Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Am I the only one who HATES screen protectors??
- Thread starter Synergie
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Well that does it.... I just got a 2 pack of matte protectors, ruined both because even though I managed to get them on without bubbles or dust under the protector, no matter how hard I tried (and I lifted and reapplied about 10 times with each protector) they were cut to fit EXACTLY right to the edges so what was happening, is I could not get it exactly lined up and I always had one corner lifting and no amount of holding it down would make it stick! I lifted re-aligned and tried again, same thing only a different corner. 
Arrrgggghhh I give up. I like the feel of the screen better without anyway. I'll just be extra careful, keep my hands moisturized (to avoid scratches from skin) and if I get some small minor surface scratches, I'll just live with them. I'm spending too much money (read 'wasting') That cost me 20.00 tonight for the 2...
Arrrgggghhh I give up. I like the feel of the screen better without anyway. I'll just be extra careful, keep my hands moisturized (to avoid scratches from skin) and if I get some small minor surface scratches, I'll just live with them. I'm spending too much money (read 'wasting') That cost me 20.00 tonight for the 2... Even better deal: http://www.ebay.com/itm/20X-Clear-G...ccessories&hash=item3f0ef39abb#ht_1876wt_1180
20x for $6.99
Give screen protectors another try. They really are useful. I don't even notice mine but I like that it protects against scratches.
I think the $20 for 1-2 is absurd.
20x for $6.99
Give screen protectors another try. They really are useful. I don't even notice mine but I like that it protects against scratches.
I think the $20 for 1-2 is absurd.
They were the Schoche brand ones... all of the ones available around here locally are between 10-20.00 for 2.
And anything I order online will incur both shipping (usually costs more than the item I am purchasing!) and sometimes I also get hit with 'duty' by customs. I have had the value of something be worth 10.00 and customs opened it, decided duty was like 2.00... but then they also charged me a customs 'fee' of 25.00 (which is supposed to be the cost of them looking at my item to determine whether or not I needed to pay duty) I am careful what I order online now... and 99% of online stores are in the US or overseas.... not in Canada unfortunately.
Yeah, I caught myself singing "a whole new world" from Aladdin a few times. Epic.
No.
That said, I don't.
Read up on installing. Be patient. Make sure your fingers are free from grease. Make sure your environment isn't dusty or use the shower trick. It's really not that difficult, really. If you have to reapply then I suggest ditching the attempt. I do get dust specks any time I try to reapply. If you're not lining them up properly then line them up before you remove the liner so you know exactly where the protector needs to lie. It gets better with practice.
Again, no.
Impossible to say. Life has no such guarantees. A grain of sand is enough to scratch glass.
Those aren't static cling. They use adhesive. That doesn't mean that they don't attract dust with static -- that's an entirely separate matter.
Last edited:
Heard that crap before, No "protector" is going to be able to be washed then fit the same, or look the same, guarantee it, try washing a brand new drinking glass made of plastic...looks like **** huh.
Okay so I gave it ONE last ditch effort... I PAID Geek Squad to install them on both the iPhone 4s and the ipad2. They would only install invisible shields and nothing else. I figured they would have that canned anti static air etc to keep dust out... this is the result (this is the iPad2 but you get the idea) The iPhone is just ever so slightly better...
I'm going to try to ignore the dust bunnies for now and leave them alone. I know the small bubbles will go away that's normal with invisible shield... (there's no dust at least over the screen itself) but I know what's going to happen... I'm gonna get fed up and after a week or so at the most, rip them off because I won't be able to stand seeing dust thumper and his buddies hanging out on my nice white iPad / iPhone!!!
This is what I mean though.... Am I the only one who is this OCD about it? Would you leave this as is? To me, it's almost worse than surface scratches... at least it looks worse to look at!
On the positive side of things... looks like Zagg is starting to manufacture invisible shields that don't have as much of an orange peel effect! It's very smooth!
I'm going to try to ignore the dust bunnies for now and leave them alone. I know the small bubbles will go away that's normal with invisible shield... (there's no dust at least over the screen itself) but I know what's going to happen... I'm gonna get fed up and after a week or so at the most, rip them off because I won't be able to stand seeing dust thumper and his buddies hanging out on my nice white iPad / iPhone!!!
This is what I mean though.... Am I the only one who is this OCD about it? Would you leave this as is? To me, it's almost worse than surface scratches... at least it looks worse to look at!
On the positive side of things... looks like Zagg is starting to manufacture invisible shields that don't have as much of an orange peel effect! It's very smooth!
