneven keyboard backlighting. I still feel its the best notebook I've ever bought.

 

Wow good call. I didnt even think about it when reading the original post. Judging from his odd response to you, it seems you were 100% correct, this thread was flame bait.

 

I'd go with the Sony,it runs cooler,and thus isn't as hard on the inner components because it runs cooler than a mac you would buy just for looks. How isn't running win7 on apple hardware an "insult" to apple?

 

To clarify, the opening post is to prevent people from giving me alternative choices. If anyone here is even remotely curious about my stance all you have to do is read phil's link. Youll see that i added an unbiased entry far before making this post.

My main concern was getting people to tell me "pcs are better for cheaper" instead of telling me what i really needed to know and not research. I already HAD a faster cheaper PC thqt did what i wanted. It got stolen. Now thay im done with school anyways i no longer need that type of speed; instead i want something that looks nice and will continue to look nice. As i stqted earlier, after only one year my Sony began to degrade -- how is that trolling?

I wrote my response from the apple store earlier tbis afternoon ao you can imagine how upset i was that someone who didnt even research my previous posts decided to call me a troll. I respect those who merely wanted to auggest another pc to save me some trouble or grief, but you went a step further so i got angry. Nothing personal.

Regardless i am still Notebookless going to Southcoast plaza's sony style and apple store. While i love the sr590, i want somrthing to continue to look like it cost me 1000 after more than just a year.

Anyways a refurb macbook pro seems cost effective enough to justify the higher cost for internals for the superior ability to withstand wear! I will update when i make my purchase. Thanks to all who gave me their replies -- rven the diplay macs showed little in terms of scratching or key shining! That blew me away completely.

Ps wrote on iphone.

 

If you treat your macbook like a porcelain doll (buy a sleeve/keyboard cover) and never bumb/scratch it then of course if will look brand new in two years. If you let it accumulate dust, leave sweaty palm marks, and drop it on the floor if will probably look like a piece of crap in two years. Macbooks are like any other computer and will not wear if you treat it right, but will dent if your not careful.

Ps wrote this from my laptop.

 

Very funny. I wasn't bragging -- it was due to spelling and punctuation errors that I was hoping to let slide instead of people claiming I was selling them short and "trolling" with bad grammar and spelling.

Apart from that, while I appreciate the sarcasm from someone with the title of "notebook consultant" I was hoping you would give me something a little less abrasive as if I had no concept of what you consider obvious.

I treated my Sony like a porcelain doll -- but because it was more plasticy I suppose it began to shine and look so.. "used". I've never seen a MBP that had any of these "palm guards" in all the ones I have repaired -- but to be honest the faculty and staff at my school do not use their notebook keyboards, they use attached ones. Anyways, from that, one can begin to falsely assume that the metal would prevent the typical shininess.

I can understand how you might perceive my question as basic and stupid, but having never seen shiny keys on a MBP (even after visiting the packed Apple store with everyone touching and using them) I was quite impressed with how well they hold up. That being said, I have no idea how aluminum reacts to human sweat or whatever (isn't it corrosive?) -- and since everyone is "seran wrapping" their MBPs I assumed there was a reason. I personally don't want to have plastic palm guards when I particularly wanted the metal chassis... It would defeat the purpose to put plastic all over the metal laptop when I could essentially just get a plastic one...

That's all I wanted. I am just on the edge of putting more value into the MBP's looks and stylistic functionality (slot loading superdrive, backlit keys, better screen) than on the go gaming performance. Nice pretty notebook but 2k 3d06 rating for the same price as a 3.8k 3d06 rating should atleast look nice longer right? Otherwise lookswise they would be equal and thus help me decide NOT to get a MBP.

 

Well then, back to your original question, do not hesitate buying apple refurbs. They will have absolutely no cosmetic damage (they replace the casing and battery) and still have the 1 year warranty. The only difference is that it comes in a plain box.

 

Mrxniick,

I don't think anyone answered that portion of my post yet (I haven't been able to read them all throughly) but you have really just set aside my worst fear! I'm vain with the notebook market, so I really like a nice one out the box. I made a new post about comparative performance and this just stepped the MBP up another notch to lead.

 

Since you said people should look into your history I'll post a few quotes to save them the trouble.

Somehow your previous posts and ones here do not match up. Funny you would ask people to look at your history when it works against your claims.

 

wow... comment win.

+rep

 

Good find!!! I knew I was right about the OP. Now, time to press that rep+ button so I can give you props for your good work.

 

To me it seems like you all are mostly trolling my topic, seeing as how I was responding to the fact that the MBP's metal shell is not more durable than plastic, though it looks to be that way.

It has nothing to do with the ability of the MBP to withstand everyday use and look pretty -- durability in that case had nothing to do with looking pretty, it had to do with the ability to survive minor accidents. Accidents don't cause keyboard shining or palm rest degradation.

My questions were said to have already been answered, but you continue to pester the thread and post more. Who's the troll?


"Well, that's all well and good -- no one plans to have accidents occur. I'm hypersensitive in the care of my electronics and I have hit my Sony Vaio against the corner of a desk once in awhile. The point isn't that the accident happens, it's the range of potential accidents you can get into without major gripes. Metal, especially Aluminum (where anyone got the idea that a giant soda can is durable I'll never know), is prone to major warping and dinging with minor things."

So metal isn't prone to warping or dinging more than plastic?

"I repair computers and work as an IT Tech at my local college, so I see this sort of thing happen all the time from Faculty and Staff. They put the laptop in their bag, walk through a crowded hallway, push up against a wall or maybe a door hinge, and come in the next day with a maimed Superdrive."

I said i no longer plan to be travelling soon because I'll be out of college.

"My Sony Laptop was just plastic with Magnesium crap in it and I've smacked it against plenty of stuff without a discernable scratch due to plastic's ability to absorb impact, flex, and return force."

The Sony didn't have cosmetic damage in terms of scratches or dents or even cracks. What it DID have was visible wear in the record time of a year.

Seriously, this thread is starting to just look like 3 guys who want to pick on someone. Did I ask any more questions? No. Did I get helpful answers and thank those who provided them for them? Yes. The witch hunting needs to stop, and this thread needs to be closed.

 

Yeah, this thread has deteriorated into a witchhunt........

I'd recommend future posters stick to other forums.