Customer Reviews

Speck MacBook 13" See-Thru Hard Case - CLEAR

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I just bought a new MacBook and wanted to keep it as pristine as possible knowing that I'd be toting it back and forth to Bar review classes. After a month of use, I noticed some dirt spots on the case and tried to remove them with Windex and a paper towel. Then I realized the dirt spots weren't dirt at all, but were the shadows of scratches on the inside of the case (i.e., on the surface that makes contact with the outer plastic of the MacBook). After prying off the case (took about a minute all by myself; not that hard) I saw that corresponding scratches were on my MacBook. Since this case isn't airtight (to allow for heat venting I assume), some dust or particles probably got in between the case and the MacBook and the normal use just sandwiched the particle between the two, scratching both surfaces.

Note, this is not one or two scratches. This is in the teens and all over my new MacBook. Preventing scratches like this is exactly what I was trying to avoid by buying this case and when I store my MacBook I always put it in a sleeve. My guess is that the MacBook would have been better off with out the case.

Not happy and I can't really recommend this product. I would have given 2 stars because maybe, just maybe, the MacBook would have been damaged worse without the case. Maybe. I dinged it down to one because there were already some scratches and dings in the case when I opened it up. For any nay sayers, I wiped the case and the MacBook down with a teflon cloth and then air blasted them before putting the case on the MacBook.

Like most people I bought the Speck cover to protect my Mac when I travel. And like most people I would like to keep my computer in pristine condition, but in the real world I know that's pretty much impossible. In short everything is a trade-off. If you want your Mac to stay looking like the day you brought it home, you're going to spend more time fussing over it than working on it. But if you bought it to use for its intended purpose, eventually it will show some wear and tear.

If you carry your Mac from home to work or school where it goes from one safe, clean place to another you probably won't need the Speck case. But if you really take your Mac on the road the Speck case is worth a look. I fly over 100,000 miles each year which means that the computer is constantly exposed to TSA security checks, airline tray tables, and numerous lobbies and hotel rooms. I saw the Speck as good protection for when the computer is not snuggled in neoprene or tucked away in my briefcase. And so far it has done its job very well.

I haven't seen the small scratches that some of the folks who posted here refer to, but I don't doubt that they may very well exist. For me however, if I remove the cover and see them on my Mac it will still be worth it to protect it from the big scratches (or chips, or gouges). And speaking of removing the case, I haven't had any problems there either.

The manufacturer's instructions recommend that you slide a thin piece of plastic between the edge of the computer and the cover to "pop" the clips holding the cover on. I used one of those small "frequent purchaser" keychain barcode tags (most grocery and retail stores issues them to customers) to remove the cover with no effort at all. No wrestling, no mangling, and no damage.

Someone also noted that the plastic in the case is too soft, allowing it to flex and cause the small scratches. I'm sure that Speck could change the chemical compound to make the case more rigid, but that would also make it a little less comfortable in your hand, and a little more prone to cracking or even shattering. So we're back to that trade-off thing again. To me they got the right combination.

At the end of the day all computer cases do a good job of protecting your computer when it's safely inside, but the Speck case protects it when it's out and running, which is exactly what I was looking for. Very few cases can make that claim.

I recently got the Speck MacBook See-Thru Hard Case (as in today). I put it on and admired how well it fit an am suprised at how little wait and size it adds. Also something not noted is that there are little rubber feet inside it to help prevent excessive contact with your MacBook. Then I put my display on my lap and opened my display and arrggghhhh. The display would only open to about 90 degrees. Meaning as it's on my lap the display is not pointing at me. The problem being that the Speck case on the bottom colides with the one on the lid and the lid itself. The solution is to get a dremel and follow already existing molding lines in the bottom case and cut the back off the bottom cover on both back corners. I'm not sure why the back is necessary as it doesn't add necessary strength to the bottom cover and the slots in the back that you cut off in the process don't line up with the speaker grills in any case.

Can I recommend this product? Only if you're hand with a dremel or you don't mind your display being limited to only partially opening. I love the cover and having gotten the blue one like the new color but until they make some necessary changes this product only deserves a 6 out of 10.

As long as its on, it will prevent scratches, but its tough to get off, and that act can scratch your laptop. It scratched my Macbook when I pried it off. The guy at the Apple Store who snapped it on a Macbook beause I requested a "demo", couldn't pry it off, and after 10 embarassing minutes, he called a colleague over, and they pried it off together. And, to be honest, this makes the MB look ugly - kinda like putting a veil on a supermodel. ;--(

UPDATE (2009): Its tough to get off once its snapped in, like I mentioned earlier, but it did save my MacBook from more dust, grime and serious scratches. So, I do think this might be a worthwhile product after all.

I bought this product because it was advertised to protect my macbook from scratches. Unfortunately, less than six months after I put it on my brand-new laptop, I discovered that the plastic case had trapped incidental dust and dirt in between the case and the laptop, and had scratched my entire computer irreparably. Sure, my computer still works, but the once-pristine laptop case is now scratched, far more than it would have been had I NOT purchased this cover.
I am currently in negotiations with Speck to get my money back and damages. The product is well-engineered in terms of usability of the Macbook, but poorly thought out in terms of protection of the laptop.

I bought one of these when I bought my Macbook to keep it in pristine condition, just a few months ago. I just popped it off to clear out a little bit of debris that got caught between the cover and the Macbook and find that all along the cover has been scratching my Macbook.

They should at least have had the foresight to make the plastic in contact with the Macbook of a softer material, or created a design where it won't rub against the laptop.

Really stupid design. It may have protected against some very minor scratches,but likely I'm worse off for using this cover (scratches on the outside of the cover are more evenly dispersed than those now on the macbook but both are of similar severity). I don't think in the long run it was worth $40, and I feel very misled by the marketing for this cover. Given the choice again I would have either gone for another brand or just saved my money.

It looks good on my white macbook and I suppose it offers some level of protection but... there is probably only a dollars worth of plastic in this 40$+ cover... hard to justify. I have also bought a black napa leather cover from covercase for a few dollars less that looks awesome, gets many compliments, keeps my legs cool while sitting on my lap and wont scratch the surface of my macbook because there is no hard plastic touching the case, just a soft red felt lining. Check out covercase on Amazon sold by third party but good service.

Exactly the same issue as other reviewers.. the exact thing I bought the product to prevent, has happened because of it.

Dirt and dust gets caught between the case and the macbook- and just grinds away, leading to deep, deep scratches.

So upsetting!

I initially realy liked this product, but i realized that it makes the screen half much heavier and as a result the nubs which meet the bottom half when the laptop closes have been cracking the plastic of the laptop when they close it. I have since taken this cover off my laptop because it causes too many problems (even though it looks cool)

I've got a nice Solodex backpack for my 13" white MacBook, but I usually leave the Mac out on a table so it's easy to access. Anyone who's ever owned a Mac or iPod knows how easily they can become scratched. I saw an article in Macworld about the red speck case and I was fascinated by it having never seen a hard clip on case for a lap top before, not to mention one that was asthetically pleasing. So I shopped around and bought a red case from Amazon. I noticed in the customer reviews that some folks complained that the Speck case scratched their MacBook. However, since I own 2 iPods and a 20" iMac I've learned the importance of making sure that both the device and the inside of the case are completely clean and dust free before installation. I'm extremely happy with my Speck case and the lighted apple logo on the MacBook lid looks gorgeous in red. I'd recommend this case to anyone who wants to protect their investment with a minimum of fuss. An added bonus is that the case insulates your lap from some of the heat that the battery builds up, so now I've got a real laptop.