Hard plastic case for Macbook Pro?

[seanuhthin]

For months now, I have had my 13 inch Macbook Pro in a Speck hard plastic case. I took it off today, only to find around 3 nicks on the bottom of the laptop.

My question to all of you, is whether or not you think a hard plastic case on Apple products is even relatively necessary, because it seems like most of the "accessories" I have been buying do more harm than good.

Also, the Aluminum shell looks depressing under all that protective plastic so I don't think I will be putting the case back on.

What do you all think? Naked Macbook, or protected Macbook?

 

[Saberon]

I love the look of the Speck one, but after reading a lot of reports of some damage/overheating I'm happily rocking a naked macbook which is babied to death.

 

[Young Spade]

The hard cases provide protection from bumps and dings but they will cause the machine to run a little warmer than usual.

Personally, with my usage, I don't want to add any extra weight or bulk to the machine and I know the machine won't be able to cool as fast as it needs to with a protective case around it.

 

[randomrazr]

For months now, I have had my 13 inch Macbook Pro in a Speck hard plastic case. I took it off today, only to find around 3 nicks on the bottom of the laptop.

My question to all of you, is whether or not you think a hard plastic case on Apple products is even relatively necessary, because it seems like most of the "accessories" I have been buying do more harm than good.

Also, the Aluminum shell looks depressing under all that protective plastic so I don't think I will be putting the case back on.

What do you all think? Naked Macbook, or protected Macbook?

if u read the intstructions, it says to take it off atleast once a month to clean it so debris and **** doesnt collect and scratch ur macbook.

i just purchased the speck seethru CLEAR and i love it. have had a incase hardshell before, so as along as u clean it from time to time, it does its job.

chances are, ur macbook is in better shape now with the case than without.

 

[seanuhthin]

if u read the intstructions, it says to take it off atleast once a month to clean it so debris and **** doesnt collect and scratch ur macbook.

i just purchased the speck seethru CLEAR and i love it. have had a incase hardshell before, so as along as u clean it from time to time, it does its job.

chances are, ur macbook is in better shape now with the case than without.

I didn't explain fully, the scratches were around the sides where the case snaps on, not in random areas where dust collected.

Anyways, you may be right, my Macbook might be in such good shape because of having it in the case, but then again, I can't think of a time I accidentally hit it or scratched it against a wall so I think the case never really got a chance to "protect" it.

 

[head honcho 123]

i don't use the hard case for the mbps specifically for this reason.

i use bestskinsever instead.

also sometimes the hard cases are a bitch to put on and off.

 

[dusk007]

I think they are mostly useless. If stuffed into a bag it might get scratches without any protection. I just use a neoprene sleeve. Everything else just looks terrible, adds extra weight and size and really isn't necessary. I have mine for 1.5 years now and not a single scratch on it and I use it outdoors a lot and carry it around a lot on campus.

It is the same with all those screen protectors (clear one) for the iphone. Got a 3GS and put one on because I intended to sell it again after less than a year. Once I couldn't decide which phone to get next I stuck to it and removed the screen protector. Now with the original screen coating it actually gets much less greasy is easier to clean and still looks as good as new.
Total ripoff these useless ugly screen protectors.

 

[randomrazr]

i dunno my speck clear loooks pretty snazzy

 

[Amerabian]

For months now, I have had my 13 inch Macbook Pro in a Speck hard plastic case. I took it off today, only to find around 3 nicks on the bottom of the laptop.

3 nicks?

THE BOTTOM OF MY 3 MONTH OLD MBP IS F*CKED!

I don't even know if I should remove the case or just keep it on..

I chose to put it back on as the bottom looks really ugly..

 

[randomrazr]

3 nicks?

THE BOTTOM OF MY 3 MONTH OLD MBP IS F*CKED!

I don't even know if I should remove the case or just keep it on..

I chose to put it back on as the bottom looks really ugly..

got a pic?

 

[Amerabian]

got a pic?

It's worse than it looks in the pictures.. Not enough lighting at the moment

I treat all my eletronics/gadgets with extreme care.. This is my first MBP and it's barely 3 months old.

I feel betrayed.. I'm going to order a shield film cover then a clear speck case instead of the black one I have.

