Customer Reviews

Speck Products See Thru Satin, Soft Touch Hard Shell Case, for Pro 15-inch MacBook Aluminum Unibody/Black Keyboard (Black)

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I am revising my review from a 1 star to 5 star rating! speck has apparently modified the product to eliminate my issue that it did not fit the new, 2010 MBP 15".

This product has been modified to perfectly fit the 2010 15" MBP. The revised ones have a blue sticker on the box right-hand side about midway down which says "Yep, it fits! the new MacBook Pro with 90 degree MagSafe."

I did buy it in person at the Apple Store though. They appear to have new stock of the product which has this sticker. I can't say for sure if Amazon has this new, revised model in stock OR if they have older model. If you order online, etc. from Amazon or Apple and it doesn't have this sticker I'd return it for one that does.

And, it works and looks great!! Just as advertised. I got the black, SeeThru Satin. I like the extra "grip" that the Satin variety/model supplies. Less likely to slip out of your hand than their non-Satin model (which I personally find very attractive visually but, a bit too slippery) - especially at the airport where you are constantly taking your laptop in and out of your baggage. Highly recommended. Easy to install or remove.

They have also modified their regular, SeeThru product line as well. The ones that fit the April 2010 model have the same blue sticker as noted above.

Kudos to speck for addressing this issue!

Again, owners of the newer 2010 MBP MUST look for ones that have this blue sticker. However, this is not at all an issue for owners of earlier MBPs. All models will fit it.

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DO NOT BUY ANY OF THE SPECK PRODUCTS IF YOU HAVE A NEW APRIL, 2010 MBP!!!!!!!!!!!

There is a design issue with the back left clip on the bottom cover. It sticks out too far for the new horizontal Mac A/C adapter to fit properly into the slot. The problem is the same for both their See Thru Satin and Soft Touch Hard Shell lines. Apple is now delivering with the April, 2010 MBP a new style power adapter like the ones that came with the air books. And because of the tang that snaps on to the left back corner of machine it will not properly connect when the Speck case is attached without turning the connector toward the ports and thus it blocks the Ethernet port. SO unless you have a previous power block the frustration begins. Speck will have to redesign the way the case snaps onto the MBP.

I contacted Speck and they are aware of this problem and they say they are working on a new design.

Speck replied:

"Yes our cases will fit however the power cord is now horizontal and not vertical so it interferes with the case by about 1 mm. It will charge but at a slight angle. You can run the cord forward but it will block some ports. I have no ETA on when an out of the box perfect case fit will be released by us by some customers have slightly modified the case with a metal nail file, Dremel or Exacto knife and it works fine."

Personally, I'm not making this a DIY project. Especially when you could ruin a $50 case in the process.

I will re-post once they have a satisfactory solution to this issue.

I bought this a few months ago, and there is one major complaint: it affects the closure of the lid of the macbook. I tried a speck a long time ago with my regular macbook and also noticed this, but wasn't sure if it would also affect the new macbook pros: it does.

If the lid is not at a normal opening (for normal use), then the additional weight of the lid will cause it to either close (when opened a little bit), or lean back further than you want it to. Basically, this case is too heavy for the Macbook Pro. I wanted something that would protect the computer, but not at the cost of functionality of the lid. Sometimes I want the lid closed just a little bit, or maybe I want to carry the macbook somewhere without closing the lid.. both of these are hard to do with the Speck attached.

Sorry guys, the case looks nice and it's a good idea, but you have to make it lighter!

This case arrived a couple days after I ordered it. It fits both the October 2008 and June 2009 unibody Macbook Pros (15.4") perfectly. The case has a snug fit, feels great, and looks very professional. It was very easy to snap on and doesn't scratch the laptop whatsoever--it's very protective (although I can't guarantee it will do much if you drop your Macbook--for that I recommend the polyurethane case by Be-Ez). I love how the apple icon on the back of my Macbook illuminates through the case. Although fingerprints (which can be cleaned off) show up more on this satin Speck case than the hard-body Speck case, the Satin case doesn't accumulate scratches as much. Overall I love this product and would recommend it to any Macbook Pro user.

The case has a very nice feel and stylish. My only gripe is that it's heavy! The macbook pro 15" is no feather weight. This case significantly adds to the weight. Also, I do not recommend putting the cover on the top of the laptop as it weighs down the screen and can easily wear out the tension. The top of the laptop rolls back way too easily due to the excess weight. This isn't much of a problem for me as just having the bottom part is still desirable since it still looks stylish while protects the laptop from scratches (the bottom is where the majority of the scratches will come from).

I bought this case about a year and a half ago, and was very happy with the purchase. The case was sleek, looked nice, fit well, and seemed to protect my Macbook from dreaded scratches and nicks. It required monthly cleaning in order to keep dirt and particles from becoming wedged in between the case and the Macbook, but that was a small price to pay. However, in the long run this case is NOT worth it.

