Best Skins Ever on my MacBook Pro

I installed a Best Skins Ever on my MacBook Pro and have been really pleased with the results. I've used BSE on some of my other devices including ipods, psp, iphone, etc etc. However, I never applied such a large one and was worried about the look of it. However, after seeing some other scratched up MBP's I decided to give it a go.

Installation was the same as any other device, just more painstaking due to the size of the sheets. I spent about 20 minutes on each piece aligning, squeegeeing, and drying. The one thing I will say is be careful pulling the pieces off the backing if you decide to skin your laptop. The larger pieces make it easier to stretch. I stretched my palm rest piece a tiny bit. It didn't affect things, but it might had if it were stretched more.

The one thing I like about the BSE MacBook Pro skin over Invisible Shield's is it covers more of the palm rest, and it's one sheet. I took some quick pics with my camera phone, but I'll try and post some higher res pictures later if there's interest. Highly recommended for $27, and I actually like the look of my MBP with it on.

It sort of looks like there are streaks from the sunlight and the camera lens, but it really is prety flawless. No air bubbles, either. I have a tiny one on the palm rest which I'm sure will go away in a couple of days.

 

I think this type of skin will reduce heat dispassion ability of MPB's chassis, yes ?

 

I don't think anyone's ever posted any concrete evidence...though I would believe it if it were a degree or two. And the fan isn't blocked. I use smc fan control, so it's not really a concern..

 

I just put one of these on my Black MacBook and am expecting one for my MB Air shortly. Love them!

 

Looks nice. Does the shield cover the bottom of the notebook?

 

Yeah, it does, I just didn't feel like closing the lid to take the pictures.

I may take some higher res ones for reference for others. I always like checking out what a product looks like before I buy it.

 

Personally I dont think I'd like something like that. I really like the fact that the MBP isn't glossy, and making it glossy, is something I wouldn't do.

Guess it kinda comes down to whether or not end user like glossy things or not.

 

For me it comes down to an extra layer of protection for my devices to prevent scratches/scuffs. Although I'm not a fan of the glossy, I'm ok with it due to the other benefits.

 

I might order one of these.

 

Exactly. I know a few people who have had macbook pros for a year or so, and they're all scratched up - and they're not children, they basically take care of their stuff. Considering mine got a few scratches on it within the couple of weeks from buying it and applying a BSE, I'd rather deal with applying something like that.

I like my stuff to stay pristine if possible. I wasn't sure I'd love the glossy look, but it actually looks pretty good. I'm used to it.

 

No need for that on my macbook pro, just do not put it in the situation where it can get scratched.

 

I agree with the post above. I've had my macbook pro for almost a year and never had a problem with scratches.

 

Had BSE full body skin for my MBP applied within the hour it's out of the box. Feels like a very expensive glossy MacBook.



One thing to note though.. dust will collect at the edges of the skin after some use..

 

You can be the most careful person in the world, but one day your MBP will get scratched and you'll wish you had some sort of protection. It may not even be the fault of your own.

 

I have had this type of shield on a white and black macbook. It really helped to bring some peace of mind when I let others use my mac. The skin on the white macbook started to get dirty/yellow on the edges however.

Post more pics, I was thinking about putting this on my MBP

 

I posted a few pictures of the Invisible Shield on my Macbook a few weeks ago.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3156911#post3156911

 

I had an invisible shield on the wrist rest of my macbook (till it broke and got replaced) and was thinking about getting a full body one, but now I see how much cheaper the BSE one is and probably won't get another IS. IS full body is $54, and full body BSE is $26.

 

The Invisible Shield has a lifetime replacement guarantee, which I feel is worth the higher price.

Just send your old shield in, and they'll send a new one back.

 

I'm sure you can't peel it off and send it back in and ask for a replacement 'just because it got crappy'..

From the photos of Jon's InvisibleShield gallery, it seems like the skin is cut into different pieces leaving gaps in between skins on certain surfaces. The BSE skin that I've seen however is tailored-cut in one whole piece with proper cutouts though.

Can't see why you would need warranty on a piece of plastic though..

 

is it possible to post some pictures of the bottom of your macbookpro with the skin applied?

Is the bottom a solid piece or multiple pieces, and does it cover the battery too? (Does the battery have it's own piece?)

 

There should be multiple pieces.

 

Yes, there are multiple pieces......how else would you get the battery out.

 

The bottom of BSE is 2 pieces - a piece for the battery, and a large piece with a cutout for the rest. My camera broke while I was on Fraser Island. I can snap it with my cell phone later.

 

It's 3 pieces, one for the case, one for the battery, and one for the memory compartment door. The coverage of the skin are somewhat like the attachment below..

 

MacBook is only 2.

Where did you get the colored skin from??

 

Ah.. I see..

Umm.. that was a photoshop mockup..

 

Ok, I meant by 1 piece the area surrounding the memory card door, because I have seen one that is four. To picture it, look at that mockup above and draw lines straight up and down along side the battery/memory door vertically, which I think just kills the clean look on the bottom.

Well that is good, maybe if I do get macbook pro ill get a BSE and just skip the trackpad one because I don't imagine it will glide as smoothly.

 

Well, it actually curves around the lines, just the mockup was done a bit hastily..

 

can u post more pictures?

 

How often are you looking at the bottom of your laptop??

 

^i cant sleep without doing that

 

Not often, but that also begs the question, if we never look at the bottom, why do we feel inclined to protect it? It ups the resale value and I would rather have a clean looking bottom (even though I dont look at it often) than 4 pieces surrounding the battery/memory area with 1-2mm gaps between em

 

Obviously you put a protector on the bottom to prevent scratches etc. The plain fact of having protection (1 or 4 pieces) is going to help keep your laptop from decreasing in value compared to not having one at all.

