YouTube: 17" Hinge Problems

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJXAzHaCUgc

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Please leave comments here! I wonder if there are any 17 inchers without that problem....

They should be like that. It's not a problem it's how it was designed.

Uhhhh no, that doesn't look normal. I've been wrong before, but I would recommend going to an Apple store and test other 17's.

i had a 17" HP laptop, it was not even close to that loose. i've never seen any laptop that loose. that needs to be fixed.

that does look a little too loose.

eric said:

i had a 17" HP laptop, it was not even close to that loose. i've never seen any laptop that loose. that needs to be fixed.

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Well you can take it to an Apple store and I guarantee you that they will send you away being told that that's how they all are, it's just the nature of the hinge they use. And that if you want a laptop (the MacBook Pro isn't even a laptop, it's more of a desktop replacement) that stays open when it is held vertical you should buy a MacBook.

i find that hard to believe. a larger/heavier screen will need more support, not less...

like i said, my 17" hp was nice and tight, it would hold in any position, and would bend way farther back (almost parallel to the keyboard if i remember correctly - i guess i could check since it's still tucked away). it was a serious desktop replacement.

what would be the purpose of being so loose you could only leave it all the way back or balanced vertically? what if you used it on a lapdesk (i did that with mine 99% of the time).

I don't see that as any big issue myself. I don't know anyone that would use a notebook computer on a 45+ degree angle (which is about the same angle that the screen started to drop). When it was held level, at a comfortable typing angle, the screen was fine.

Bottom line, the screen should hold any position you put it in, period.

I've owned a few laptops and never had a problem with them holding position. My 15" MBP holds any position with the same hing. The 17" is bigger, but so is the hing. I don't think a screen that falls over is in line with the Jobs "it just works" make it work right, the first time ideals.

Mine is exactly like the video... i went to an apple store, showed the genius and he was like.. "yeah thats a little loose" so he took it and sent it back. Apple said they fixed it and sent it back to me, The exact same way. Its with in specs, its just annoying. I use it on a desk now though so the problem doesn't annoy me as much any more.

D3v1L80Y said:

I don't see that as any big issue myself. I don't know anyone that would use a notebook computer on a 45+ degree angle (which is about the same angle that the screen started to drop). When it was held level, at a comfortable typing angle, the screen was fine.

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I use to lay down with my powerbook and type, now that I have the mbp i can't do that.. but i sitll like the new mbp.

been to two local apple stores. number 1 sent me away saying "that's how it's supposed to be. the loose hinge is a sign of quality." (that's really what he said).

number two said: "oh, that's way to loose. but we don't know how to fix it or if there even is a way to fix it".

neither do people at apple know. i called and they plain didn't know.

i bought one of the most expensive laptops only to find out that it really is a desktop...

orschinger said:

i bought one of the most expensive laptops only to find out that it really is a desktop...

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To be more accurate, it is not a "laptop". Apple strongly advises anyone from using their computers on one's lap. It is a notebook computer, which is a "portable" computer. It isn't designed to be used on a surface that isn't flat.

Apple said:

When using your portable computer, place it on a hard surface, such as a desktop or a tray.

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Referenced link


While I don't agree with the statement of it being "a sign of quality", I don't see it as a major flaw. The hinges could be tightened, though they will likely loosen again over time.

D3v1L80Y said:

To be more accurate, it is not a "laptop". It isn't designed to be used on a surface that isn't flat.

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i think that's splitting hairs to be honest.

while it wouldn't be very bright to use a "notebook" with vents and fans on the bottom on a soft surface that might block the vents/fans, but that's what lapdesks are for. i use one most of the time (did all the time with my old HP notebooks and 17" notebook/desktop replacement). my wife even uses just a coffee table book that's large enough to fit the feet of her 15" widescreen HP. obviously these platforms are typically at angles other than parallel to the floor, sometimes actually pretty extreme too. i wouldn't put up with a lid that loose, period.

Yeah, that's broken. I'd be ******.