Unlike the name implies, Apple’s MacBook Air laptop is not lighter than Air nor does it float on Air or any such nonsense. It is actually quite prone to falling and the minimalist nature of the laptop does not protect internal components as do the larger MacBooks. I accidentally put this theory to the test when I dropped my MacBook Air two feet onto a hard surface.
The result was a deadly blow to one of the corners near the hinge, placing undue stress upon the screen and cracking it. Fortunately, the hard drive and everything else inside the Air seem to be fine. Unfortunately this accidental damage is not covered by Apple warranty. For the time being I will be using it solely connected to my external display until I figure out what to do.
What would you do, other than not accidentally drop it?
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I’d probably try one of these screen repair services, like:
http://www.techrestore.com/xcart/home.php?cat=273
$399 is def. better than $1800 for a new one.
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I looked around for services like that but could not find one that offered the MacBook Air screen.
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Get insurance for the future to cover accidental damage, theft, and loss. A policy from Safeware/Safeway combined with a rider from your homeowner’s insurance company should do the trick. That’s my solution, at least.
That one says they have an Air replacement available (http://www.techrestore.com/xcart/product.php?productid=18266&cat=273&page=1), but I might have missed something.
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Thanks for the pointer Mike.. that actually looks interesting.
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I learned long ago to never ever buy a laptop without buying a corresponding warranty that covers accidental screen damage because the screen is the most fragile component and it’s the most expensive. I usually go with the vendor’s warranty. My wife’s Dell laptop had the screen replaced twice in the first two years at no cost to me. Best $100 I ever spent.
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I think this proves to everyone that they should buy the more powerful, more durable MacBook.
Wow this reminds me of my old HP before I got my MBP. Sorry dude, that sucks.
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Just out of curiosity – Don’t Apple do repairs/ organise repairs? Obviously it would be out of warranty, but still… (I say this because I’m moving to the Apple world, and always thought that this is what was done.. I’ve had dell’s and hp’s in the past with issues liket this). W
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I’d use a computer that doesn’t cost £1,000! The computer I use day-to-day cost £20 from a friend after being thrown out by a company nearby and it does everything I need. If I’m logging onto my favourite web services and computing primarily in the cloud as I do, why do I need lots of processing power in my lap? Genuine question.
@ William : Apple stinks when it comes to repairs
I’m guessing the answer would be along the lines of “Because not everybody uses their computer in exactly the same way that you do”, Andy. I for one would need plenty of processing power if I had a laptop because *my* work brings even my quad core desktop machine armed with 4GB of RAM to its knees at times. We don’t all use computers for browsing websites and producing office documents.
Not that I’m endorsing the MacBook Air because it’s way too overpriced in my opinion, but I’m not sure why you’re bringing in a comparison between a £20 desktop and an ultra-portable laptop. Clearly people who use powerful laptops have a specific reason for doing so, and you don’t get many laptops that’re worth a damn for £20 anyway. If you did, you’re extremely lucky.
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man! it’s sad to see you’re dropping the air. well it’s a really light machine, so i always bring my air with one hand, and that really brings more risk to a dropping air.
learning from your experience, from now on i will not take the air as easy as i take a magazine.
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Wow. That monitor is painful to look at. I’ve never had that happen to me, though. Sorry for the crack. :s
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Sorry about your accident… :-(
Recently I purchased a .mac stuff and after signing up for it, etc.
I realized I wanted to return it.
After talking to a sales person, who said no (because it was too late), I talked to a sales manager, who not only agreed to refund me the money but also offered a year of .mac for free!
Apple has amazing/unusual customer service!!!
I have 2 solutions:
- try talking to them and ask to make an exception.
- set-up a “support Paul” stuff on your site, similar to http://twit.tv/
to buy a new machine. You provide a well researched content and have many followers, who will help!!!
Good luck!!!
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That really sucks Paul. You can actually see the screen flex when they close it in the commercial, I’m not surprised that it cracked so easily.
Hopefully Apple can get you a deal on the repair.
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Get Apple to repair it, and then get an insurance policy for it added on to your renter’s insurance.
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The MacBook Air uses an AU Optronics B133EW03 panel, which costs about $300 from warehouses (google it). I’d replace it myself in this situation, if you’re feeling up to it ifixit has some pointers on Air disassembly ;)
I know your pain, I’m currently trying to get my Air sorted having spilled about a pint of milky tea on it.
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Oooops… so sorry to hear that, Paul :(( Hope everything can be sorted out soon. I will surely learn from your experience.
Poor you! A word of advice if you send your laptop off: do NOT use UPS! A member of my family sent off a brand new laptop with a startup problem a few years ago, and it was returned with half the screen leaking chemicals and not functioning correctly.
Best of luck with the repair….
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Ouch!
This happened to me on my G4 powerbook titanium BUT I had accidental damage cover on my home insurance and that covered it – now I ALWAYS pay for accidental damage cover, even if it really only means I’ll ever use it for my laptop (now Mac Book Pro) and iMac g5 and TV, xbox360 etc etc – all covered for accidents – well worth it. I’d definitely recommend this as it’s a small cost and a quick add on to contents cover on a home insurance policy you (most likely) already have.
And finally to the dude who can ‘get away’ with using a £20 laptop – good luck to you – like Paul says, some of us need laptops that have power as our work requires us to do more than just browse the web and create word docs – I just get away with 2 gb ram but my work machine has 4gb ram like Paul’s – you need to get a grip and think beyond your own little boundaries and your post wasn’t really very helpful was it? Perhaps you could ponder on all the things you’re missing out on by not using a decent PC(?)/Mac to its full potential! Perhaps you’re missing something?!
I agree with others, if it were me, I’d send it off. I’ve heard good things about TechRestore.com if that adds any trust to the site for you. :]
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Dell’s CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service for their notebooks would cover this which I bought for mine. It’s unfortunate Apple doesn’t provide something comparable.
Sorry to hear about the damage. =/
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Dang!
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Apple will be able to point you in the direction of your nearest certified specialist who stocks Air parts. I’ve had a similar issue, just give them a ring and they will be able to give you some options.
Hope this helps!
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Nice pool man!
U.
Знакомый стиль.
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Ostensibly, you’d make one of those giant hamster balls (or inflatable cages, since it doesn’t have to tolerate an abusive 70kg. person) like in AppleGeeks and suspend the air within it…taking an inspectable 2oz. helium canister with you on flights if they ask you to deflate it to fit in the carry-on guideline thing.
Attach it within a Sumo bag/chair?
Contrawise you can get a piano wire cage with rubber grips and corners on it, and a papercutting held taut in back.
You could open the thing up and fill every void and weak spot with appropriate ceramic and metal components.
After that gets old, you get to build an active defense system for it.
You would be healthier just taking Aikido so you can save the thing before someone takes it out by you know, breathing. On your fetish.
The MacBook Air is so made for the characters in Hokuto no Ken to use. Slayers Revolution, maybe.
Anyone with a $40 16-core laptop they’re not using, you know…I think I could get emacs (and maybe a nation or two) running on that and be happy. You should file sarbox on your 128-core low-neutron special and beat Far Cry 2.
Yeah I just dropped my macbook pro and it looks exactly like that at the moment.
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Maybe, when I’ll have a laptop someday, I should take a big care with it…
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