Power Support... hands down the best. Used them ever since the first iPhone. I prefer them over the "wet install" films because you can always remove, clean it and reapply. Well worth the 15 bucks... don't pay 30+ for that Zagg BS. I'm sure there are others that are "useable and cheap" but you get what you pay for.
Power Support = peace of mind and quality.
Not everyone is a pro at these installs... I've been applying films for years and I consider myself a pro but my installs aren't always 100% perfect.
On my 4S... there are some small specks of lint/dust but as long as it doesn't interfere with the iPhone screen/experience... get mad for the first hour then get over it.
Power Support = peace of mind and quality.
Not everyone is a pro at these installs... I've been applying films for years and I consider myself a pro but my installs aren't always 100% perfect.
On my 4S... there are some small specks of lint/dust but as long as it doesn't interfere with the iPhone screen/experience... get mad for the first hour then get over it.
pretty sure I would make geek squad re apply shields until it was perfect. I'm as OCD as the next guy. If I resorted to paying someone who was offering a service to install a screen protector, I'd rip them a new one if they messed up even slightly lol.. how much they charge for that anyways?
then again, I've dropped plenty of $ on screen protectors to get one perfectly aligned and immaculate. Zagg was a good choice since if i couldn't get it, I could order another and another until it was perfect I was a little hesitant to pay that much for a screen protector. the first 3 times they replaced my iP4 protector they sent it to my parents house, even though I requested they send them to my school address. long story short, they told me to keep the extras, free shipping, and sent me another one to the right address.
got another for my iPad 2. It was the anti-glare. I didnt like the anti-glare, so I opted to upgrade it to the full body regular one when I replaced it. they charged my card 4 times. I ended up getting in contact with the president of the company and he got rid of the charges, gave me free shipping, and waived the cost of the upgrade.
I'm pretty pleased with zagg. more expensive, but I've had better customer service from them than anywhere else! (followed closely by apple )
then again, I've dropped plenty of $ on screen protectors to get one perfectly aligned and immaculate. Zagg was a good choice since if i couldn't get it, I could order another and another until it was perfect
I was a little hesitant to pay that much for a screen protector. the first 3 times they replaced my iP4 protector they sent it to my parents house, even though I requested they send them to my school address. long story short, they told me to keep the extras, free shipping, and sent me another one to the right address.got another for my iPad 2. It was the anti-glare. I didnt like the anti-glare, so I opted to upgrade it to the full body regular one when I replaced it. they charged my card 4 times. I ended up getting in contact with the president of the company and he got rid of the charges, gave me free shipping, and waived the cost of the upgrade.
I'm pretty pleased with zagg. more expensive, but I've had better customer service from them than anywhere else! (followed closely by apple
)
Last edited:
Screen protectors in my humble opinion are unnecessary and make for a worse viewing experience. With my original 3G iPhone I used one but then came to the conclusion that I simply didn't need it. They make the screen less clear and iPhone screens are incredibly strong when it comes to scratches as long as you use common sense. I do however recommend a good case. I use the Otterbox Impact and love it.
Actually, I never did keep a screen protector on for very long on my iPhone4.... it was the back that got a few minor scratches, not the screen (not a single scratch on the screen actually!) And the few back scratches I had were actually caused by the cases I had it in (I did have Otterbox defender, but I also really really liked the looks of the incase sliders...and I think they were the culprit) But like I said the scratches were very minor and you could only see them in direct light if you move the iPhone back and forth.
I do however have the invisible shield now installed on the iPhone4s. Surprisingly, the dust seems to only have gotten on the iPad not the iPhone... what I thought was dust under the iPhone one, was actually on the surface and disappeared when I wiped it clean....so I am to going to jinx it by taking it off at this point. The ones in the above pic on the iPad though are very real! That one black chunk midway up the side is driving me nuts already!!!
I do however have the invisible shield now installed on the iPhone4s. Surprisingly, the dust seems to only have gotten on the iPad not the iPhone... what I thought was dust under the iPhone one, was actually on the surface and disappeared when I wiped it clean....so I am to going to jinx it by taking it off at this point. The ones in the above pic on the iPad though are very real! That one black chunk midway up the side is driving me nuts already!!!
Am just trying out the Power Support Anti-Glare after a few weeks of the Crystal. The difference is shocking. I HATE the Anti-Glare. I can't believe it's the only one Apple sells. The Anti-Glare has absolutely no friction whatsoever (it's a challenge just to play angry birds), and the clarity diminishes the beauty of the retina diplay. The Crystal screen is just like glass and you can't even tell it's there if you've installed it properly. The only complaint I might have is that some dust does accumlate around the cutout holes, so I'm not looking forward to getting the new version that has the extra cutout for the proximity/ambient light sensor.