 

[babyt]

I think they are mostly useless. If stuffed into a bag it might get scratches without any protection. I just use a neoprene sleeve. Everything else just looks terrible, adds extra weight and size and really isn't necessary. I have mine for 1.5 years now and not a single scratch on it and I use it outdoors a lot and carry it around a lot on campus.

It is the same with all those screen protectors (clear one) for the iphone. Got a 3GS and put one on because I intended to sell it again after less than a year. Once I couldn't decide which phone to get next I stuck to it and removed the screen protector. Now with the original screen coating it actually gets much less greasy is easier to clean and still looks as good as new.
Total ripoff these useless ugly screen protectors.

no they aren't useless
a few weeks ago i had my mac on my lap and my cat jumped on me knocking my mbp on its side corner [by the cd drive] onto my tile floors, about 2.5-3 feet.
with out my speck hard case my macbookpro WOULD BE dented to hell and back.
IMO they aren't totally useless.

 

[GuitarG20]

I think most of this damage is a direct result of not following the instructions and not cleaning the shell and computer at least once a month like you're supposed to.

 

[Amerabian]

I think most of this damage is a direct result of not following the instructions and not cleaning the shell and computer at least once a month like you're supposed to.

So if some dust gets in between the case and MBP while I'm traveling the speck case will ask the dust not to scratch it until a month passes by cause the instructions say so?

Please....!

 

[GuitarG20]

So if some dust gets in between the case and MBP while I'm travelling it will the speck case will ask the dust not to scratch it until a month passes by cause the instructions say so?

Please....!

A little dust won't scratch. If you notice a significant amount, then it would make sense if you were smart enough to take the case off and get rid of the dust.

 

[randomrazr]

It's worse than it looks in the pictures.. Not enough lighting at the moment

I treat all my eletronics/gadgets with extreme care.. This is my first MBP and it's barely 3 months old.

I feel betrayed.. I'm going to order a shield film cover then a clear speck case instead of the black one I have.

oh wow

 

[Amerabian]

A little dust won't scratch. If you notice a significant amount, then it would make sense if you were smart enough to take the case off and get rid of the dust.

If I "were smart enough" ?

Why are you starting to be rude? I wonder!

I will not bother to even tell you about myself and how smart I am

 

[accessoriesguy]

don't worry too much about damage on the bottom, I mean as long as its nothing serious you will never really see it. I don't even remember when was the last time i looked at the bottom of my pro.

 

[///KM]

If you use the clear 3M stuff (Invisible Shield or the like) along with the hardcase, you won't get those scratches on the top or bottom of the case. I've had mine on this way since day 1, dust buildup doesn't affect it. The only scratch-able areas now are the sides, but those get scratched up from normal use anyway (fumbling with the USB port for example).

 

[movieator]

I have never had a case in the two years I've had mine. I don't worry about it. It's designed to be used.
Sure, the bottom is scratched all to hell, but it's earned those, darn it. Other than that, I clean once in a while with a cloth and some iKlear, and it looks great.

Go naked.

 

[shardey]

I purchased a 17" i7 2.3 and my apple store didn't have a hard case for my laptop! I resorted to eBay to spend $30 on a speck clear hard shell, and by far is the best case I have seen for a macbook. My friend has a different brand (can't remember off the top of my head) and it doesn't cover up the rear and corners as well.

As for the damage/heat as people have mentioned, I monitor my temps heavily all the time and I have noticed a drop of 1-2 C during normal browsing on this site juts from having the shell on it. I am assuming since it is separating the aluminum from the heat on my legs, as aluminum conducts energy very well.

 

[Amerabian]

It's designed to be used.
Sure, the bottom is scratched all to hell, but it's earned those, darn it.

That's what I keep telling myself.. It's designed to be used

 

[thinkinblue613]

Anything Speck, I recommend the Speck Satin... It doesn't scratch since the material is "suede-ish" and flexible. I would go through Amazon instead of Apple, the price difference can be up to $20.

 

[movieator]

That's what I keep telling myself.. It's designed to be used

Smart aleck.

 

[randomrazr]

If you use the clear 3M stuff (Invisible Shield or the like) along with the hardcase, you won't get those scratches on the top or bottom of the case. I've had mine on this way since day 1, dust buildup doesn't affect it. The only scratch-able areas now are the sides, but those get scratched up from normal use anyway (fumbling with the USB port for example).

it fits with those skins on?