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BigOrangeSU

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 22, 2008
218
1
What does everyone think about a keyboard protector? I am OCD with my macbook and keeping it clean and I have a Speck See-Through Satin case and i carry it in an Incase sleeve. I am thinking of buying an iskin keyboard protector? Any opinions?
 
What does everyone think about a keyboard protector? I am OCD with my macbook and keeping it clean and I have a Speck See-Through Satin case and i carry it in an Incase sleeve. I am thinking of buying an iskin keyboard protector? Any opinions?

Make sure you get a GOOD one. Most of the cheap one in the market will kill your MacBook as a result of overheat. Why? Because the MacBook suck air from the gaps of the keyboard to cool the CPU. If you use a cheap keyboard protector without air-holes, your MacBook will most likely overheated!
 
Make sure you get a GOOD one. Most of the cheap one in the market will kill your MacBook as a result of overheat. Why? Because the MacBook suck air from the gaps of the keyboard to cool the CPU. If you use a cheap keyboard protector without air-holes, your MacBook will most likely overheated!

i don't know about that. if the macbook is made to function with the lid closed (and it is), then it should certainly be able to handle a keyboard cover regardless of how crappy it is.

to the op, i had a keyboard cover for an old ibook years ago, and i found the cover would smudge the screen when the lid was closed. i learned to deal without, and i think you can too. :)
 
i don't know about that. if the macbook is made to function with the lid closed (and it is), then it should certainly be able to handle a keyboard cover regardless of how crappy it is.

to the op, i had a keyboard cover for an old ibook years ago, and i found the cover would smudge the screen when the lid was closed. i learned to deal without, and i think you can too. :)


Keyboard cover is a plastic film and will stop the air ventilation!

You can search the forum if you don't take my words ;)

Also, take a closer look at the inside of the MacBook, and see how the air flows :)

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/MacBook-Core-2-Duo/Logic-Board-Replacement/116/19/Page-6
 
You mean for transport purposes? Something you take off when you use it, or something that stays on while you use it?

I have one of those microsuede mats from ShaggyMac that I put between my keyboard and screen when I close it and put it in my bag. I hate the grease from my fingers getting on the screen (I clean the keyboard but of course not every day).
 
You mean for transport purposes? Something you take off when you use it, or something that stays on while you use it?

I have one of those microsuede mats from ShaggyMac that I put between my keyboard and screen when I close it and put it in my bag. I hate the grease from my fingers getting on the screen (I clean the keyboard but of course not every day).

The shaggymac looks cool...are there any other alternatives? Same sort of thing? Didn't the macbooks used to come with one that fitted the keyboard?
 
What does everyone think about a keyboard protector? I am OCD with my macbook and keeping it clean and I have a Speck See-Through Satin case and i carry it in an Incase sleeve. I am thinking of buying an iskin keyboard protector? Any opinions?
I have the:

- Speck’s Clear SeeThru hard shell case
- zCover’s Clear TypeOn Keyboard Skin

For my Unibody MacBook Pro and i love them.

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i really want something along the lines of a removable cloth, but £17 for the shaggymac one shipped to england is a bit extreme.
 
Last week I ordered the Moshi Clearguard from Aevoe, and the reason I went with this one is the fact that it's thinner than all the other keyboard covers out there... So i'll let you know how it works for me, but I've heard good things about it.
 

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The last thing i would want to do is cover my keyboard with a big sheet of rubbery stuff !!

Ruins the entire "look and feel" of the machine.......

Just clean your k/b now and again......
 
the great thing with the unibody models is that there is a plate of glass separating the actual LCD screen from the keyboard. In the past, the oils from the fingers/hand would/could transfer to the screen. Now, all they will do is transfer to the glass. Much easier to clean and get rid of.

i think the keyboard protector is unnecessary if you want to protect the SCREEN, but it would keep liquids/crumbs from accidentally getting inside the macbook.
 
The last thing i would want to do is cover my keyboard with a big sheet of rubbery stuff !!

Ruins the entire "look and feel" of the machine.......

Just clean your k/b now and again......

