<p>I'm trying to decide how to transport/protect my new baby, the MacBook pro 13''. I love it and I'd highly recommend it to anyone. I will be living on a small, residential campus and I'm wondering which route I should go as for cases/backpacks. I currently have a backpack that's in decent shape, but it has no compartment for a laptop. I could pay about $30 bucks for a mesh sleeve or something and I hope it would be OK in there. Or, I could by a special backpack with a compartment for a computer.</p>
<p>I will not have a car on campus, but my mom is really worried about my Mac getting stolen since I tend to be nonchalant about certain things. I will be bringing my mom's old bike to campus with which I can ride to the local shops, but other than that I will be taking the bus to Chicago (on weekends) and the train home on holidays.</p>
<p>The actual campus is very small and only takes a few minutes to walk across, but I'm assuming that I'll be taking my computer and books with me at all times.....</p>
<p>I’d get the backpack with the laptop compartment. Buy an expensive one too, it’ll be worth it. As far as keeping your MacBook safe in the event that it gets stolen…just make sure you password protect everything and maybe put some GPS tracking software on it…like LoJack or whatever they call it.</p>
<p>The difference will be that you have to take the sleeve out, open it up (whether zip or velcro), close it and put it back in your laptop or leave it out somewhere. With a compartment, you just slide it in. Some compartments have something that folds over but it’s still fewer operations.</p>
<p>My Swissgear backpack is a model made specifically for the 17 inch MBP so the computer slides right in and fits well. There is a flap attached by two pieces of Velcro that I have to flip up to get the laptop out. I’ve tried both approaches and prefer the backpack that’s made for the laptop in mind.</p>
<p>We also have an Eagle Creek sleeve which the kids sometimes use for their laptops. It’s a padded case with a zipper around the top and it came with plastic eyes near the top and a shoulder strap so it can be carried standalone or in a backpack. It’s a pretty good solution if you’re not using a custom backpack.</p>
<p>You might even want to consider the backpack plus a sleeve for even extra protection.</p>
<p>When you get to college, see if you can register your computer with the police. That way, if it gets stolen, the thief can’t sell it.</p>
<p>And seriously, your MacBook is not that fragile. There is no real difference between laptop sleeve and backpack-with-laptop slot, since you can orient the sleeve so that you can remove the laptop without taking the sleeve out. Go with whatever makes you happier. </p>
<p>One thing - if you’re going to be carrying your computer around a lot, make sure to protect the power cable too. Those things are obnoxiously delicate.</p>
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<p>Speaking as someone who might know her way around computers, unless you encrypt the hard drive, I can break into your computer if I get my hands on it. And I’m a low-level amateur at this. (Before you ask - I use my skills to fix computers, not hack them :D)</p>
<p>Yes, I can get into your file system, even if your computer is password protected, if your computer is in my hands.</p>
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<p>The ideal situation is to leave the power adapter in the dorm as the laptop has enough battery power to last for the time that you use it outside the dorm.</p>
<p>I’m outside my dorm and on my laptop for maybe 12 hours a day. There’s no laptop on market with a long enough battery life. :D</p>
<p>(Hey. MIT student here.)</p>
<p>Simple addition can solve the problem: 1 battery + 1 battery = Happy MIT student.</p>
<p>I’ve wondered why Starbucks doesn’t have Mac chargers at their stores - I’d definitely go there more often to get a drink, food and charge.</p>
<p>^Haha, seriously. I was at SBUX yesterday and there were 6 patrons including myself lounging around. I was reading the (actual paper) paper, another guy was sitting reading from an e-reader and the other 4 were all nose first in a Mac.</p>
<p>Also, at what point should you charge a Mac? Should it be charging while in use?</p>
<p>Mine is always plugged in unless I’m mobile.</p>
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You should check your battery information and warranty before choosing to keep it plugged in almost all of the time. Keeping it plugged in all the time, even when you’re not mobile, can degrade the battery at a faster rate than treating it differently. Sometimes warranties cover battery replacements, and sometimes they don’t so check.</p>
<p>My battery is 4.5 years old. It holds about 90% of its original charge.</p>
<p>Apple has instructions for recalibrating the battery which I do from time to time.</p>
<p>I didn’t get the AppleCare extended warranty. If the battery dies outside the warranty, I’ll just buy a new one.</p>
<p>I didn’t get the warranty either.</p>
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That wasn’t for you specifically, just a general warning. But while we’re on it - all batteries start to lose their charge lifespan as soon as they’re manufactured. What you do can accelerate or slow that end time, but it will come eventually. Calibration is a tool to keep the microchip in the battery that reads the power level accurate, not slow down the rate of battery deterioration. In fact, if you do leave your laptop plugged in most of the time (rarely using the actual battery), then Apple themelves suggests you should calibrate the battery more often since your readings will be more off by doing so: [Apple</a> Portables: Calibrating your computer’s battery for best performance](<a href=“http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490]Apple”>Batteries - Maximizing Performance - Apple)</p>
<p>Not really a problem.</p>
<p>If you’ve owned a car, you’ll know that there’s regular maintenance required. You change the tires, battery, shocks, plugs, exhaust if you keep the car long enough. The battery on a laptop is pretty small in that context.</p>
<p>Calibrating the battery thinking it will help prolong the life or charge hold of your battery is like resetting the electronic sensors on the tires of a car that have TPMS and expecting that to prolong the life of your tires - when in fact it’s the tire rotation that will.</p>
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<p>I think that it’s more the way that I drive as to why the tires last so long.</p>
<p>At any rate, the battery is a fairly trivial thing on a $3,000 laptop.</p>
<p>nugraddad:</p>
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<p>I find that putting a little aluminum tape on the weak spots of a charger and a bit of duct tape over that works wonders. That and being slightly careful with the charger. It really doesn’t need a special pouch, it just needs to avoid getting crushed by textbooks.</p>
<p>My current battery holds about…um…10 minutes, max, but I’ve been procrastinating buying a new one, mostly since laptop batteries can get pretty expensive ($50? Seriously?)</p>
<p>I’ll get around to it when I can no longer transport the laptop from dorm to class in suspended mode, I guess.</p>