Could anybody please let me know whether the print on the keys of the new santa rosa MBP will wear off? I used to own a Thinkpad. The print on the keys and the Intel Inside Logo wore off due to acid from my hands. I do not know if this will happen to the MBP. If so, I better get a keyboard cover. Thanks.
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Do the print on the keys wear off?
- Thread starter hajime
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I would recommend checking out the hand rest protection to prevent chipping if you haven't already. Marware is good for this.
The macBook Pro, as far as I know, doesn't exhibit the chipping problem.
However, there HAVE been some isolated cases of the paint wearing off the MBP's keyboard. While the letters aren't painted on per se, the background color (the silver) on the keys are, and the letters are the unpainted clear plastic that allows the backlighting to shine through.
If the OP managed to wear off the keys on a ThinkPad (something *I* thought was impossible!), then he may need to be worried about his MBP looking like this down the road:
http://rant.mivox.com/node/310
I don't have a history of wearing off lettering, but I do of course make my keyboards quite shiny from wear. So after seeing the pics at the above link, I bought this for my MBP:
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=99AE8AB5&nplm=TK034LL/A
It works quite well. Obviously it adds a bit of rubberiness to the feel of the keys, but I can still type well with it, and I'm not worried about my keybaord finish wearing off.
macbookpro
I have owned my mac book pro for two weeks, and already i noticed the finish coming off. This really angers me. I mean thee computers cost so much, this shouldnt be happening. The old power books didnt have this problem, I mean two weeks! I shouldnt pay $3000 for a new computer and then have to spend more money for protection so it wont get messed up. They make them so they wont get messed up. Im seriously looking into a lawyer for a class action lawsuit on this one. This is ridiculous! Plus, the keys don't always respond when I press them.
I have owned my mac book pro for two weeks, and already i noticed the finish coming off. This really angers me. I mean thee computers cost so much, this shouldnt be happening. The old power books didnt have this problem, I mean two weeks! I shouldnt pay $3000 for a new computer and then have to spend more money for protection so it wont get messed up. They make them so they wont get messed up. Im seriously looking into a lawyer for a class action lawsuit on this one. This is ridiculous! Plus, the keys don't always respond when I press them.
If you're so worried about it, buy a rubber keyboard overlay. Problem solved. 
I have personally never seen any wear on any Apple keyboard in my life.
I have personally never seen any wear on any Apple keyboard in my life.
if you have only had it for three weeks, bring it to a store or call applecare...they will replace it if it is not something you did (ie: accidental damage)
my recommendation. . . soap and water, on your hands, gets rid of all the nasty stuff that builds up on a keyboard or eats away at the painted on letters.
that, or get an external keyboard. if you really pound the keys hard (and thus the keys are worn from friction of use, not from dirty hands) then you can abuse your external keyboard while you are sitting at a desk, so there will be less abuse on the keyboard of the laptop when you are using it on your lap. Apple's BT keyboard is great. it is extremely compact (but the keys are in a full size layout) compact enough that you could travel with it.
that, or get an external keyboard. if you really pound the keys hard (and thus the keys are worn from friction of use, not from dirty hands) then you can abuse your external keyboard while you are sitting at a desk, so there will be less abuse on the keyboard of the laptop when you are using it on your lap. Apple's BT keyboard is great. it is extremely compact (but the keys are in a full size layout) compact enough that you could travel with it.
I'm pretty sure acid doesn't come from your hands, or else it would do much more damage than simply wear the finish off the keyboard...
Anyway, entropy. Things will break down and wear out over time, nothing you can do about it. But to keep my MacBook keyboard looking as good as possible, I do use one of those silicone keyboard covers. The longer my keyboard lasts, the better, I think.
Anyway, entropy. Things will break down and wear out over time, nothing you can do about it. But to keep my MacBook keyboard looking as good as possible, I do use one of those silicone keyboard covers. The longer my keyboard lasts, the better, I think.
Owned various Mac laptops, even 4 year old ibook has all the printed letters.
LOL. Good story. Do you write for the national enquirer? Perhaps Big Foot comes to your room secretly at night with the intention of wearing out the finish?
The case is aluminum. It's not painted on like cheap imitations. The keyboard are made so that it won't come off easily, not in 2 weeks, actually, not in 1 year of regular use, many people won't see wearing out of printed letters for 4 or 5 years.
LOL. Good story. Do you write for the national enquirer? Perhaps Big Foot comes to your room secretly at night with the intention of wearing out the finish?
The case is aluminum. It's not painted on like cheap imitations. The keyboard are made so that it won't come off easily, not in 2 weeks, actually, not in 1 year of regular use, many people won't see wearing out of printed letters for 4 or 5 years.
If you're so worried about it, buy a rubber keyboard overlay. Problem solved.
I have personally never seen any wear on any Apple keyboard in my life.
I have definitely worn down some frequently-used keys on one of my 12"G4 powerbooks.
It's just the keys that tend to be used as Mac shortcuts. A, S, N, the O is just starting to go, and for some reason the L, probably the "positioning" finger on my right hand when laying hands on the board.
The A and the N are almost obliterated, just look like dark blobs on the silver keys.
Thanks for reminding me, OP -- I love you!!!! -- I was going to find out if Apple would replace it for me before my Applecare runs out which it might be this summer, and I keep forgetting to inquire.
Well there's always a self-stick label and a bit of permanent ink...
Nope - it's funny. I also have a 20 month-old HP laptop, which looks like it's about a hundred years old, yet the old Titanium G4 powerbook I sold last year had almost no signs of of wear on either keyboard or trackpad even after 6 years of very heavy use.
Given that the MPB keys are not printed in the conventional way (due to backlighting) I very much doubt that there will be any problems - certainly there's not even a trace of wear on mine yet (8 months old and again, used very heavily) - it looks brand new.
