Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

mrgreen4242

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 10, 2004
4,377
9
I bought a new 30gb 5G (refurb) and since I really like the looks of the iPod, and also was concerned about adding more bulk/weight to it I wanted to get a transparent skin. I checked out InvisibleShield which seems like a pretty popular product, but it's also really expensive!

My searching lead me to a company called GuardFilm (guardfilm.com) who sells full coverage skins for all new iPods for about $6 shipped (1/4 of the price of InvisibleShield). So I figured what the heck and bought one (two actually, after a mistake where I thought I could use the $10 off $10+ Google Checkout coupon for them... my fault for not reading Google's fine print). Anyways, got the iPod and skin yesterday and put it on today, here's what I have to say so far:

First, the product does seem to be genuinely the same as InvisibleShield. It came right on a 3M marked backing, who I believe also makes the material IS uses. Application, as noted in many of the IS reviews, is pretty difficult. The skin for the front of the iPod was pretty easy to apply after a couple tries to get the hang of the material.

The back was a bit more tricky in that it folds up over the sides, top, and bottom of the iPod and so alignment is a bit more difficult. Also, the click wheel and the center button are separate pieces (something I don't like) and I actually managed to lose the center button piece during application somehow. (Very bizarre; I put it on the iPod, and patted it dry like directions tell you to do. When I went back to squeeze out the air/water under it it was gone. Not stuck to the cloth I used to pat it, not on the table, not on me. Just gone).

That said, it goes on well, and if you follow the directions, are patient, and careful it will cover the vast majority of the iPod and goes on pretty close to completely invisible. It has kind of nice, matte look to it as well, may even be a little nicer than the uncovered screen, imo.

I can't say how durable it is yet, of course, but I took some of the scrap material and played with it. The famous "stretch test" where they spear the skin with a pen seems to hold fairly true, but the "scratch test" looks to be slightly exaggerated. Something like putting the iPod in your pocket with keys won't hurt it, but I WAS able to scratch through the material with the jagged point of a paper clip dragging across it and pushing really hard. In its defense, this was material that I just pulled off the sheet as scrap and it hadn't been "properly applied" to anything and left to cure, so it may get harder after it is whetted and dried out. Even so it was fairly impressively strong, for a thin skin.

Addition One: I had some time to use the iPod more now that the skin is (mostly*) dried. I'm not sure I like the covering on the clickwheel. It seems to stick to the main skin piece a bit, which makes the
clickwheel not move as smoothly as it should. The center button (which as I mentioned earlier is not not covered) clicks fine. I think I will take that piece off and just "take my chances" with an uncovered wheel - which obviously not the main surface that needs protecting.

* The directions indicate it takes up to 24 to fully set, but it's dry to the touch and seems pretty permanently set after a couple hours.
So, in summary,

Addition Two: In trying to remove the clickwheel cover I found there was actually a small ring around that which could be/was meant to be removed. Once taken off it made a ~1mm wide gap between the main cover and the wheel that fixed the clicking issues.

Pros: Cheap, looks good (clear, so the iPod shows through completely), fairly durable (will protect the iPod well for normal wear), light/no bulk.

Cons: Difficult to apply (I'm going to have to reapply the back, I think), not as sturdy as a hard case would be.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.