When is Apple going to release a fully weather sealed laptop?

[DeepSix]

With a IP68 rating like all phones have. So you can use it in water or hose it down after and not have to worry about water damage. Want to clean the keyboard or screen? No problem just run it under the sink.

I would buy one instantly. It would eliminate a lot of things that I already have to carry with my laptop. I've never had to carry these items with any other laptop I've ever owned in my life.

Latex gloves for when I need to use the laptop but I'm unable to wash my hands prior. This prevents oil and grease stains especially on the keyboard.

Small soft brush for wiping away keyboard dust.

Two small microfiber cloths for dusting the screen. One stays dry in case I need to wet one the other one.

USB-C to USB-A adapter

Sanitizer in case I'm unable to wash my hands prior and don't have enough time to put on the latex gloves.

A pack of Oil absorbing sheets. If I need something that's quicker to take the oil out of my hands before touching the laptop.

A headlamp. I used to use the flashlight on my phone but since I touch my phone then the dirt just going to get transferred from there to the laptop. So by using a headlamp I'm completely hands-free.

The other day I had my laptop in just the sleeve. Boy I'll never do that again. Lesson learned. I had a heck of a time getting all the dust out before closing the lid. And the next thing you know I had fingerprints on the screen. So I drove 30 minutes home just to clean the screen because I didn't want to risk damaging it.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I'm not sure if macOS is rated for milspec or not 🤔 probably wouldn't make sense to go to the trouble of a milspec/waterproof Mac unless it is.

 

[chrono1081]

Never. Those don't really exist outside of a few companies that make special laptops for expeditions and things.

 

[jlc1978]

I'm not sure if macOS is rated for milspec or not 🤔 probably wouldn't make sense to go to the trouble of a milspec/waterproof Mac unless it is.

More to the point, who could afford it beyond those with very specific needs that aren't met by current hardened laptops?

 

[jlc1978]

I would buy one instantly. It would eliminate a lot of things that I already have to carry with my laptop. I've never had to carry these items with any other laptop I've ever owned in my life.

I feel your pain. I have to carry a special solution machine to create the cleaning fluid for my Mac. Since it runs on electricity if I am away from an outlet I need a backup power source in my kit as well. Don't get me on how much it cost to replace the Apple cleaning clothes after 1 or 2 uses...

 

[fatTribble]

I would buy one instantly. It would eliminate a lot of things that I already have to carry with my laptop. I've never had to carry these items with any other laptop I've ever owned in my life.

I don’t think you have to carry any of the things you listed. Those are all personal preferences.
For example, I have never known nor heard of anyone wearing latex gloves while using a computer.

 

[Steve121178]

Never. In a previous job a very long time ago I supported a few teams that required rugged notebook PC's and they were guys that used to climb up massive radio masts and they were designed to withstand one hell of a beating. They were made of materials and were designed in a way that goes against everything Apple stands for. They were about as thick as 7 or 8 MacBook Pro's stacked on top of each other as well.

 

[doogm]

I agree that I just don't see Apple finding this specific product all that profitable for them, so it's likely not going to happen. I don't think that iPads are water-resistant yet. I would think Apple might do that before they offer Macs with water-resistance.

 

[jlc1978]

Never. In a previous job a very long time ago I supported a few teams that required rugged notebook PC's and they were guys that used to climb up massive radio masts and they were designed to withstand one hell of a beating. They were made of materials and were designed in a way that goes against everything Apple stands for. They were about as thick as 7 or 8 MacBook Pro's stacked on top of each other as well.

If there was such a market for Macs a more likely solution than Apple making one is a third party offering them using a Mac as the parts source or working out a deal with Apple to get the needed parts. Since those type of use cases are probably more interested in durability than price it could be a profitable niche; my guess is much of the software that would be used doesn't run on a Mac and thus even if you built the machine it would not have a market.

 

[XboxEvolved]

With a IP68 rating like all phones have. So you can use it in water or hose it down after and not have to worry about water damage. Want to clean the keyboard or screen? No problem just run it under the sink.

I would buy one instantly. It would eliminate a lot of things that I already have to carry with my laptop. I've never had to carry these items with any other laptop I've ever owned in my life.

Latex gloves for when I need to use the laptop but I'm unable to wash my hands prior. This prevents oil and grease stains especially on the keyboard.

Small soft brush for wiping away keyboard dust.

Two small microfiber cloths for dusting the screen. One stays dry in case I need to wet one the other one.

USB-C to USB-A adapter

Sanitizer in case I'm unable to wash my hands prior and don't have enough time to put on the latex gloves.

A pack of Oil absorbing sheets. If I need something that's quicker to take the oil out of my hands before touching the laptop.

