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Yep, I'm a big fan of skins. First skin I used was for my current phone (XR). The phone was purchased second hand with a few cracks in the back glass. The skin covers both the back glass and sides of the phone (you wouldn't know the glass was cracked unless you took off the skin), adds extra grip, and the skin itself has held up great over the last 2 years. I'll be using skins for my future phones...
Thats why Marques Brownlee uses a skin on his MBP....
 
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I’ve had an M1 Air for 1.5 years and I’m still always babying it when I use it. I wish I could just use it without thinking about “damaging it” lol.

Anyone know what I mean?
Yes. I used to be like this, probably worse than you. If any of my devices took even the most minor bump, I would worry for days that there was damage. I would remove the case over and over to make sure there was not hidden damage I wasn't aware of, I would wipe things down under really bright lights (and invariably find more scratches), I would inspect incessantly for imperfections, etc. I did this so much with one of my iPhones that the actual act of the case going on and off so much actually scratched the sides of the phone and did real cosmetic damage. Just from me worrying about something that wasn't even there.

In all seriousness, the way I stopped this was therapy and medication. It was anxiety. When I got the anxiety under control, I stopped worrying about stuff like this. OP: I'm not saying this is what your problem is, but I'm willing to bet it's based in some kind of anxiety.
 
I’ve had an M1 Air for 1.5 years and I’m still always babying it when I use it. I wish I could just use it without thinking about “damaging it” lol.

Anyone know what I mean?
So you baby your machine. So what? It’s not a problem. Hence, there’s nothing there you could do without. It is only your rejection of yourself babying your machine that is making babying your machine appear as something you could do without.
 
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I bought a used M1 MBA for that reason. It partially helped. It already had a little dent toward the back somewhere and the keys were already starting to go shiny (which is one thing I would usually try to delay as much as possible on a brand new device), so it was definitely used.

Even so, I clean the keyboard regularly to get the grease off, I clean the body of the laptop... stuff that I didn't used to do with plastic case laptops.

I did the same thing with my 2020 Intel MBP - until the M1 came along and ran circles around the intel machines. The MBP has been demoted to secondary computer since. It makes me oddly sad.
I recently realized how easy it is to get the keycaps off the newer Macs.

I bought a refurb M1 MBA to use as a travel computer so I don't have to bring my M1 Max MBP with me all the time, but my MBA came with QWERTZ layout.

First I just switched the Z and Y keys, then I bought an entire set of US keys and replaced about 20 keys so they match the US layout I use. There are a few odd things - I'm still not used to the shorter left shift key and taller/narrower return key - but overall it works great.

I bought a few extra sets of keycaps so I can just replace them whenever my current keycaps get too shiny/worn.
 
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I’ve had an M1 Air for 1.5 years and I’m still always babying it when I use it. I wish I could just use it without thinking about “damaging it” lol.

Anyone know what I mean?
Deliberately scratch it up all over with a key or screwdriver. Not the parts that matter, like the screen and keyboard, but only the shell. Once you cross the line you will stop caring.

If you can't get yourself to do it, hand it over to a friend and let him do it.

If you can't get yourself to do that, start with putting stickers all over the machine -- not lined up but at random positions and angles -- and acclimate to an imperfect appearance and see how it goes.
 
I like to baby my machines as well. I keep my current MacBook Air in the leather sleeve whenever I am not using it and that seems to help a lot with me leaving it in places, especially since I have a cat that loves to sit on it.
 
I’ve had an M1 Air for 1.5 years and I’m still always babying it when I use it. I wish I could just use it without thinking about “damaging it” lol.

Anyone know what I mean?
I am not careless like throwing my MBP 16 or MBA around, but I use them every where, no babying the devices I bought to use. It gets maximum use under high load almost every day. Yes I have an AC + for peace of mind. I travel a lot, so I can’t be worried about laptop on the move, knowing I am covered with AC+.
 
Yup and of course last night, I was walking out with my MacBook in my bag, and the zipper was open and it slipped out onto the ground... Screen is fine, a small nick on the side of it and knocked my hinge slightly off centre. Not happy
Had the same damage, but after my bag was dropped with the machine inside.
Wasn’t happy either, but am living guilt free with it since then.
 
Since when the hell is taking care of your expensive devices "babying?"

Do you call treating other things with care and common sense "babying" too? Is driving defensively so your car doesn't get dented "babying?"
 
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I’ve had an M1 Air for 1.5 years and I’m still always babying it when I use it. I wish I could just use it without thinking about “damaging it” lol.

Anyone know what I mean?
You will do when youve purchase something expensive, but you may need to be alittle looser with it to enjoy it.
 
Since when the hell is taking care of your expensive devices "babying?"

Do you call treating other things with care and common sense "babying" too? Is driving defensively so your car doesn't get dented "babying?"
It’s not about taking care, it’s being obsessive to the point you can’t enjoy or use with out worrying. Hard to understand for those who don’t have compulsive obsessiveness.
 
I use to be this way with Early 2015 Retina 13 inch. Back then I wasn’t getting a decent income, but now, if my 2020 M1 MBP were to break for some reason, I would be heartbroken, but it wouldn’t be out of reach to run down to the Apple (literally) and buy a new one.
 
Why not get a shell?

I've had numerous laptops, big and small. They always get a case and my daily driver typically gets a shell.
Interestingly, for my M2 MBA, I keep it without a shell, but in a standard laptop case.
 
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I have an incase hard shell for my 16" MPB because of the size and weight and being so slippy. I also have the 'cats' issue. My air 13" is put away in a Tomtoc sleeve when not in use. Finding a balance of taking care without obsessing can be tricky.
 
I paid like $700 so I need to get my money out of it :oops: the older retinas are still very good machines, and I say that after adding an M1 MBA to the fleet.
It's from 10 years ago. Hate to break it to you, but you're probably not getting anywhere near $700 for it.
A brand new M1 Air that will roast it in every performance metric can be bought on sale for like $850 $800 at this point.

edit: M1 Airs are even cheaper than I thought
 
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And I thought I am not normal... I am so careful with my Macbook Pro that I barley use it to not scratch it or damage it... in the end its most of the time in a case and looses value :D but somehow I am not able to care less about my expensive sruff...

My wife is trying to tell me to enjoy my apple toys but hard to change :)
 
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