Black Speck Products MacBook Pro Case Review

[naanod]

uhhhh old!

[DPortner2013]

People are so obsessed about protecting their macbook pros, and overlook that they are risking overheating the machine. Putting on a case and/or keyboard on your book pro is like wrapping it in a blanket. The computer needs to ventilate air and a few holes don't do it. The heat escapes all throughout the aluminum and the keyboard. If you are so obsessed about keeping your macbook pro new, buy a sleeve, clean it twice a week, and TAKE CARE OF IT! its that simple

[JustAskTokes]

good review, but if you're selling you macbook, make sure the buyer sees this vid to witness how you've chucked it around looool

[zagacks]

are you people fuckin retarded? he spun it around on a carpet... gently

[o0ohcherry]

does the apple sign show through?

[orionmods]

@o0ohcherry Yes.

[anjellakarizza01]

this guy obviously hates his macbook if he's handing it like that.

[orionmods]

@anjellakarizza01 Thank you Captain Obvious!

[KTRU15]

@anjellakarizza01 Seriously He's just handling it all harsh haha

[Slameagle]

Does it scratch the MBP?

[Dejota89]

Lol just saying

[Dejota89]

Did he seriously compare the look to a thinkpad?

[orionmods]

He did! And he offended your elite geekiness because of it! There's no way that a BLACK shell on a Macbook Pro would EVER look like a BLACK Thinkpad! I mean, they run completely different OS's...what nerd in their right mind would make such a crass comparison!? I'm in shock!!

[princeotown]

thats not a macbook

peace be with you guy

[Brandwhore]

Are you legally retarded?

[orionmods]

@Brandwhore Let's make out.

[Brandwhore]

@orionmods What in the bloody fuck? I'm lost.

[orionmods]

@Brandwhore That makes three of us.

[crahster]

Although this one has the 'dimples' or insets around the back of the screen and a square part around the apple logo, it seems like they dont have them anymore on the speck website.. New version now ?..

[willdrumforfood05]

man you are rough on your mac lol good video though.

[orionmods]

It's a testament to how well the case protects the laptop. Laptop still looks brand-new. It's like your own personal Fort Knox for your computer! :D

[godofnoa]

lol, mac. the last time i saw one of those is when my cousin came over lol

[orionmods]

Did you play Oregon Trail on it? ;)

[philvsfuture]

Be super wary of the Speck Casings - although the product is solid, it can end up doing some serious cosmetic damage to your computer.

I got a brand spanking new 15inch MacBook Pro for Christmas - I was so anxious about keeping it nice, that I rushed out and grabbed the Speck casing!

Unfortunately, within about a month, I noticed it was covered with tiny scratches - sand and such had gotten inside due to a slightly-less-than snug fit. Now, it looks 10x worse than it would've otherwise! Bummer.

[mattsbanned]

and those little tabs that hold it on like to fall off so it acts like sandpaper

[GenuineVanillaFace]

Does this case prevent the Macbook from opening all the way? I saw that that was an issue with some other cases. Thanks for posting this video!

[fewinhibitions]

Only slightly, about 1-2% short of opening fully. Not noticeable to me. This is on a 17" BTW.

[2cooljared]

good

[fattybekah]

I saw a pink one. REALLLY tempting but I've heard that some cases scratch the macbook a bit?

This one is okay... right?

xo

[orionmods]

This one doesn't scratch the laptop. Used Speck cases on numerous Mac laptops, they're great!

[fattybekah]

oo la la.

thanks for replying!

[fattybekah]

i ordered a speck one for $26 on ebbay =D

[dashiznit005]

just ordered this off ebay..

[orionmods]

Awesome! I noticed on Speck Product's website that they are now selling the cases for the new unibody Mac laptops. I wonder if it's needed or not...these older aluminum ones were really prone to scratches, despite the so-called "Pro" edition - my 13" white plastic Macbook was much more sturdy than this one is. I'm curious to see if the new unibody design is more scratch-and-dent-proof than the older models...

[brenmaris]

Oh man, the way you handle your laptop nothing is going to protect it. Keep slamming the lid why don't you, did't you notice that the latch mechanism is already busted? And keep closing the screen by grabbing a corner (getting your fingerprints on screen no doubt) thus slowly ruining the axial turn of the hinge. Finally, clean the laptop and case before you slam on the protection, minute debris gets stuck between the surfaces.

