[Ti] 17" Lid not closing flat, checked out a model at the Apple Store

[b]

Chris Rock paused, thought it over, and spoke thusly:

>well, if your unit doesn't close reasonably flat, within a few MM, 
>you will intro duce constant flex through the lid/screen, when you 
>carry this around in your case, when you pick the unit up and maybe 
>put pressure on the side that is tilted up. What worries me the most 
>is if the pressure and flexing will cause any dmg to the display 
>itself. So far you have a unit with some flex, how much would you 
>say? 1cm, 1/2cm? Another list user wrote in saying it was pretty 
>flat, maybe a mm or 2 play in his. The one I saw at the Apple store 
>had at least 1cm of flex, and when I asked one of the sales guys, he 
>told me in his words "That I was too picky", I know this sales guy, 
>but I would prefer it for him to not be so comfortable in saying 
>things like that to people when they are going to plop down $$$ for 
>something.
>
>- Rock

There'a a flip side to the 'exact fit' of parts. In the assault rifle 
biz there is the AK. <--[Kalashnikov]. World renowned. One of its 
most amazing features is the 'looseness' of it. It actually 'rattles' 
a bit, if shaken. Why? Because unlike the American rifles [M-16, 
Ar-15, etc] which are machined with almost zero fault tolerance, one 
can disassemble 100 AKs and reassemble the parts into 100 working 
units, even  though the parts have been mixed up thoroughly. And they 
don't 'jam', either. <--very handy in places like sandy climes, 
southeast Asian jungles, etc.

A lid that fits tight as a drum might seem desirable..until it was 
time for a replacement, and hinges would be more likely, rather than 
less likely, to snap due to zero-fault tolerance stress. Software 
generally needs to be executed in the most exacting order, so does 
the transmission of TCP packets. but mechanics, and the 'rules' and 
'benefits' of 'inexactness' are reversed, to an extent, where 
hardware is concerned. Chips and electronics that have wider 
tolerance [in terms of voltage fluctuations, optimum operating 
temperatures, etc] are more expensive, and 
longer-lasting.....Celebrate 'tolerance'.

No, I'm not a 'gun' guy, and yeah, if your 17" PowerBook is too 
'loose', send it to me :=) <--shipping address available on request 
<laughs>

~flipper