Review: Speck’s See Thru Satin case for MacBook/MacBook Pro
Like most married men, I have been looking for an excuse to take off my wedding ring for years. When I bought my new MacBook Pro earlier this month, I was sure I had found the perfect excuse: “I don’t want to scratch my new laptop”, I told my wife. Needless to say that went over about as well as you’d expect. Well, despite my ulterior motive, I genuinely was concerned for the safety of my MBP. Just like a new car owner, or a new ANYTHING owner for that matter, the idea of putting your first scratch on your new laptop is terrifying. Speck has come to the rescue with the See Thru Satin, an update to their See Thru line of laptop covers that we’ve reviewed before.
The See Thru Satin is a 2-piece, semi-transparent hard case which simply snaps onto your MacBook Pro, providing instant protection against any number of potentially scratch-inducing attacks. The big change between this model and its predecessor is the new “satin”-like material. Really it’s still some sort of plastic, but it has a very cool feel to it that really does resemble a satin type of feel, and feels decidedly less “plasticky” than the standard See Thru. I never had a problem with the feel of the first gen See Thru, but after feeling the Satin I must say this feels much more high end, and provides a nice grip to the MacBook as well.
The Satin is available in 3 colors – black, purple, and cranberry (which you see above – the color is a little hard to photograph, and is slightly darker than it appears in these shots). The semi-transparentness of the case allows the Apple logo to shine through, although somewhat more dimly than the former, more plasticky See Thru case.
A case for everyone
I find the See Thrus can serve a dual purpose depending on the age of your laptop. If you have a new laptop, like me, that you wish to protect as long as possible (or at least say you tried) then the See Thru is a nice choice. If, however, you have neglected your laptop for a number of years, and it’s looking more Amy Winehouse than Amy Smart, the See Thru can provide a much needed face lift and splash of color.
Issues
The only real issue with the See Thru is one Speck readily admits to and warns of – namely that, as with all hard cases, there is the risk of the case actually CAUSING scratches instead of protecting from them. This can occur when small particles of dirt or debris find there way in between the case and the laptop, and gradually get ground back and forth, like sandpaper. Speck says this should not be a problem if you occasionally remove the See Thru and give it a quick wipe down, but sometimes its hard to stick to a schedule (and Speck doesn’t give you one – I would guess maybe every week or two depending on how big a slob you are). I also found that the satin-like plastic tended to attract my oily fingerprints, and these would not simply wipe off, or even wash off in water. I needed to apply a small dab of Palmolive dish soap as well, which did the trick easily.
The only other issue I noticed was as light as the See Thru’s material is, it apparently adds just enough weight to the back of the MacBook Pro’s screen to cause it fold backwards a little easier than it normally does. The new MacBooks have been criticized for their looser hinges, and I found that when moving the MacBook with the screen open, the lid had a tendency to move more than it usually did.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking to protect your new laptop, hide the abuse you dealt your old one, or simply looking to add a splash of color to your notebook, the See Thru Satin case is an easy to apply, minimal hassle solution that works well. Just be sure to remove and clean it regularly to avoid any scratch-causing debris getting lodged between the case and your laptop.
Price: $49.95
Pros: Looks cool, and feels cooler. Provides great protection against scratches.
Cons: Without proper care the See Thru can actually cause scratches, adds a little extra weight to the screen which can make it fold backwards a little easier than normal when moving, attracts finger smudges
It looks like it’s a well executed design. However, my Macbook would most likely suffer those nasty scratches due to my lack of a regular cleaning schedule.
I’ve seen firsthand the kind of damage that occurs when debris particles get ground up and it’s not pretty. One piece actually took a hefty chunk out of the metal back of a 1st gen iPhone.
I’ve owned two 1st generation Speck cases (1 for a 1st gen Macbook Pro, the other for a early 2008 MBP). I’ve never seen any scratches occurring on the notebook surface since owning my first Speck case. Then again, I make sure that my laptops only encounter clean surfaces (my desk at home and the one I have at work).
Part of the reason I paid the high price of the MacBook was because of the design. You would have to pay me to use something that covered up the wonderful aluminum case…