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NEW Invisible Shield installed on Unibody MacBook Pro *Pics*

N

Neil1138

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 21, 2008
165
0
Well I have the invisible shield on my iPhone and I figured that I would protect my new MacBook Pro aswell. I'm going to keep this thing for at least 5 years so what the heck right? :D First we'll talk about my tips for installation, then you can look at the pictures.

First off, this install is not for the faint of heart or for those that lack patience. I wanted mine to be flawless so it took me 3hrs. Here's what I would recommend:

1. You don't want any dust particles to get underneath the film so here's what I did. Go into your bathroom and turn on a hot shower to steam up the room, this way the moist air will make the dust particles in the air settle.
2. Use TONS of application solution. I know you probably hear this a lot, but it is true. USE more than you think you need. Have a container of hot water aside just in case you need to refill the spray bottle.
3. Take your time to install the shield, start out with the bottom shield and start your way up.... ending with the large display piece last.
4. Have a pin or knife in reach. This is because just in case you get a hair or something underneath the shield, you can get it out without putting fingerprints on the film.
5. Have a BRIGHT light shining on your workplace, this will help you to see air bubbles underneath the film. Dont worry about thin layers of water trapped underneath the film too much, mine evaporated after 12hrs.
6. Actually wait 24hrs to turn back on your macbook. In the case that water got inside your macbook, it will have time to evaporate and your macbook wont get fried.

If you were watching me do the install, you would be freaking out at how much water I was using but I waited for any water to dry and now I am typing from it. It's perfect. So don't worry about doing this invisible shield, the water is not a problem.

Here are the pictures at last! :D Remember, I wanted a perfect install so It might look awesome but half of the awesomeness is because of the quality of the work, not the quality of the product. :cool: A lot of people say that the invisible shield is tacky, this is not the case of mine. Also, a lot of people say that the invisible shield has an "orange peel" effect. You be the judge, you can't see it in person. Although my invisible shield screen protector for my iPhone is tacky as hell, and has hella orange peel. But I don't care! Cause its protected! :p I included a picture of the invisible shield for that for comparison. You can go to my photobucket if you want to see the high resolution pictures, its Neil1138. Later guys!

HAD TO TAKE DOWN IMAGES> SO GO TO MY PHOTOBUCKET IF U NEED PICS

btw... Personally, I think that the part where the invisible shield goes into the keyboard is a design defect. Cause that part was the hardest and it didnt want to stay down. Also, when i was installing the large top piece, it folded down on itself and i was freaking out. But I finally got it sorted out.

Oh, and the reason i think the iPhone invisible shield is tackier and more orange peely, is because... it costs less so I think ZAGG uses a lower quality film or something. Maybe that's just me but there is a visible difference between my invisible shield on my iphone and my macbook.
 
nicks and scratches... I have a case for carrying it around... And so the palm rest doesn't get f'ed up. Cheap insurance in all reality. Plus I have sweaty hands so the extra grip is nice.
 
Ahhh ok, I was gunna say, that's not gunna keep off anything more than scratches... Still, good idea, keeps it in near perfect nick for when you go to resell it.
 
come on dude, gimme some credit. I'm not the person that thinks a dinky plastic film is gonna protect her from drops. I got an incase slider on my iPhone, come on
 
thats pretty darn awsome!! wish i would have gotten one of these when i bought my MBP. is it a hard case or a soft case??

p.s. please TIMG your images.
 
DoFoT9 said:
thats pretty darn awsome!! wish i would have gotten one of these when i bought my MBP. is it a hard case or a soft case??

p.s. please TIMG your images.
Click to expand...

It's not even a case. It's a thin layer of material that you put on to prevent scratches.

Anyways, that's a really awesome job you did there. A lot better than some of my friends.
 
I'm not sure I care for the glossy look. Seems to fit well on the top though.

I guess to me, stuff like this is like putting seat covers on your furniture. If you do, then in 10 years you can yank them off to sell the furniture and they look like new. But you've basically saved your furniture for someone else who you eventually sell it to. Going to all this trouble to make sure that your office equipment doesn't get scratches seems like the same thing. I will say, being new to the Mac world, that the MBP is not really designed to be banged around a lot. I'm coming from IBM Thinkpads which have a fabulous outer shell that is pretty durable and scratch resistant... as well as being easy to hold onto without slipping out of your hand easily.
 
convergent said:
I'm not sure I care for .... I guess to me, stuff like this is like putting seat covers on your furniture. ....
Click to expand...

I hear this shenanigans all the time. It really doesnt make it that much glossier or cheaper looking or anything. I didnt know you guys wanted to flaunt your macbooks around anyway. I like it and I want to take care of it, thats why im doing this, not for selling it down the road.

docal97 said:
great job but seems like too much of a pia to make it worthwhile.
Click to expand...