Given that the MPB keys are not printed in the conventional way (due to backlighting) I very much doubt that there will be any problems - certainly there's not even a trace of wear on mine yet (8 months old and again, used very heavily) - it looks brand new.
I have used the iSkin keyboard cover since day one with my MBP and added the Moshi palm rest cover and so far, no issues.
The iSkin is a breeze to keep clean, just soap and water and the moshi adheres right to the palm area of the MBP and without careful examination, you can't even tell it is there.
These both will give you piece of mind and you can enjoy your laptop without worrying about the paint wear.
The iSkin is a breeze to keep clean, just soap and water and the moshi adheres right to the palm area of the MBP and without careful examination, you can't even tell it is there.
These both will give you piece of mind and you can enjoy your laptop without worrying about the paint wear.
.... As long as you change the pad once every year or so.
The problem is that it wears out (starting from the edges), and the heat from the laptop makes the adhering residue very gummy. Honestly, it's not very reusable.
I've switched to Moshi, but it's too early to tell if that's an improvement over Marware yet ....
I still use my Marware keyboard cover though.
But do they feel yucky? I love how the G4 and MB Air keyboard feels under the hand the way they are out of the box.
I'd almost rather figure hey, get the keyboard replaced in four years... but if the silicon things don't feel all rubbery and weird then maybe i would try one sometime.
I don't think the MB Air is going to be the same as the powerbooks, they look more like the Ti keys with the backlightable gig. My Ti book's keys are still pristine after what, five years or I dunno something like that.
I have never had any letters start wearing on any of the keyboards I've ever had (including a logitech G15 which is notorious for key wear). How does this happen to your keyboards? Do you use some sort of hand lotion that eats away the paint?
Nope, it's just wear, and just those specific letters. And just the one G4.
I have a G3 900 ibook in the kitchen (talk about things that might eat away at paint) but that one's keys are still fine even though the machine could probably sprout a lentil seed if I parked one near the space bar and let it sit while I put a pot of water on to boil...
Doesn't faze me on the G4, I just noticed it about a year ago and thought it was a sign I should take a vacation.
i own (and am typing on) a black keyboard overlay from iSkin - the iSkin "protouch"
I decided to go with the black because I read reviews on people complaining that the clear overlays turn a yellowish tint over time from all the grim on people's nasty hands.
Well, I wish I woulda got the clear one because when I'm sitting in the dark I can barley type. I'm the kind of person who needs to look at the keyboard when I type and with the black keyboard overlay the backlight doesn't show through.
I do also own the Marware hand rest/screen cloth. This is probably the greatest accessory I've bought so far for my baby.
AND I have a trackpad overlay which I found on apples online store and I am very glad I bought that also.
I decided to go with the black because I read reviews on people complaining that the clear overlays turn a yellowish tint over time from all the grim on people's nasty hands.
Well, I wish I woulda got the clear one because when I'm sitting in the dark I can barley type. I'm the kind of person who needs to look at the keyboard when I type and with the black keyboard overlay the backlight doesn't show through.
I do also own the Marware hand rest/screen cloth. This is probably the greatest accessory I've bought so far for my baby.
AND I have a trackpad overlay which I found on apples online store and I am very glad I bought that also.
Hey I know what my issue might be, that just occurred to me for the first time right now.
A box of fabrics just arrived and I was unpacking them to put into inventory (and then wash them and get them onto racks so I can cut press and cut them tomorrow). These here I don't want to shrink too much pre-sewing so I cannot just throw them in the dryer, I want them to shrink post-quilting.
It's probably the formaldehyde on new cotton fabrics!!
I do always wash my hands after handling them and then cooking or serving food / beverages, but I don't wash up between handling a piece and punching up its info into my inventory records. I stand there with the vendor's package to my left, the powerbook in the middle on a table and the ToBeWashed bin on my right.
And the one G4 powerbook with the blackened shortcut keys is the machine I've primarily used for that piece of my work routines since I got it. Hmm! Thank you dectectives of MacRumors!!
Yeh so now my MB Air is going to become my go-around tasking machine, probably means I do need to get one of those keyboard covers.
Well that sounds like a weekend surfing job, to pick something out. And I will read the suggestions over again in this thread! Thanks!
A box of fabrics just arrived and I was unpacking them to put into inventory (and then wash them and get them onto racks so I can cut press and cut them tomorrow). These here I don't want to shrink too much pre-sewing so I cannot just throw them in the dryer, I want them to shrink post-quilting.
It's probably the formaldehyde on new cotton fabrics!!
I do always wash my hands after handling them and then cooking or serving food / beverages, but I don't wash up between handling a piece and punching up its info into my inventory records. I stand there with the vendor's package to my left, the powerbook in the middle on a table and the ToBeWashed bin on my right.
And the one G4 powerbook with the blackened shortcut keys is the machine I've primarily used for that piece of my work routines since I got it. Hmm! Thank you dectectives of MacRumors!!
Yeh so now my MB Air is going to become my go-around tasking machine, probably means I do need to get one of those keyboard covers.
Well that sounds like a weekend surfing job, to pick something out. And I will read the suggestions over again in this thread! Thanks!
I think the reason the PowerBook G4 Titanium keyboard has lasted as long as it has is because it was made from bronze, not plastic, like what it used on the newer Apple notebooks.
Frankly, I'm not so concerned with printing fade as I am with the overall "shine" that keyboards and trackpads ultimately end up with. Is there ANY way to remove the shine from the keyboard keys, or is it permanent, like I think it is?
Frankly, I'm not so concerned with printing fade as I am with the overall "shine" that keyboards and trackpads ultimately end up with. Is there ANY way to remove the shine from the keyboard keys, or is it permanent, like I think it is?