Do I need a 'specialist' laptop?

August 13, 2009 6:49 AM

Hardware Filter: Currently a Mac household, with both an iMAc and a macbook (which mainly runs the entertainment unit and comes on the odd holiday). There is a slight chance I will be getting a FIFO job to a pretty extreme part of the world. There should be a reasonable internet connection, but there will be lots of travelling there, and lots of dust once there. Will a Mac laptop hack it, or would I have to consider one of those poncy looking 'hardcore Indiana Jones' shock-proof laptops? I won't be bouncing around in a landrover or anything, just lots of travel, and as I mentioned, the dust.
posted by Megami to computers & internet (11 comments total)

I'd go with a toughbook for sure. I say this as a big-time Mac advocate. You can get a pretty decent Toughbook on ebay for very reasonable prices these days!
posted by Aquaman at 7:13 AM on August 13

I'm not sure about dust being an issue, but hard disks suffer from travel. Ask Apple if they've local venders who preform repairs under AppleCare.

You might alternatively get some compatible hard disks along with an external enclosure. If you keep frequent backups with time machine and bootable backups with carbon copy cloner, then you can simply yank the crashed drive, install the bootable drive, and restore from time machine. Btw, you shouldn't trust time machine for all your backups, especially while traveling. You can then RMA several crashed drives simultaneously when you've a permanent address.
posted by jeffburdges at 7:26 AM on August 13

Will you be required to have the laptop out and in use while outdoors in this high-dust environment? Because if not, I don't see how any amount of dust can really be a deal-breaker, here.

I do like the Toughbooks, though. They're cool.
posted by rokusan at 7:45 AM on August 13

Use a Macbook or a Macbook Pro and keep it in a Pelican case, specifically a model 1490 or 1495.

http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1490CC1

http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1495CC1

The 1510 case is also good, it's the exact maximum carry-on size for most airlines... You can fit enough for a 3-4 day trip into it.
posted by thewalrus at 7:48 AM on August 13

FIFO job? First in first out?

I would plan on contingencies rather than pick one or the other manufacturer. What is the consequence if your laptop, whatever it is, crashes? If dire, what is your access to replacement parts and backed-up data? If none, plan for on-site spares.
posted by odinsdream at 8:46 AM on August 13

I have an old G4 15-inch PowerBook that's accompanied me through Mexico, Central and South America, from the mountains to the jungle, and I've never had problems. I keep it in a sleeve and in a regular small backpack. I'm still using it!

I might just be lucky though.
Have fun!
posted by mixer at 8:57 AM on August 13

FIFO - Fly In, Fly Out.
The lap top would be for personal use - company has to deal with work computing uses. Hence the fact I was just thinking of my own macbook (or more realistically, and excuse to by yet another one just for me), though where I could be going there is no AppleCare!
posted by Megami at 8:57 AM on August 13

A friend spent two years in Cairo with his MacBook, and didn't report any problems. Since everyone gets dusty, he developed a habit of putting a handkerchief over it as soon as he wasn't using it.

If you're going to be travelling with it, regardless of the model you get, consider a solid-state drive. No moving parts means that bumping around will be far less likely to cause damage.
posted by fatbird at 11:57 AM on August 13

Just back up your data before you leave and get a good case. I replaced my macbook drive with one that was rated for higher g-force and it has been through bike crashes, falls, dust and general bad handling, more than I like to think about.

Also I have seen whole computer threads devoted to GI's with their macbooks in Iraq.
posted by psycho-alchemy at 12:52 PM on August 13

I can't say how your Mac will hold up, but I'll happily add another endorsement for the Panasonic Toughbooks. I have a 6 year old subnotebook version, a CF-W2 if you're curious, that I'm currently rebuilding as a ruggedized, Win7 "netbook". It's been all over the world, thrown loosely into backpacks and dropped multiple times. I've gotten it dirty and dusty, wet, hot, cold...it just keeps on working.

I recently upgraded to a larger hard drive and a newer wifi radio so I had an opportunity to crack it open (which was not easy to do) and I can tell you, they are really well put together.
posted by JaredSeth at 8:15 PM on August 13

Consider getting AppleCare for the computer; it will cover the computer worldwide.

Also, seconding the SSD; it speeds up the computer and ls less likely to fail due to shock or dust.
posted by caphector at 10:09 PM on August 13