3hrs of pia work is worth it rather than crying for 3hrs over a huge scratch on my macbook....
 
convergent said:
I'm not sure I care for the glossy look. Seems to fit well on the top though.

I guess to me, stuff like this is like putting seat covers on your furniture. If you do, then in 10 years you can yank them off to sell the furniture and they look like new. But you've basically saved your furniture for someone else who you eventually sell it to. Going to all this trouble to make sure that your office equipment doesn't get scratches seems like the same thing. I will say, being new to the Mac world, that the MBP is not really designed to be banged around a lot. I'm coming from IBM Thinkpads which have a fabulous outer shell that is pretty durable and scratch resistant... as well as being easy to hold onto without slipping out of your hand easily.
Click to expand...


My thoughts exactly. The job looks like it was well done, but I don't see the point really. You have a perfect MBP, but it's forever under a case so it can't really be enjoyed as a perfect, flawless macbook because it will always have some plastic case on it.

I would just try to be damn, damn, damn careful with it...that's how I've been with all of my previous laptops/ipods, and they are still absolutely pristine.

Just my opinion, but it looks good.:)
 
What really matters is whether or not you like the addition. You're the one who has to look at it and touch it all the time. Personally, I think the plastic looks...well...like plastic. I prefer the texture of the aluminum both in look and feel. But again, to each his own.
 
Is there any way to cut the little inlet that goes into the keyboard? that little flap really bugs me.. I'm getting a mbp in a less than a month, and already ordered the invisible shield.
 
Neil1138, were you aware that the new MBPs come with submersion indicators inside them that turn red when exposed to moisture? Were you also aware that it's been said that these indicators can turn red when exposed to very humid environments? Did you also know that if these indicators are red, it voids your warranty? You might want to open your MBP and make sure the indicators haven't been triggered. There are 2 of them underneath the center of the keyboard.

I would be scared to death to purposely put my brand new MBP in a makeshift sauna and let water run into its ports. If this is what it takes to make an Invisible Shield look good, I think I'll wait for the Speck Hard Case to be available.
 
So it gives an a sexy aluminum laptop the texture and feel of a cheap plastic one... LoL

I know Invisible Shields, I've had it on a previous notebook, good stuff. I recommend it to anyone who is overprotective or/and has a glossy plastic device. But I like the aluminum surface of my MBP.
 
The anodized aluminum shell is very scratch resistant. It's not like the back of the iPod Touch or the plastic Macbook. I've had a Powerbook G4 for 4 years and never got one scratch on it. Didn't protect it, average care and used it everyday and I'm in no way OCD. Minor scratches rub right out. It's anodized metal, it's not painted. To each his own but there's really no need for these plasticy protectors. I have my new MBA and it should last perfectly.

If the OP is rough on his equipment then I see his point, I guess. I would just keep it inside of a sleeve. As time goes by that plastic film will bubble up especially during the summer or when the MBP gets too hot.
 
redfenix said:
Neil1138, were you aware that the new MBPs come with submersion indicators inside them that turn red when exposed to moisture? Were you also aware that it's been said that these indicators can turn red when exposed to very humid environments? Did you also know that if these indicators are red, it voids your warranty? You might want to open your MBP and make sure the indicators haven't been triggered. There are 2 of them underneath the center of the keyboard.

I would be scared to death to purposely put my brand new MBP in a makeshift sauna and let water run into its ports. If this is what it takes to make an Invisible Shield look good, I think I'll wait for the Speck Hard Case to be available.
Click to expand...

Lol. I'm pretty sure that I didn't void my warranty or expose it to an extreme environment like you are proposing. Electronics have to be on to break from water damage... And if it was the case for the litmus paper shenanigans...well let's just say I know my chemistry. And people live in humid environments, that doesn't mean that their warranties get voided. I'm pretty sure apple engineers designed these indicators to go off when the laptop actually has been submerged in water, not to just moisture in the air. But thanks for heads up. I'll keep a bottle of alcohol spray ready.
 
redfenix said:
Neil1138, were you aware that the new MBPs come with submersion indicators inside them that turn red when exposed to moisture? Were you also aware that it's been said that these indicators can turn red when exposed to very humid environments? Did you also know that if these indicators are red, it voids your warranty? You might want to open your MBP and make sure the indicators haven't been triggered. There are 2 of them underneath the center of the keyboard.

I would be scared to death to purposely put my brand new MBP in a makeshift sauna and let water run into its ports. If this is what it takes to make an Invisible Shield look good, I think I'll wait for the Speck Hard Case to be available.
Click to expand...

If you manage to get the indicators under the keyboard wet while doing one of these application then you have more problems than just a voided warranty. ;)
 
let me revise, only turn on your shower to steam the air while installing the large top piece. thats how i did it. The lid was closed so no moisture could have gotten into the keyboard. And when I installed my palm rest, i use such a minute amount of liquid that its ok. Just dont be stupid, and stop trying to scare off people that potentially might want to do this install.
 
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