Keyboard, PalmGuard & Trackpad Protector for Macbook Air 2010

Firstly let me say I’m not a careful person with my gadgets and I usually purchase very simple protection for them. The Macbook Air is a bit different… well, according to me it would be a crime not to protect the absolute beauty and sleekness of this well designed laptop. Although you might think I paid top dollar for design only, I beg to differ even though that itself would suffice BUT that’s not the topic of this article. Having said that I should probably write another short article explaining why a 17years-windows-user would purchase a Mac OS laptop. Anyways, here goes…

Skin-Mate Keyboard Cover for Macbook Air 11″ 2010

I initially wanted to purchase the Moshi Clearguard MB keyboard cover but a courteous salesperson from MaCulture(located at SLS 5th floor) recommended Skin-Mate instead, claiming the quality to be the same as Moshi’s. They even had a sample of it on a Macbook Air 11″ in the shop for testing. I haven’t exactly used Moshi’s version before so I can’t say which is exactly better but I like the feel and quality of Skin-Mate keyboard cover and it costs significantly lesser so I ended up purchasing it. The material is made of very thin transparent TPU(thermoplastic polyurethane) material and you can’t really tell its there without taking a closer look. The only downside is you won’t get the same feeling typing without it and it takes some time to get used to but no biggie really.

For those dwelling on the technicalities of TPU over silicon:

• excellent abrasion resistance
• outstanding low-temperature performance
• excellent mechanical properties, combined with a rubber-like elasticity
• very good tear strength
• high elasticity
• high transparency
• good oil and grease resistance

Moshi PalmGuard Air 11 w/ Trackpad Protector

I’m sure we have seen our fair share of stained laptops especially the area where the palm rests and the touchpad. If you are serious about protecting your Macbook Air like I do, this product is a must buy. The PalmGuard fits surprisingly well along the corners, it takes a few tries to align it properly but it’s fairly simple. Do make sure the areas are free of dirt and oil before applying. I had the PalmGuard applied a tiny bit deeper from the edge so it won’t peel off easily in the future. The trackpad protector is easy to apply as well, taking no more than a couple times to stick it in place. The color and texture of the protectors matches perfectly to the Macbook Air as well so you won’t feel the difference at all. Finally, there’s no noticeable change to the trackpad’s sensitivity, picking up every click and gesture of my fingers without fail.

Final Thoughts…

I’m glad to say Moshi and Skin-Mate both produce high quality products in this review, no complains whatsoever and I can definitely recommend them to anyone who wishes to protect their investment. On a sidenote, I didn’t go for the Bodyguardz casing protection film as anodized aluminium is pretty scratch resistant and having a glossy look on my Macbook Air is just… fugly.