Ah ... the little elves of Jonathan Ive’s Industrial Design Department labor away under Santa Jobs’ and Santa Ive’s guidance, creating ever more beautiful creations that are the objects of lust that is the hallmark of Apple’s ID mantra. Those designs are increasingly in love with themselves, and the results are gorgeous yet fragile finished products. It doesn’t take much to mar the finish on a beautiful new MacBook Pro, or scratch the screen of an iPod.
Mac Edition Radio’s resident photographer, Gerry Gropp, couldn’t comprehend why Apple would go to all this trouble to design an amazing product, only for folks to immediately swath them in a rubber skin, case, or some other protection that also manages to hide the beauty of the original design. Luckily, there are folks out there who agree with Gerry, and feel that if they are going to cover up that product, they should do it with class.
Last year we recommended the Speck SeeThru case that sheathed your MacBook Pro in a clear or tinted plastic shell. Another good choice is from Techshell, who created a really lovely rubberized shell for a variety of Mac laptops. They are available in three colors; fire red, hot pink, and navy blue. They allow full access to ports, yet securely protect your MacBook, PowerBook, or MacBook Pro. The best thing is the feel of their special rubberized paint, over a solid core of Dura-Flex, the same material used to manufacture bulletproof glass. Not only does it feel great in your hands, it’s slightly sticky and makes it easier to hold. They are also solid protection for your precious Apple laptop. You wouldn’t want to scratch your and upset Steve and Jonathan would you? We think the Techshell is a great option to protect your laptop, and keep it looking good in the process.
Another very cool approach to both protecting and dressing up your laptop is the stick-on skins created by Gelaskins. These are laminated films that adhere to your laptop with a special 3M adhesive that doesn’t leave any residue, and is repositionable. They offer a wide variety of designs and the films are cut to fit everything from iPhones, PDAs, and just about any laptop on the market. Not only are the designs fun, but also the film is thick enough to protect against scratches, and personalizes your laptop. Yet they add virtually no bulk or thickness to the system. They are also very eye-catching. In fact, as I was working on this review in an airport, I was approached by fellow passengers who asked me where I had gotten my attractive skin for my laptop. They aren’t too expensive, are easily changeable with the seasons or your mood, and their smooth surface makes them easy to clean. Tres Chic!
Harris Fogel, Posted 12/20/2007
For more information on Techshell visit: www.techshell.com
For more information on Gelaskins visit: www.gelaskins.com