[orionmods]

brenmaris, do you live in a bubble?

[fallboy37]

Hey dude,

is this good?

cause i just ordered it.

[orionmods]

Yeah love it, I have plastic cases on all my Mac laptops. Wish they made them for PC laptops too!

[fallboy37]

Haha,

well i don't own any pc's, well my parents do.

and um i jsut got mine like 2 days ago.

blue. 13" macbook.

i love it

[orionmods]

Nice post some pics! I've used the Red, Clear, and Black versions, they're fabulous. I also tried a Bookshell, but it's not quite as nice.

[orionmods]

Just a quick update...Newegg is now selling 4GB G.Skill SODIMMs for $199...you can stick 8 gigs of memory inside your MBP now! Also Samsung has a 9.5mm 2.5" 500gb 5400rpm for around $200 (Directron has them in stock). So for $600 you can get a 500gb drive (runs almost as fast as the 7200rpm drives) plus 2x4gb RAM for a total of 8 gigs of memory! This is only for SANTA ROSA OR NEWER laptops! Includes 13", 15", 17", and iMacs.

[miles1967]

dude i just got a mac book pro 17 inch and they told me that the max RAM is 4 gb so ? how is OSX 10.5 able to recognize more than 4 ? plus can you link us to this site?

[t3hX]

OS X can handle >4GB RAM fine as it's 64 bit on these machines.

[orionmods]

Looks like it really only supports 6GB. If you use 8GB it becomes unstable. Bummer.

[orionmods]

The new unibody 17" they just released supports 8 gigs. But Apple wants $1200 for it, and I can't find any 4GB DDR3 SODIMMS anywhere yet. Arggg....

[SchneiderStudios]

take it easy bro

[scribbledorange]

its pretty good now :)

i just use a card to slide across it and it pops open :D

[scribbledorange]

i have the orange cover, but i'm panicking, cause i can't get the top cover off! help!

[BlankMessageTV]

dude same shit! the lil latchet thing gets stuck in the middle of where the screen splits and it seems its ganna make my screen in half..

[cjdanilecki]

okay make a video of it send it to me and i will show u how to get it off also can you check my channel out

[argonaths1]

yeah...the top part is so hard to take off...scared to do it...i'm offering a hundred bucks for anyone to take it off...but if you break my pro, you replace it...

lolz

[BlankMessageTV]

amen its ganna pull my screen apart

[100percentvideos]

Wats Santa Rosa?

[cjdanilecki]

means it has a intel chio in it

[brentbaer]

Enter "Speck75" on their website at checkout to get a pretty nifty discount on one...

[DJDEEEZNUUUTS]

carefully how u play wit tha laptop on tha carpet bro but thanx for tha great review on tha case

[orionmods]

Don't under estimate the quality of the case ;)

[kyle954]

Because...his latch is either broken or it didnt have enough time to catch.

[timmydenomie]

why didnt ur lid close all the way

[orionmods]

See my other review on the Marware Wrist Pad. The pad adds thickness to the inside of the laptop when closed; the trick is (1) cut some triangles off around the latches and (2) press down firmly to get the latches to engage. It's a small hassle at first, but it's worth it because the wrist pads are really nice if you're typing for a long time.

The plastic Speck case doesn't affect the case closing at all. It's simply a problem inherent with the aftermarket wrist pads.

[orionmods]

Just through normal wear and tear. Better that the case get scratched than the laptop surface. It is a bit annoying because the case looks nice and I didn't want it to get scratched, but the point of the case right? :)

Techshell now makes rubberized cases, which I am looking at getting in the future. They come in a variety of colors including black; I'd be willing to bet that they would hold up to scratches better while looking nice.

[mynameiserich]

Hey orionmods,

I just had a few questions with this product. Is it still working out good or have there been some scratches on the macbook. I'm debating getting one. Do you think a skin and then a clear case would look nice or do you think black is the way to go? I am buying my macbook pro soon and wanted to order everything at once. Have you heard of any problems with the techshell? I like not having the ridges like that but am concerned with its quality.