I feel that way, too. Plus, I just feel like covering your whole computer in a sheet of rubber can't be good for airflow/temperature management. I like the sleek aluminum and springy black keys. I clean it regularly and keep things like spill risks away from it. I used to use an iSkin keyboard protector on my iBook G4 sometimes, to keep hair and dirt from getting between the keys. That is not necessary on the new ones though, because of the design of the keyboard. You can easily wipe or blow away any dirt surrounding your keys. For me, my applesac sleeve and regular cleaning and care is enough protection.

I do like the ShaggyMac screen protector cloths that you put between your keyboard and screen when closed.
 
I just finished installing the Moshi ClearGuard and PalmGuard (for the hand rest) and as you can see in the picture it's very thin!! It feels great so far, if anything it's helping my typing because now I have to hit each key corectly from the top. But it's very smooth and there only LITTLE extra pressure required to type. I highly recommend it.

I agree with the poster above, the glass screen is much easier to clean than they black keys. My hands must have a lot of natural grease because my keys are already starting to show permanent shiny spots, that's why I decided to go with this key cover.
 

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I've got the Shaggymac - a better alternative (I realised this when the Shaggy arrived) is to use the cloth you originally got with the Macbook.

I done a review of the Shaggymac (funny name btw)... here it is (youtube).
 
I've got the Shaggymac - a better alternative (I realised this when the Shaggy arrived) is to use the cloth you originally got with the Macbook.

I done a review of the Shaggymac (funny name btw)... here it is (youtube).

Why do you think it is better to use the original cloth?
 
Why do you think it is better to use the original cloth?

My bad - I meant to say that both (in my opinion) are equal hence you don't need to buy the Shaggymac thinking your going to be at an advantage.

The original cover which you get with the macbook is equally as good.
 
My bad - I meant to say that both (in my opinion) are equal hence you don't need to buy the Shaggymac thinking your going to be at an advantage.

The original cover which you get with the macbook is equally as good.

Oh right I get you...but the original one doesn't cover all the keys does it?
 
Oh right I get you...but the original one doesn't cover all the keys does it?

Nope. Mine covers just a bit over half of the keys if I spread it across them.

The ShaggyMac is very similar material, if not the exact same thing (I don't have one anymore so I'm going on memory, here), it just has the advantage of being much larger. I think it is a really good product, but it is very overpriced for what it is - a single sheet of microfiber fabric.

So, I think the cleaning cloth that came with the mac is equally good for cleaning, but not as good if you are concerned about having your screen/keys completely covered when closed.
 
I meant to add, you might be able to save quite a bit of money if you can find a similarly soft fabric and cut it to size yourself, you'd just have to make sure to find one thin enough to allow the laptop to be closed comfortably, and one with fine enough fibers.
 
Sorry to post AGAIN, but I just got curious about making my own screen protector/keyboard cover and looked up some things.


There is an article about it on instructables here if you're interested. Of course, that person used a laser cutter, but you could cut it yourself. You can make quite a few protectors out of a yard of fabric. They also link to an article about making a screen protector out of a t shirt.

I looked around and found several places that offered the ultrasuede fabric at a discounted rate
 
The Apple store advised us against it...

My son's MBP was recently replaced. They thought the inside suffered smoke damage (he's a DJ and they thought it was the smokey conditions in the clubs) Later on they realized it had completely overheated... we had a lot of battery issues... But the final analysis was that they had sold him a keyboard cover. He is very anal about his MBP; so afraid someone might spill something on it, etc. They felt that it MAY have contributed to burning it up. And believe me, the inside was fried. Apparently, heat escapes through the keyboard or the fans draw air in through there or something... Anyway, they wouldn't sell him another one and advised against it. Food for thought.
 
My son's MBP was recently replaced. They thought the inside suffered smoke damage (he's a DJ and they thought it was the smokey conditions in the clubs) Later on they realized it had completely overheated... we had a lot of battery issues... But the final analysis was that they had sold him a keyboard cover. He is very anal about his MBP; so afraid someone might spill something on it, etc. They felt that it MAY have contributed to burning it up. And believe me, the inside was fried. Apparently, heat escapes through the keyboard or the fans draw air in through there or something... Anyway, they wouldn't sell him another one and advised against it. Food for thought.

I said so ........ https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/6995774/
 
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