Why does the MacBook air have a silver bezel?

jena55 said:

I used to think I couldn't stand the silver bezel. However, now that I have a macbook air... it doesn't bother me at all! I actually kind of like it because it does not reflect anything and i just forget it's there. I also have been working on a macbook pro... I thought I would like the black bezel better, but that's actually not the case. The black bezel is very prone to glare and can get annoying.

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I'm with you.

I liked the Pro's bezel, but now that I am using an Air it doesn't bother me. I hated the white iPad, and I felt the same about the original Kindle. The light border was very distracting when reading or watching videos. I thought it would be the same with the Air's Bezel, but it doesn't bother me at all. I like the all-over metallic look.

I had a black Speck Satin cover on my old Pro and most of the aluminum wasn't visible. Now I have a clear Speck case, iVisor screen protector and the Aluminium look is out for all to see.

kell1831 said:

This is great -- exactly what I'm looking for!!! One question: Does the infrared sensor to the left of the iSight still work with the skin on??? (The sensor used to automatically recognize lower light settings, etc.) If the skin covers it up, I'd be afraid that screen might not automatically adjust itself as Apple designed.

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Unfortunately I can't yet answer this question because I'm still waiting for my 2012 MBA 13" to arrive... I did receive the skin yesterday though and I have to say that it's looking really great ( can hardly wait to apply it ).

I am not sure which "left sensor" are you referring too... The skin has 2 holes cut, a bigger one for the camera and a smaller one for the led to the right of the camera ( I am guessing this double acts as a sensor ) when facing the notebook screen head on :



In case that's indeed the sensor in question, then yes, it has a whole for that, but I can't yet say how well everything aligns up. Will upload 1-2 photos ( today or tomorrow at latest ) of the skin as it is now and will also come back with some photos later once I get the MBA and apply the skin onto it.

Cheers!

@jena55: It's not that "I can't live with the silver bezel", I just prefer a black bezel over the silver one... It would have been nice if Apple had offered both options... I wouldn't mind paying additional for a proper black bezel, but since they don't do that, then we're left to try out other solutions that hopefully produce "good enough results"...

11" MBA w. Black Precious frame attached

My Precious frame & MBA turned up last week. I applied the frame over the w/e & TBH am still not sure whether to remove it or not. It looks great, although maybe a fraction of a millimetre out each side leaving the barest glimmer of silver. The hole for the FaceTime HD camera LED looks a bit odd, especially as it is off centre & there is no hole for the sensor so the auto backlighting keyboard & LCD do not adjust
But all in all it does look fab, far better than I'd hoped. I'm just leaning towards the purist approach & reverting to the MBA as intended. What do you think?
All/any comments welcome.
Thanks,
Rob

;-)

KittyKatta said:

I think the bigger question is "Why is there ANY bezel on MacBooks".

If you look at PC laptops then they haven't had bezels this big since the 90's, yet with Apple then we just accept that "this is how it should be" or make up excuses for why "the air is so thin it simply couldnt be bezel free" and thats a shame because if you look at a bezel free MacBook then this looks pretty nice.

Image

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As a Macbook owner myself, it's not that type of computer. You want uncompromising practicality, go buy a cheap, imported PC. You want a computer that's both stylish and a breeze to use, you buy a mac.

Just got one of the bezel covers, they sell in the US now at http://www.precioustore.us/ and no longer sell with the 'logo' unless by request.

Just ordered a black one. Said they are backordered.

robjmurphy said:

My Precious frame & MBA turned up last week. I applied the frame over the w/e & TBH am still not sure whether to remove it or not. It looks great, although maybe a fraction of a millimetre out each side leaving the barest glimmer of silver. The hole for the FaceTime HD camera LED looks a bit odd, especially as it is off centre & there is no hole for the sensor so the auto backlighting keyboard & LCD do not adjust
But all in all it does look fab, far better than I'd hoped. I'm just leaning towards the purist approach & reverting to the MBA as intended. What do you think?
All/any comments welcome.
Thanks,
Rob

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boy, that is really ugly

I just came from the Black Macbook to the MBA and I really like the Silver Bezel but then again, anything is better than the cracked plastic frame i had.

majkom said:

boy, that is really ugly

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That's why it's an opinion. For looking at a screen all day I'd rather have a black border for movies, surfing the web, etc then a reflective silver surface.

But again that's an opinion.

Dekard said:

That's why it's an opinion. For looking at a screen all day I'd rather have a black border for movies, surfing the web, etc then a reflective silver surface.

But again that's an opinion.

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I don't see my 13icnh airs bezel reflective... it is brushed aluminium, for god sake

I had a MacBook Pro and in 2011 I decided to switch to the Air for the portability and SSD. I thought one of the biggest drawbacks would be the look of the silver bezel vs. the all black look of the MacBook Pro.

Now that I have it, I love the silver bezel because you don't get thumbprints on the screen when you open it. I hate trying to clean Apple laptop screens, and I was constantly cleaning thumbprints off the MacBook Pro (yes, I'm a little OCD), but the Air's screen stays much cleaner.

So condider this a vote to keep the bezel just the way it is.

I always thought the bezel was there so that they can "thin out" the panel and claim how "unbelievably" thin it is.

majkom said:

I don't see my 13icnh airs bezel reflective... it is brushed aluminium, for god sake

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sorry I should rephrase.. 'bright' not reflective, it's not bad at most angles but can be distracting for some people that are not used to a 3/4 inch bezel that is brushed aluminum. I can't believe so many people get upset about someone else's opinion differing from their own.. Oh yeah, I forgot it's the internet.

Dekard said:

sorry I should rephrase.. 'bright' not reflective, it's not bad at most angles but can be distracting for some people that are not used to a 3/4 inch bezel that is brushed aluminum. I can't believe so many people get upset about someone else's opinion differing from their own.. Oh yeah, I forgot it's the internet.

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no one here is upset... i don't like airs bezel in 11incher case, too big for small screen, but 13incher seems quite ok for me... however in 13inch retina mbpr looks much better, greatest laptop design so far

majkom said:

boy, that is really ugly

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Really? Do you don't like the MBP look eh?

majkom said:

boy, that is really ugly

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Got mine. Good quality product. I am just not feeling the black bezel. Guess I'm used to the sliver bezel. I'll leave it on for a day or two to see if it grows on me...

I've always had MBPs so when I was deciding on a MBA the one thing that bugged me was the silver bezel and I wondered how it would compare with day to day use to a MBP. Now I've actually forgotten all about it and sitting here looking at my MBA I kind of like how the entire interior from screen to keyboard appears to look as though it's one piece, a consistent design. Surprisingly the silver bezel isn't something I noticed once I started using my MBA.