Hi, I just bought a some PowerSupport matte anti-glare film for my MacBook. Before I got it, I wasn't able to find many good reviews, so I thought I'd share my experiences.
I bought the film at my local Apple Store for $34.95. It was in the back below all the MacBook cases and bags. Buying it at the store, even with tax, was the cheapest way to buy it because everyone else charges shipping, and there were no discounts.
The film itself is in a thin green cardboard envelope that's quite difficult to open. I actually almost bent the film trying to get the stupid thing open. The best thing in hindsight would have been to take some scissors and cut at the very edge of one side, then pull the film out.
Applying the film was almost painless, but I took a lot of precautions. I had read that applying these types of films often resulted in dust getting underneath because it is highly attracted to the static cling that makes the film stick to the screen. Although the instructions mention using tape to remove the dust, the review at MacWorld suggests this technique can expose the film to even more dust.
The solution I tried was to steam up a clean bathroom by turning on the shower for a while. Apparently, the steam connects with the dust, which then falls to the floor. This technique worked flawlessly. I took the MacBook into the steamy bathroom and used a lint free cloth to clean the screen so that it was dust-free. Next I peeled back the top portion of the film and applied it to the top of the screen using the iSight camera hole to line everything up. It didn't align correctly the first several times, but it was easy to pull the film off and realign. Once that was done, I peeled off the backing of the film slowly as I let the film rest on the remainder of the screen.
There was not even a hint of dust on the film or screen, and it was aligned so perfectly no one could tell where it started or stopped. Unfortunately, there were quite a few bubbles under the film. I gently push the big ones (bigger than a little fingernail) toward the edge. The remaining ones I let sit overnight, and there was absolutely no hint of bubbles the next morning.
Now onto the visibility of the film. Although the MacWorld reviewer seemed to think it was like a regular matte screen on an old-style Apple notebook, this is not the case at all. First, there is an odd graininess to the screen. It's sort of like some dots on the screen are randomly a little dimmer and some are a little sparkly. Overall, this effect makes the screen is noticeably less vibrant but still very readable.
The bigger distraction for me is that everything I move my head, there looks to be diagonal lines of light moving across the screen. The brighter the screen, the more obvious these effects are. This is definitely annoying, but other than testing the screen, I'm not sure how often I move my head when using the computer. When I use the computer on my lap, the movement of my typing does cause the screen to move slightly. I need to use the computer with the film for a while to discover whether this is a problem when I'm not specifically looking for it.
As for those nasty reflections -- the screen does a nice job of minimizing direct reflections. It's about as good as a regular matte screen in terms of dealing with lights -- no more mirrorlike reflections. If the reflectivity of the screen is your sole concern, this solves it.
Overall, the fit of the film to the screen is outstanding -- no one will ask what's on your screen. The anti-glare, anti-reflectivity also works just as it should. The issue is that screen looks slightly grainy and moving either the screen or your head causes odd light patterns on the screen. I will try to report back in a week or two to let people know what it's like over a longer term.
I bought the film at my local Apple Store for $34.95. It was in the back below all the MacBook cases and bags. Buying it at the store, even with tax, was the cheapest way to buy it because everyone else charges shipping, and there were no discounts.
The film itself is in a thin green cardboard envelope that's quite difficult to open. I actually almost bent the film trying to get the stupid thing open. The best thing in hindsight would have been to take some scissors and cut at the very edge of one side, then pull the film out.
Applying the film was almost painless, but I took a lot of precautions. I had read that applying these types of films often resulted in dust getting underneath because it is highly attracted to the static cling that makes the film stick to the screen. Although the instructions mention using tape to remove the dust, the review at MacWorld suggests this technique can expose the film to even more dust.
The solution I tried was to steam up a clean bathroom by turning on the shower for a while. Apparently, the steam connects with the dust, which then falls to the floor. This technique worked flawlessly. I took the MacBook into the steamy bathroom and used a lint free cloth to clean the screen so that it was dust-free. Next I peeled back the top portion of the film and applied it to the top of the screen using the iSight camera hole to line everything up. It didn't align correctly the first several times, but it was easy to pull the film off and realign. Once that was done, I peeled off the backing of the film slowly as I let the film rest on the remainder of the screen.
There was not even a hint of dust on the film or screen, and it was aligned so perfectly no one could tell where it started or stopped. Unfortunately, there were quite a few bubbles under the film. I gently push the big ones (bigger than a little fingernail) toward the edge. The remaining ones I let sit overnight, and there was absolutely no hint of bubbles the next morning.
Now onto the visibility of the film. Although the MacWorld reviewer seemed to think it was like a regular matte screen on an old-style Apple notebook, this is not the case at all. First, there is an odd graininess to the screen. It's sort of like some dots on the screen are randomly a little dimmer and some are a little sparkly. Overall, this effect makes the screen is noticeably less vibrant but still very readable.
The bigger distraction for me is that everything I move my head, there looks to be diagonal lines of light moving across the screen. The brighter the screen, the more obvious these effects are. This is definitely annoying, but other than testing the screen, I'm not sure how often I move my head when using the computer. When I use the computer on my lap, the movement of my typing does cause the screen to move slightly. I need to use the computer with the film for a while to discover whether this is a problem when I'm not specifically looking for it.
As for those nasty reflections -- the screen does a nice job of minimizing direct reflections. It's about as good as a regular matte screen in terms of dealing with lights -- no more mirrorlike reflections. If the reflectivity of the screen is your sole concern, this solves it.
Overall, the fit of the film to the screen is outstanding -- no one will ask what's on your screen. The anti-glare, anti-reflectivity also works just as it should. The issue is that screen looks slightly grainy and moving either the screen or your head causes odd light patterns on the screen. I will try to report back in a week or two to let people know what it's like over a longer term.