 

personally i don't think glossy looks good on silver at all. how many glossy silver gadget do you see out there? it's kinda gross to think about it lol. i think matte finish on MBP makes it look elegant.

at least it's not like 3rd party ipod cases. those things are super ugly and defeats the purpose of having a nice look gadget like ipod. i usually get rid of my gadgets after 3-4 years so there's no point in keeping it pristine condition beyond that. i usually take care about my stuff so excessive wear or damage has never been an issue.

protection is overrated and only serves to make $$ for 3rd party accessory manufacturers. if you actually did something that would cause the ipod to break say dropping it on a concrete ground then i doubt those plastic casing would be of much help.

 

i think the protectors prevent the owner from having the full "intended experience" especially w/ Apple product. think about if those ugly ipod cases came stock and you couldn't take them off. well your casings will have dirt/scratch/whatever on them and it'll look twice as hideous than having just scratches on the ipod itself. so you buy your trendy eye candy products from Apple only to keep under hideous cover made by 3rd party? lol. also i think the bulk of your value on tech gadgets go down regardless of what cosmetic condition its in. maybe 10% at most but even then it's not worth trading for intended user experience with having such thin and sleek looking products.

 

First of all, protection is NOT overrated. If you want a prime (albeit an unrelated) example, take a condom or a seatbelt! Tell someone who got accidentally pregnant, or someone who's been in a vehicle accident that protection isn't what it's cracked up to be, and I'm sure they'll disagree with you wholeheartedly!

In regards to gadgets, it's equally important to protect your investment. If you personally don't care to keep your devices in near pristine condition that's fine, but to call it overrated is just silly.

If you were in the market for a used MacBookPro and you had your choice between one that is scratched and banged up, or one that's had a skin on it and only had minor scuff marks, which are you going to choose?? The choice should be obvious.

I'm guessing that you've never seen or let alone used a device which had a BSE skin on it (or Invisible Shield which BSE is based upon). The skins attach directly to the device and are only a milimeter or two thick. There is no chance for dirt or grime to get under these skins as they're bonded directly to the device.

Before getting a skin on my original iPhone, I continually dropped it because it would literally slip out of my hand. With an Invisible Shield on it, I didn't drop it once, and it actually helped to keep fingerprints to a minimum.

PLEASE know what you're talking about before you offer opinions which are wrong. I get the "Full Intended Experience" out of all my devices whether or not they have a case on them, however with BSE or Invisible Shield skin, it's next to impossible NOT to get that full experience.

 

comparing gadget protection which i was obviously referring to with condom is um... no comment.

as ive already mentioned in previous post the bulk of depreciation will occur w/ hardware and not cosmetic imperfections. i will gladly choose the one in mint condition but it will not warrant a heavy premium.

although i've not seen or used a device with BSE i'm well educated enough to analyze and understand from information and pictures posted online. that is unless you want to argue that the user experiences such as the one written by OP is inaccurate i doubt first hand experience will be much of a surprise

my main points were 1) i didn't find glossy on silver matte finish was attractive. 2) protective cases IN GENERAL defeated the purpose of getting such stylish but non-rugged high tech gadgets in first place.

"intended experience" also means looking and feeling like how it was intended to look/feel. cuz frankly glossy silver looks horrible TO ME (OPINION OPINION YES MY OPINION).

lastly PLEASE realize that you've offered your opinion and i've offered mine. you're not in any position to judge which opinions are wrong or which ones are right. i can see that you're very passionate about the product but you don't need to be such an ass defending the product sheesh.

 

I don't think he was being an ass at all... protection is necessary for laptops. If you are willing to dish out a grand or more on a product, you generally want it to last for as long as possible and to take care of your investment you buy protective equipment such as bags and covers etc... I don't know about you, but if an ugly case around my laptop would protect it from a liquid spill and save me hundreds of dollars in the long run, I wouldn't care about the aesthetics of it at all. That would be a very good investment, and that is why there is a big market for notebook protection.

We aren't trying to say your opinion is wrong, we are just merely trying to point out how ridiculously absurd it is.

 

i don't know about you but those ugly case around your laptop will not protect it from a liquid spill and save u hundreds in long run (the cases aren't water-proof). again if it's something severe then i doubt a notebook case will be of much help. there is a big market because there is a market... not necessarily because it's essential.

again you're entitled to your own opinion and i am to mine. what's ridiculously absurd to you may not be to others. what's important and necessary to you may be ridiculously stubborn to others.

but you people seem to know what you're talking about so i'm done with this thread

 

"Protection" applies to many different topics and ideals, however the basic idea behind it is universally the same! People regret not having protection as soon as an accident happens.

It WILL warrant some premium however and that is the point. It's a $30 investment in protection which could result in a couple hundred extra later when you go to sell.

Then you really can't make an honest opinion about them. That's like me saying I think a BMW is a horrible car simply because I've seen them in magazines and I don't like the looks of them.

1) I never tried to convince you otherwise on this point
2) This one I disagree with because the BSE/Invisible Shield skins still allow the original aesthetics of the device to come through.

I'm not really a fan of glossy silver either, however the benefits of having that protection outweigh the negatives. Evidently some people tend to appreciate a computer that works, compared to others who just want one that's "pretty".

You seem to think you're in the position of judging people by referring to me as an ass......shouldn't you be taking some of that medicine yourself before dishing it out to others?

 

You've admitted you don't even like 3rd party protection, but now you're an expert on them all?

There's a big market because obviously a lot of people feel that protection is important.

Thanks for coming out. Don't let the door hit you.