First off this review is hardly a comparison of similar items. When I first purchased my new MacBook Pro last month I knew I would carry it in a random bag as long as it was first nestled in a laptop case from Booq. I used one of Booq’s Vyper cases for my 12” PowerBook and was sold on its durability and sleek design. Days after I bought my new laptop I went to the Booq site and ordered a new Vyper. My laptop would be protected during transportation but I had one important lesson to learn.
A 12” laptop is very easy to handle and a snap to remove from the case without fumbling it like a fool. Unfortunately I was not aware that a 15” laptop’s weight and size would not be as easy to rapidly unzip whilst dangling in midair. I was especially unaware of how once the larger laptop was being removed from the case (this was user error) that it just may slip prematurely and careen into the edge of a fancy new glass desk. Bless the designers of Apple products, their brushed aluminum cases are made of aluminum – not diamond.
The moment this happened I was devastated and secretly wishing that my beautiful Mac was half as resilient as my plastic Dell (which suffers from no such fragility but isn’t nearly as sheik). I thought there must be a solution available so I would never have to hear the awful noise of aluminum and glass meeting, never have to see another blemish on my precious again.
During a frantic search I found Speck’s See Thru Hard Shell. I thought it looked perfect. I even found a great review on YouTube and I got a personal recommendation from a friend on Facebook. I chose the clear case so I could still admire my shimmery metal and glowing apple.
Surely this apparatus would save me from further heartbreak. The day my package arrived from Amazon I couldn’t wait to try it out. What I found was that yes it could possibly save me from heartache but now I disliked the way my laptop felt, how bulky it looked and the maddening idea that if something got between the case and the metal, scratching could occur (as stated on the product instructions). Additionally I couldn’t push the screen past a certain point since the individual top and bottom pieces prohibited movement. To add insult to injury I couldn’t put the laptop into my Vyper sleeve. Sure I was probably asking for too much. It was at this point I had to choose between the two. I chose to keep the Vyper and to send the Speck case back.
I do think this product is a solution for “some” people. If you don’t want a sleeve and like the idea of the case essentially going with you, always being attached to the computer, adding a little color if you choose red or pink or blue, then the Speck SeeThru Hard Shell is a good fit. I love my iPod case from Contour. I know that my iPod too could be scratched by dirt wedging itself into the case. I am willing to take that risk so that I can have the protective case with the device at all times.
Solutions to protect gear are a matter of taste and function. Over time I would like to see Apple balance design and durability. For the investment customers make in Apple products we shouldn’t have to armor our stuff to leave, let alone venture around, the house.
Jill,
I know the feeling. I dropped my Powerbook in December on my way home from a trip to Buffalo. It was sleeved and inside my Tamrac backpack, but it still dented right by the power port -- arrrgghh! It may not be as pretty as it was on day one but it has worked flawlessly for me for 4+ years and still is.
Congrats on yer new machine.