After a year or so of use I noticed that my Macbook's screen had become wobbly and was no longer stable. When I pushed it back, there was about a half inch where you could pull the screen back up and it would just fall back down. While it doesn't necessarily affect the performance of the laptop, it is a nuisance and whenever I pick up my laptop when it is still open it wobbles back and forth and I feel like the screen will snap off any minute. I took it to the Apple store and they said that not only could they not simply tighten the hinges of the screen, but that if I wanted it fixed I would have to replace the entire screen for $700. The 3-year warranty I purchased apparently does not cover this because through "normal use", this wouldn't happen. Apparently "normal use" is defined as not using a case-apparently the Speck case added weight to the screen that it is not supposed to carry, this weakening the hinges.

Also, the case raises the temperature of the Macbook by a LOT. I'm not really sure of the exact numbers but I noticed that when I ran the Sims 3 (a very CPU-heavy program),the fan began to whir very loudly and clearly was running at max power to try and get all the excess heat out. However, once I removed the case the fan ran at medium power and was not nearly as loud, indicating that the temperature was not as high as before. With the case on the surface of the computer was hot enough to burn your hands!

But I digress. I'm not going to replace my entire screen for $700 even though the wobbliness is annoying. While this case looks and feels nice, I'd stick with some decorative decals (if you must have the personalization) and opt for a nice neoprene sleeve instead.

I've never bought a product that gets more attention than this case for my macbook pro. I can't even sit in a coffee shop for more than a few minutes without someone asking "what mac is that?", "Is that a cover?". Needless to say, it gets lots of attention, it protects the finish on my machine perfectly, and it makes all necessary connections accessible. Did I mention the suede like finish is not only sexy, but it feels good, because it does. And cleaning is no problem, clorox wipes or screen wipes do the trick. Worth it to get this one that some of the cheaper, non-sexy models. Easy-to-install as well.

Pros:
- Protects the macbook pro
- Fits the mid 2009 model like a glove
- Non-slip grip for the laptop

Cons:
- Inadequate heat distribution when running intensive applications
- smudges show up easily on black surface
- Adds an additional weight and thickness to the laptop

I really like this product, and will continue using it while traveling. However, for just using around the house, I will likely remove the cover and use the unprotected laptop. It's much easier on the fan that way.

I purchased this for my college age daughter. It fits her 15" MacBook perfectly and keeps it in the pristine condition that she appreciates. Speck suggests that you remove the cover occassionally to clean it. On one such cleaning one of the tabs that keeps the cover secure on the Mac broke off. I contacted Speck who requested a proof of purchase and a photo of the broken tab. They overnighted a new case that day. All correspondence was kind and gracious; a real pleasure to deal with.

First of all, I originally saw this case on a friend's computer and thought it made the computer look really slick. I went ahead and purchased one last week and I'm very pleased.

I have been out and about with it and the case has held strong. I wouldn't say it adds a whole lot of weight - at least, no more than most cases. The top/screen part of the case does in fact weigh it down a bit when closing. I don't find this to be an issue, but something to be aware of. If you are trying to just close the computer all but a little bit, maybe just to hide your work in the coffee shop or if you're talking to someone and you don't want the laptop to be in the way, there's a chance the weight of the case might close it on you. I don't particularly need to do anything like that, but just so others are aware, the weight of the screen portion may close the computer on you.

Overall, this is a great case. A few simple snaps to get on and that's it! Very protective and soft to the touch.

I'm very happy with this purchase and I feel like it will protect my computer from any random bumps or scratches.

I ordered and received it within two days thanks to Amazon Prime. Other than some extra plastic on the edges which was easy to remove, this product fit like a glove on my June 2009 15" Unibody MacBook Pro.

The cover is really light and you really don't get a sense of any extra bulk with it on. It gives the Macbook a nice silky / grippy texture and it cleans up easily with water and a towel. I've had it for about a month and have yet to get any permanent stains or scratches on it.

While the plastic case may prevent heat from radiating out directly from the aluminum case, it's not that bad. I'm sitting in a 74 degree Fahrenheit room and the enclosure temperatures are 88F to 90F at 10% to 20% CPU load, with a CPU temp of 118F. I can barely feel any warmth on my legs while wearing shorts.

I wasn't crazy about the purple mac logo glowing through the cover, so I inserted a piece of cardboard between the cover and the glowing logo, and it is now completely opaque. Since the top cover is so tight, that piece of cardboard isn't going anywhere.

The top cover is pretty easy to remove if you take off the right or left side entirely, as once you have one of those sides popped, the top can just slide off. The bottom cover can be hard to remove and you must be very careful when doing so, as it's easy to snap one of the tabs towards the back.

As other reviewers have mentioned, I have access to all left side slots, including SD card and audio. On the right, not only is the dvd drive bay open, but so is the security lock hole, should you need to chain down your MBP.