A headlamp. I used to use the flashlight on my phone but since I touch my phone then the dirt just going to get transferred from there to the laptop. So by using a headlamp I'm completely hands-free.

The other day I had my laptop in just the sleeve. Boy I'll never do that again. Lesson learned. I had a heck of a time getting all the dust out before closing the lid. And the next thing you know I had fingerprints on the screen. So I drove 30 minutes home just to clean the screen because I didn't want to risk damaging it.

Is this a real post? Do you got that thing that Howie Mandel has? Are you Howie Mandel?

 

[Nada Ting]

Do you have the Apple Cradle to put it to sleep with?

 

[TechnoMonk]

I hate to say this. But when are you going to see a therapist. I hope and wish that you get help mate. None of this is normal or healthy. I know folks who are obsessive and live a debilitating life because of ocd.

 

[G5isAlive]

With a IP68 rating like all phones have. So you can use it in water or hose it down after and not have to worry about water damage. Want to clean the keyboard or screen? No problem just run it under the sink.

I would buy one instantly. It would eliminate a lot of things that I already have to carry with my laptop. I've never had to carry these items with any other laptop I've ever owned in my life.

Latex gloves for when I need to use the laptop but I'm unable to wash my hands prior. This prevents oil and grease stains especially on the keyboard.

Small soft brush for wiping away keyboard dust.

Two small microfiber cloths for dusting the screen. One stays dry in case I need to wet one the other one.

USB-C to USB-A adapter

Sanitizer in case I'm unable to wash my hands prior and don't have enough time to put on the latex gloves.

A pack of Oil absorbing sheets. If I need something that's quicker to take the oil out of my hands before touching the laptop.

A headlamp. I used to use the flashlight on my phone but since I touch my phone then the dirt just going to get transferred from there to the laptop. So by using a headlamp I'm completely hands-free.

The other day I had my laptop in just the sleeve. Boy I'll never do that again. Lesson learned. I had a heck of a time getting all the dust out before closing the lid. And the next thing you know I had fingerprints on the screen. So I drove 30 minutes home just to clean the screen because I didn't want to risk damaging it.

welcome back, I have missed your posts for the entertainment value. I hope that poster that said you needed a therapist was wrong, then I would feel guilty.

But to answer your question, the technical difficulties of doing as you ask are rather large and costly and would result in a considerably thicker laptop than Apple would ever consider. All so that the keyboard doesnt get fingerprints? Not likely.

 

[G5isAlive]

I don’t think you have to carry any of the things you listed. Those are all personal preferences.
For example, I have never known nor heard of anyone wearing latex gloves while using a computer.

Really, it was the latex gloves that comes to mind first? I have had to use them in a manufacturing environment with my laptop. What I thought was rather innovative of the OP was the thought he needed a headlamp with his laptop. I wonder if I should tell him it's not like hiding under the covers with a flashlight and book with actual written pages...

 

[fatTribble]

Really, it was the latex gloves that comes to mind first? I have had to use them in a manufacturing environment with my laptop. What I thought was rather innovative of the OP was the thought he needed a headlamp with his laptop. I wonder if I should tell him it's not like hiding under the covers with a flashlight and book with actual written pages...

To be honest I just grabbed one. I didn’t even really understand the headlamp. Why do you even need a light at all was my question. I often feel like I can be a bit too analytical about things, but posts like this make me feel like I’m calm and relaxed.

 

[Slo Pesci]

They wont even make a water/dust resistant iPad so for sure not gonna do a Macbook any time soon. Samsungs s10 tablet series is dust and water resistant though which is pretty cool.

 

[JamesMay82]

I just wish they’d make the MacBook screen the same as the ipad with gorilla glass or whatever it’s called… it’s harder wearing and easier to clean

 

[wyliej]

Panasonic makes the FZ-40 and FZ-55, which are well suited for the tasks described above. They are well-built machines, and they are also quite expensive. They don't run MacOS, of course, but will run Windows or Linux very well.

 

[laptech]

This thread got me thinking of this question, clearly there are people in the world who prefer mac os instead of windows or linux and as such why has Apple not built a ruggedized mac book that can be used in all environments in the exact same manner as the Panasonic toughbooks?.

The military is a big user of ruggedized laptops but I have also seen those type of laptops used in the building industry, the emergency services, the medical industry, the farming industry, the shipping industry, used by teachers and researchers of various fields using them out and about in the wild and many more and yet everyone in those industries uses a windows os ruggedized laptop or ones that have Linux os in them. I am sure there are people in those industries that would love to have a ruggedized mac os laptop. With all the stuff Apple have made in the past and brought into the public domain, PDA's, watches, VR and others and thus it seems strange to me that there is no ruggedized mac book in this mix.

