So, I ordered the $20 clear MacSkinz for the 12-inch last week and it came in today. Why would I waste my money on such a cheap plastic cover for the 12-inch, when it comes with such a naturally wonderful aluminum shell? Non-permanent customization, baby! That’s right. Also, it changes that natural matte finish to a nice glossy finish!
So, my impression: It’s cool. I can stick stuff underneath it. If I want I can use the 4 little sticky pads that came with it to make sure it stays on, but it seems to sort of hold on its own rather well. Right now I have a little business card that I designed stuck in between the clear shell and the PB.
Is it worth $20? No. I’d say they should price point it at closer to $5-8 for the clear model and $10-12 for the models that come with graphics on ’em. Feels a little flimsy on its own, although solid on the PB. Also, it isn’t as form fitted as I would like: there is a slight lip over along the left side, where the MacSkinz protrudes past the PB casing by about 1/16 of an inch near the top to about 1/8 of an inch near the bottom. Nothing too obscene, but still: it’s a little bit on the poor show side of things. Then again, maybe there would be no lip if I actually used the little sticky feet that came with it… [UPDATE: SO I broke down and tried the little sticky feet and they seem to have eliminated the majority of the lip, although there is a little bit of a lip near the bottom. harrumph]
Also, the instructions should mention this need to use the sticky feet to avoid a lip, if it is in fact the case, and should state “12-inch Powerbook” on them rather than “iBook” as my instructions stated, since after all it is a separate model. When I was reading the instructions and encountered “iBook,” for a second I panicked, thinking that they had sent me the wrong product.
Now if only someone would come out with an aluminum faceplate for the 3650 that matched the finish on the PB. That would be cool!
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