Try PhoneDevil. They are reasonably priced (£7 for two!) and pretty good quality.
Though I share your pain about wasting the first one, I actually discovered a simple trick that seems to work quite well. As you say you end up wasting the first protector (I did). But you can use that to your advantage.
Use the first protector as a tack cloth. Smooth it on, and if you have dust under it, bad luck but you can use it to dab off all the dust that got through your initial clean. Apply a fresh one instantly after. I actually left the first one on the bottom area of the phone (turned it side ways and smoothed it down) while I applied a new one to the top (and removed the old one as I went down). That seemed to do the trick.
My new problem though was this; How to line up a CRYSTAL screen protector on a WHITE iphone ........ ugh. I wasted 3 on that, finally I got one on with just a slight bubble in one corner because its touching the lip of the deivce. So I just left it at that since other than that its a pristine install (you cant tell there is one on it at all).
Though I share your pain about wasting the first one, I actually discovered a simple trick that seems to work quite well. As you say you end up wasting the first protector (I did). But you can use that to your advantage.
Use the first protector as a tack cloth. Smooth it on, and if you have dust under it, bad luck but you can use it to dab off all the dust that got through your initial clean. Apply a fresh one instantly after. I actually left the first one on the bottom area of the phone (turned it side ways and smoothed it down) while I applied a new one to the top (and removed the old one as I went down). That seemed to do the trick.
My new problem though was this; How to line up a CRYSTAL screen protector on a WHITE iphone ........ ugh. I wasted 3 on that, finally I got one on with just a slight bubble in one corner because its touching the lip of the deivce. So I just left it at that since other than that its a pristine install (you cant tell there is one on it at all).
1) Buy screen protectors from monoprice.com. Grab like 3-5, just in case. They are around $1 each.
2) Use some tape to lift the protector and remove any dust/lint that may be under it. Have the protector on straight but managed to get half a dozen pieces of dirt? No problem!
3) Give yourself a clean, well-lit area to work in, and a good 30+ minute time window (just in case).
I've helped place screen protectors on three iPad 2s, an HP TouchPad, a Nook Color, an HTC Dream/G1, a few iPhone 3GSes, and an iPhone 4S. All (almost) perfectly aligned, with no visible bubbles or dust.
Anti-glare/matte are the best. I wouldn't use a device without a screen protector.
2) Use some tape to lift the protector and remove any dust/lint that may be under it. Have the protector on straight but managed to get half a dozen pieces of dirt? No problem!
3) Give yourself a clean, well-lit area to work in, and a good 30+ minute time window (just in case).
I've helped place screen protectors on three iPad 2s, an HP TouchPad, a Nook Color, an HTC Dream/G1, a few iPhone 3GSes, and an iPhone 4S. All (almost) perfectly aligned, with no visible bubbles or dust.
Anti-glare/matte are the best. I wouldn't use a device without a screen protector.
A screen protector for the back is understandable.
No reason to put one on the front.
What I learned from my 4 last year. Screen protectors scratch. The gorilla glass screen doesn't unless your pocket is full of rocks or something all the time.
Screen protectors won't protect it from shattering, so I'm going nude for my 4S this year unless someone can convince me otherwise.
No reason to put one on the front.
What I learned from my 4 last year. Screen protectors scratch. The gorilla glass screen doesn't unless your pocket is full of rocks or something all the time.
Screen protectors won't protect it from shattering, so I'm going nude for my 4S this year unless someone can convince me otherwise.
Been installing screen protectors for everyone so much, I consider myself a pro. Best time to do it is right after a shower, the humidity helps minimize all the dust/lint in the air.
If anyone keeps their phone "naked" and is looking for a body shield, I highly recommend the Wrapsol brand. I just finished installing mine and it looks fantastic. No lifted corners or orange peel compared to Zagg's Invisibleshield. Really EASY dry application, you simply pull off 2 tabs after you're done and voila!
Best time to do it is right after a shower, the humidity helps minimize all the dust/lint in the air.If anyone keeps their phone "naked" and is looking for a body shield, I highly recommend the Wrapsol brand. I just finished installing mine and it looks fantastic. No lifted corners or orange peel compared to Zagg's Invisibleshield. Really EASY dry application, you simply pull off 2 tabs after you're done and voila!
Attachments
Last edited:
I just installed a Power Support protector crystal on mine. I messed up the first one, but good thing it came with two front protectors!
I'm sure I can still use the first one I tried, but I have to get all the dust off first.
Got the second one on and had a couple of lint pieces stuck. Simple fix. I cut two small pieces from the pre-install sticker that it comes with (this is a pre-application sticker that you apply to your screen and remove to get all the dust off) and used one to lift the screen a little and the other piece to remove the lint that was stuck on the protector. Laid it back down and marveled at the beauty.
