Reasons to avoid storing a laptop with a binder and a textbook on top?

Laptops are among the most finicky, breakable pieces of electronics you can ever have, you should treat them as if they were made of glass. I would get one of those backpacks/bags that has a seperate padded compartment for it if I were you, or make sure it’s under warranty that protects it against accidental damage.

Any pressure from the top can press the thin display area into the keyboard of the laptop cause all kinds of abrasion on the fragile display surface and possibly cracking if there’s enough force.

I always put the base of the laptop against my back and nothing on top of the computer. If you have an aluminum computer such as a Powerbook or MacBook Pro, this will also prevent warping of the top.

The hinge on the right side of my screen has broken off, due to weight on the screen. Don’t treat it like crap.

I have a last generation iBook g4, and I bring it to school everyday. I love it to death, but I don’t need to worry about it breaking…. very sturdy and well built. I can actually put the ibook INSIDE my binder, and I always throw it in my bag. So I guess it depends on the build quality of the laptop.

Yeah, I have one of those 12 lb Alienware desktop replacement laptops and the thing is a beast. I could drop it on cement and it would probably still work. I’ve tossed it a couple times whiles its been in the bag. I even spilled a bottle of water on this baby and it came back to life a day later. If you have small laptop though, I’d be very careful as theyre generally much much weaker since they have so much less structurally. Binder and textbook? Take the book off. With my experience, I don’t trust warranties for anything. nothing.

On a side note, I strongly don’t recommend Alienware. I feel the need to tell everyone this since everyone thinks its so great. They’re crap.

@livejamie got it. Keep in mind that your LCD is, literally, made of glass. It is one big, beautiful piece of glass, waiting to be broken by a klutz like you (or me). The larger your display, the easier it’s gonna be to crack it, especially near the middle. That shit scares me.

I just had a friend with a BRAND NEW MacBook Pro (n-1 revision) crack the screen by slamming it shut on a pencil. Poor stupid sap.

@Perchik, I bet you’re right-handed—when you close your laptop lid, do you reach out with one hand and grab a corner, or do you use both hands and pull in the middle?