Invisible Shield on MacBook Air

[chris]

I ordered my Invisible Shield two days before I ordered my MBA, but it just finally made it's appearance today. Last time I used the Invisible Shield was on my iPod Video. Install went sorta ok. The MacBook Air is a much more involved install. I'm hoping I don't muck it up. The Air is a beauty and I'm hoping the shield stays invisible.

Wish me luck....

[Hawk]

Good Luck!
I really like the invisible shield products, but to be honest, they "stain" with use, and if a corner or edge picks up any dirt, it will soon be followed by a slight peeling. The solution for me was to grab a razor blade and remove the part that has lifted and no longer sticks to the product it's protecting.
I had my iPhone wrapped in the Shield on 3 different occations. the first 2 times I removed it was because I was having the phone replaced.
the third time was because I bought the Incase slider ( which I love).
While I had the phone in the Shield, I had 2 bad drops. Both times the phone came out virtually unscathed. Great investment.
However, if you are as clumsy as me, you might want to get something a bit tougher.

[acosmichippo]

is it really necessary with an aluminum case? seems to me that anything severe enough to mark up aluminum would slice its way through a plastic skin anyway...

[chris]

Originally Posted by acosmichippo

is it really necessary with an aluminum case? seems to me that anything severe enough to mark up aluminum would slice its way through a plastic skin anyway...

Tell that to my G4 Powerbook. More than few nicks along the way. These days, you have to send your laptop through security and those bins often "crash".

[chris]

I took the Invisible Shield out earlier today and placed a few magazines over them to flatten them out. I washed my hands as if I were going into surgery. The MacBook Air was on my desk on paper towels. I had a lamp, but it was primarily turned off.


The first piece immediately stuck to itself which had me cursing. Why did I buy this thing? I'm calling them and asking for a new sheet. I managed to unstick it and sprayed it with the included conconction with reckless abandon. With each new sheet, I would spray it AS i started to remove from the sheet. This prevented them from sticking. I also sprayed my hands, fingers and slightly sprayed the MBA. They give you two bottles of solution and I just about used them both.

My first piece was the back, figuring that if I messed it up, it's the bottom. The vents at the bottom are hard to avoid, so I'm hoping no real water got in them, but I cannot be sure. There must have been a small speck of dust on the shield that I missed until after the process. Overall, the back looks pretty good. If I were to do it again, I would be sure to align the Invisible Shield with the screws. Right now, there is no way to take this baby apart without removing the shield.


I used the "palming technique" around the corners and it worked great. You basically cup the corners with the Palm of your hand. Once I was happy with the placement, I turned on the lamp. This helped cure the shield and solidifying my handywork.

I moved to the top of the MBA and this was pretty easy. The biggest challenge was making sure the Invisible Shield wasn't cropping out from the MBA. This is probably the most important part of the job and I'm proud to say I aced it. Again, once I squeegeed out the solution, I used the palming technique.

With the exterior done, I moved to the inside. One of the sheets covers the left and right rest areas. This piece was a bit more difficult because you have to squeegee the small gap between the keyboard the rest area. Being a curved area, it's not the easiest task. Also, the shield isn't very wide around the touchpad, making it a bit difficult to align. It's not perfect, but I was happy with the job. Next was the touchpad, which comes in two parts. This was very easy. Finally, I moved onto the back and slammed a small shield over the port door. Piece of cake.



Overall, I'm happy with the results. Either they did something to improve the shield (or the solution works wonders) OR I've become much better at installing Invisible Shields. I say it's the former and I think the application solution is the key. The last time I used the IS, they recommended soapy water. Even with care, I had a few bubbles. Flash a few years and today's installation was much easier despite being a much bigger job.

Now it's just a matter of allowing it to cure. They say 24 hours or so. It looks great now and I've read reports that the curing really improves results.

After all this, I ordered a good solid sleeve to protect it. While the Invisible Shield will protect it from scratches, it won't protect it from drops.

-Chirs

[chris]

Originally Posted by Hawk

Good Luck!
I really like the invisible shield products, but to be honest, they "stain" with use, and if a corner or edge picks up any dirt, it will soon be followed by a slight peeling.

That's for sure. Check out my old iPod.

[geordisjd]

Originally Posted by acosmichippo

is it really necessary with an aluminum case? seems to me that anything severe enough to mark up aluminum would slice its way through a plastic skin anyway...

On the positive side, 3 months plus with my MBA (and no shield) and I still don't have a scratch. I'm not rough on it, but I don't baby it either.

[chris]

Originally Posted by geordisjd

On the positive side, 3 months plus with my MBA (and no shield) and I still don't have a scratch.

Please do me a favor and knock on some wood!

I was almost three years in with my PowerBook G4 and just recently scratched the hell out of the rest area. I recent started wearing a watch and my PB fell victim.

[Youngbinks]

I was wondering how easily the MBA scratched. So far everything has been fine *knock on wood* but I might look into the Invisible Shield just in case. I was actually worried about my watch scratching the wrist rest area so I rarely wear it while I'm typing.

[acosmichippo]

i admit, i like the glossiness it provides.