If it weren't for the cutouts, you wouldn't even know I had a protector on my phone. Best screen protector that I've used hands down. I've tried cheap protectors that come in bulk off of eBay. I tried mirrored ones. Tried the Naked Shield. Tried the Crystal one that the Mac store used to carry...
None hold a candle to Power Support. My only gripe with it is the feel. It's a little on the sticky side (no where near as sticky as Naked Shield/Zagg), but it's so clear that I can look past that.
It's most sticky when you press firmly and in warmer conditions. For general use, it's fine.
VERY HAPPY with Power Support. Highly recommended.
I'm sure I can still use the first one I tried, but I have to get all the dust off first.
Got the second one on and had a couple of lint pieces stuck. Simple fix. I cut two small pieces from the pre-install sticker that it comes with (this is a pre-application sticker that you apply to your screen and remove to get all the dust off) and used one to lift the screen a little and the other piece to remove the lint that was stuck on the protector. Laid it back down and marveled at the beauty.
If it weren't for the cutouts, you wouldn't even know I had a protector on my phone. Best screen protector that I've used hands down. I've tried cheap protectors that come in bulk off of eBay. I tried mirrored ones. Tried the Naked Shield. Tried the Crystal one that the Mac store used to carry...
None hold a candle to Power Support. My only gripe with it is the feel. It's a little on the sticky side (no where near as sticky as Naked Shield/Zagg), but it's so clear that I can look past that.
It's most sticky when you press firmly and in warmer conditions. For general use, it's fine.
VERY HAPPY with Power Support. Highly recommended.
My absolute favorite screen protector:
http://www.sgpstore.com/cell-phone/...-screen-protector-steinheil-ultra-series.html
Relatively easy to place. I use the crystal one and fingerprints wipe off easily with a lint free cloth.
You cannot even tell there is a screen protector on and I have had the phone for 2 years now!
Yeah you gotta get naked in a steamy bathroom with a lint free cloth ahahaha to put it on but hey, after all is said and done when it's installed nicely you can celebrate
WW
----------
I absolutely LOATHE the feeling of Zagg protectors. I cannot stand tackiness of any kind.
http://www.sgpstore.com/cell-phone/...-screen-protector-steinheil-ultra-series.html
Relatively easy to place. I use the crystal one and fingerprints wipe off easily with a lint free cloth.
You cannot even tell there is a screen protector on and I have had the phone for 2 years now!
Yeah you gotta get naked in a steamy bathroom with a lint free cloth ahahaha to put it on but hey, after all is said and done when it's installed nicely you can celebrate
WW
----------
I absolutely LOATHE the feeling of Zagg protectors. I cannot stand tackiness of any kind.
PowerSupport crystal clear is hands down the best screen protector available. Had one on my ip4 for a year with zero problems & it still looks brand new. Had one installed on my new ip4s yesterday & it's pretty impossible to tell a protector is installed!!
Tip for any SoCal residents...PowerSupport are located in Burbank & the very cute receptionist will install your protector (front & back) for $2 & she does a PERFECT job every time...no dust or bubbles at all.
Tip for any SoCal residents...PowerSupport are located in Burbank & the very cute receptionist will install your protector (front & back) for $2 & she does a PERFECT job every time...no dust or bubbles at all.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)
I use a Power Support Anti Glare HD and love it! I'm very good at installing then, so for all my devices. I get a perfect install first time, every time.
BTW, you couldn't PAY me to wear a Zagg shield
I use a Power Support Anti Glare HD and love it! I'm very good at installing then, so for all my devices. I get a perfect install first time, every time.
BTW, you couldn't PAY me to wear a Zagg shield
Totally agree.. Screen protector is USELESS... the iPhone glass is way harder than the screen protector
I can't imagine a better screen protector than the Moshi iVisor. I have the AG version on my iPad and iPhone 4S. It does on 100% bubble free every time. It's easy to keep the lint out with a can of compressed air during the installation process. The beauty is if you do get something in under the screen it is so easy to remove and reapply. The outside surface has much less friction than the the glass screen because oils do not really build up on it the way they do on glass. Now if you don't like AG then this is not for you as they only have AG.
I really like the fact that they have a White specific film that goes perfect with the White iPhone 4(S). Only the viewing area of the film is clear an the the rest is white. It blends seamlessly and you also cannot see any possible lint under the White area.
I really like the fact that they have a White specific film that goes perfect with the White iPhone 4(S). Only the viewing area of the film is clear an the the rest is white. It blends seamlessly and you also cannot see any possible lint under the White area.