 

[Boyd01]

I always thought the remote sentry controller from the movie Aliens was very cool.

Apparently, it was a real laptop that cost about $8000 in the 1980's.

 

[laptech]

I always thought the remote sentry contoller from the movie Aliens was very cool.

View attachment 2529454

Apparently, it was a real laptop that cost about $8000 in the 1980's.

Ahh yes, the days of the 'luggable' as they were called back then

 

[ignatius345]

This thread got me thinking of this question, clearly there are people in the world who prefer mac os instead of windows or linux and as such why has Apple not built a ruggedized mac book that can be used in all environments in the exact same manner as the Panasonic toughbooks?.

I think because the cost of engineering and producing that would not be justified by how few Apple would actually sell every year.

The market for ruggedized laptops skews heavily toward governmental orgs (first responders, etc), the military, and industrial applications -- and all those users are overwhelmingly based on Windows and have been for decades. Besides, these days much "in the field" computing is just handled by tablets are inherently easier to ruggedize. Anyone can just slap an Otterbox or whatever onto an iPad or Android tablet at minimal cost.

I suppose an aftermarket firm could make ruggedized Macs by re-housing existing MacBooks, but I'm not convinced it's a big enough niche to even justify that cottage industry.

 

[laptech]

The market for ruggedized laptops skews heavily toward governmental orgs (first responders, etc), the military, and industrial applications -- and all those users are overwhelmingly based on Windows and have been for decades. Besides, these days much "in the field" computing is just handled by tablets are inherently easier to ruggedize. Anyone can just slap an Otterbox or whatever onto an iPad or Android tablet at minimal cost.

I suppose an aftermarket firm could make ruggedized Macs by re-housing existing MacBooks, but I'm not convinced it's a big enough niche to even justify that cottage industry.

The problem with 'in the field' computing is that you have money people making the decisions rather than practical people making the decisions. I work in the electronics repair industry and I have seen thousands of Apple ipads get damaged by 'in the field' workers because the ipad can just not handle the vigour's of 'in the field' use. I've seen Panasonic toughbooks take some real beatings, caught in a torrential downpour of rain, covered in mud, oil, food liquids (from manufacturing plants), run over by cars and they still go on working 100%. Drop an ipad on the company concrete floor and BAM, screen is broken, frame is dented and depending where the damage is, the home button not work, or the power button or the volume buttons.

Panasonic make some excellent toughbook tablets. There is 100% a market out there for mac os ruggedized laptops. If Apple was prepared to make a VR headset knowing it's take up would be low, they can surely make a ruggedized laptop which in my opinion would sell more numbers than the VR headset but oh look, Apple made a VR headset that has not sold as well as they expected and yet they are going to make other versions. A ruggedized macbook would sell much much better in my opinion.

This is why Tim Cook is not the man for Apple any more because he does not have the vison on where to take Apple products like Steve Jobs did.

 

[jlc1978]

I suppose an aftermarket firm could make ruggedized Macs by re-housing existing MacBooks, but I'm not convinced it's a big enough niche to even justify that cottage industry.

I doubt there is because if there was someone would be making them. The rugged laptop market is estimated to be in the low single digits and has several well established players. In addition, it is a Windows dominated market, making it unlikely that a specialized software developer would make a Mac version, given the cost of development and support. There simply is not enough of an ROI to make it worthwhile for Apple to try to enter that space.

 

[TechnoMonk]

The problem with 'in the field' computing is that you have money people making the decisions rather than practical people making the decisions. I work in the electronics repair industry and I have seen thousands of Apple ipads get damaged by 'in the field' workers because the ipad can just not handle the vigour's of 'in the field' use. I've seen Panasonic toughbooks take some real beatings, caught in a torrential downpour of rain, covered in mud, oil, food liquids (from manufacturing plants), run over by cars and they still go on working 100%. Drop an ipad on the company concrete floor and BAM, screen is broken, frame is dented and depending where the damage is, the home button not work, or the power button or the volume buttons.

Panasonic make some excellent toughbook tablets. There is 100% a market out there for mac os ruggedized laptops. If Apple was prepared to make a VR headset knowing it's take up would be low, they can surely make a ruggedized laptop which in my opinion would sell more numbers than the VR headset but oh look, Apple made a VR headset that has not sold as well as they expected and yet they are going to make other versions. A ruggedized macbook would sell much much better in my opinion.

This is why Tim Cook is not the man for Apple any more because he does not have the vison on where to take Apple products like Steve Jobs did.

Steve Jobs must be rolling in his grave after reading this. He most likely would have fired if someone came up with this idea. He was against the niche and cut crap like this when he came back to Apple in late nineties.