text: Macbook Air Durability and General Use | MacRumors Forums
  Macbook Air Durability and General Use
  I have decided to buy a rev C macbook air this christmas. I just have to consult on some potential issues about the overall user experience that my friends point out a lot.
  Please also comment on the rev C battery and its life.
  Just get it, I had a 13 MB before and the only thing I miss is the glass track pad. the size and weight are perfect, I can throw it in my messenger bag and I don't even know its there. I have had none of the problems talked about on some of these threads. Cannot see myself ever having anything but an Air.
  I had a A,B and C they all had issues the B and C have lines and they will annoy you.
  Buy a macbook or MBP and leave the MBA alone.
  you will be lucky to get 2 hours of battery life on any one of them
  hinge is still a problem.
  1) No problems with durability; great little machine. Pretty sturdy. That is as long as you don't try to fix it.
  1) The MBA is a very well built machine. As suggested a sleeve is a good idea (The Incipio Orion can be had for under $20 at Amazon and is a very nice case)
  i throw my macbook air from my backpack to my bed all the time, not like throwing a rock, but just put it in the way it will land from about 10cm off the air.
  I have to agree my A was the best of the bunch I had less heat with that one then my other two.
  I am on my second MBA, bought the A when it first came out, then upgraded to the current model with SSD. Absolutely think it is the perfect computer for me. I take mine everywhere, toss it in my briefcase or my carry-on bag when traveling. I have written a book on mine, done thousands of powerpoints, taught multiple college classes, and run my consulting business all from this machine.
  Despite living in a small house with two huge dogs, my base model Rev. A remains rock-solid. It's been toted everywhere and, among other things, survived being knocked off of coffee tables, being sat upon, someone spilling wine into the air vent, and subsequent disassembly and swabbing. It has a couple of shallow dents in the lid and I never could get the USB door to sit perfectly flush after taking it apart, but it doesn't overheat, the hinge is solid, and all pixels are accounted for. Considering what it's been through, I think that's impressive.
  i use my rev. a like a notepad. i take it everywhere with me, use it whenever and wherever i need to, throw it in my briefcase, and apart from some scratches on the surface, mine's been good too. no broken hinges or anything (*touch wood).
  the slimness of the mba makes it quite tough as the tolerance between parts are very small. it's very solid.
  Revision C 1.86GHz here.
  1. Little bugger seems just as durable as any of Apple's other laptops. I haul it around with me all day every day, and it still looks brand new. As for slip cases or something, I've been putting it in a cheap paper file folder, then in my bag, and that seems to protect it from scratches and whatnot
  Love mine .. have the Rev C with the SSD. No overheating (I have sense enough to put it on something solid when I use it and NOT blankets, etc); 4-5 hours of battery life. It's pretty much replaced my 15" MBP for mobile use.
  Are all the broken hinge threads on this forum about Rev A/B only? Did the hinge design change in the Rev C? I was really scared by the past threads I have read, and I'm just making sure that this was only for the past versions.
  The durability has been great for mine. It's ridden in the orange Pelican case you see on the back of my bike over 3000 miles on the Continental Divide Ride. I bought a sleeve for it and I just put it in there with all my clothes in that suitcase.
  I've had no issues with hinges or overheating either.
  I do hope that if someone has a rev C with hinge problems (even just a wobble or slop), please tell me. I want this air to last my entire uni life.
  Just another question, or questions. If I bought the MBA from an apple store in a different country (I'm going on a vacation.), would the warranty still apply in my home country?
  Remember there are some highly ham-fisted people out there who can break anything.
  And if you look for product reviews/opinions on the Intarweb, you always find an unnaturally high proportion of whiners.
  Since everyone here seems to love their MBA, I'll give you a quick overview of someone that enjoyed using the MBA (3 diff models over 18 months, 1 A, 2 B's). The MBA is hands down the most enjoyable laptop I've ever used, which is why I kept trying diff models . The Rev B SSD was very cool, and very fast for the spec's it had in comparison to my MBP. However I moved to the latest MBP 13" for a couple of reasons.
  2) When I did travel I used Hulu, Slingbox and streamed TV/Movies enough to find out the MBA's fans know one speed... overdrive. The Rev B SSD would stutter trying to play anything even 480p on Hulu after heating up, with the fans going full on, you had to wear headphones to hear over the fan noise.
  3) Everywhere I read people kept saying 5 hours of battery life... not sure how dim their screen was or what they were doing but on battery with 50% brightness you would lose your battery in 90 to 110 mins watching any sort of video, I'd get 3.5 maybe 4 if I was only surfing forums or text based sites. Any heavy use and the battery was not going over 4 hours period.
  When/if the MBA is ever redesigned to have a different cooling setup and a glass trackpad I'll be the first one in line for sure. Just for now, I'm not sold on the current generation of them.
  No sir, I did not buy a Rev C. I think they did improve the battery a bit. The hinge is the same as far as I can find. I get it, worlds thinnest, and imo the best looking laptop is going to have some limitations. The hinge and the fans kicking on high to keep things cool. I love the whole idea of the MBA but in the end just had to be honest with myself and know I stream alot of video and the MBA is not the machine for doing that. 13" MBP is quite, great screen, glass trackpad is something I'll never go without. Hinge is rock solid 6 months in.
  All it's short comings the MBA is still one BadA$$ machine, just not all things to all people. Just be honest with what you want to use it for and know it's not the all in one, do everything laptop and you will be happy with your choice.
  Thanks, that helped a lot. I stream a lot but I never really use HD, will the MBA handle just standard definition? My internet connection isn't fast enough to stream HD well .