Thanks for the help

[orionmods]

No problems, no scratches on the MacBook Pro itself. The case is all scratched up after months of use, but that's what it's there for. Techshell makes a nice rubberized case that you may want to look into. Mac Styles sells some nice skins as do many other shops, so a clear shell would look cool with that. My wife's MacBook has a clear case plus a pink Mac Styles sticker. For complete protection, add a Marware wrist pad and an iSkin Pro Touch keyboard protector.

[humonoid1242]

"adds a nice little bit of a black border around it, makes it look kinda professional." WHAT?! as if macbook pros arent PROfessional enough. lol :D nice review man

[orionmods]

Professional environments are usually flooded with black Thinkpads ;)

[orionmods]

It's "stealth mode" for work...fits in with the sea of Thinkpads ;)

[webmasterd]

thanks for this review. was looking for a good case for my macbook and thought the speck cases looked not only the most stylish but most functional. curious where you bought yours from?

[orionmods]

Direct from the Speck website. I think Amazon has em too.

[webmasterd]

i got one...and luv it!

[Glendale1901]

pretty rough with the macbook but cool case.

[orionmods]

Well it's not sitting on my desk all day looking pretty...if it can't survive being moved around a bit - on carpet - with a protective shell on it - then it's a joke. It has to go to school with me, to work, in my backpack, in my car, walking around...it's not made of china!

[800Reza]

I love macbook pros they are the best

[maxbass]

Nice review. I saw another video of the red version on a standard MacBook. The Speck case covered the rear vents on the MB. Does this case cover any vents on the MBP? Also, does the case reduce your WiFi or Bluetooth range? Thanks.

[orionmods]

No reduction in Wifi or Bluetooth that I can tell. There are vent slots to release heat. With the Santa Rosa chip and the Speck case, it never got hot, hardly even warm. This laptop was a real gem.

[orionmods]

Without getting into too much detail, Santa Rosa is the latest of the dual-core processors from Intel. It's actually the name of the entire platform, but for your purposes the original MacBook Pro came out as Core Duo (2gb max), Core 2 Duo (3gb max), and now Santa Rosa (4gb max). It's faster than the previous Core Duo processors and runs cooler.

[gepeterd]

oke, thanks. Now i finaly understand :D

[camovinem]

were did you buy the case from

[orionmods]

See my description (upper right).

[ssabet9]

ive got a question, doesnt the case scratch at all the macbook pro? i wanna buy it but id like your help

[orionmods]

ssabet9, no the case has not scratched the laptop at all. The earlier models did have some scratching problems on the 13" MacBooks, but not on the 15" MacBook Pros as far as I know.

[ssabet9]

Perfect, thanks alot, because it really looks awsome with the case!

[harrymargo]

hey, someone on the review says that the black one shows smudges, dust, looked dirty and show oil streak from our hand. Is that true? I plan to get the black one but then I don't know after I read all that reviews. Confirm, please.. ASAP

[orionmods]

harrymargo, it definitely shows scratches, but the point of the case is to protect your laptop. Your laptop will get surface wear from normal use over time; the reason you buy a case is to protect the laptop from that. The laptop looks as good as the day I bought it inside. It does have some streaks and dust as well. There's not really much you can do to get around that.

[orionmods]

TechShell has a black rubber case that you may want to look into, I would imagine that the rubber would show less surface wear than plastic.

[kevman1991]

the way that guy handles his macbook pro made me tear

[orionmods]

kevman1991, are you kidding me? It's not made of glass or china...the entire point of the Speck Case is so that you don't have to baby it. It's no Thinkpad, but it does pretty well.

[orionmods]

@kevman1991 I'm a little more country than that.

[masterchief0292]

I cant the bottom right corner peice to stay on top for anything i've taken it off and put it back on like a good 30+ times i can never get it stay on can you help me.

[orionmods]

masterchief0292, I'd say return it and get a new one. Mine fits perfectly, so far it's survived a cross-country trip and it's still holding up great!

[crodrigues]

Thanks a lot for the review

This video was just what I needed!

[FTrain4750]

nice i got a red one 4 my macbook btw its easier if u use a credit card or something to snap off the top case

[orionmods]

Great, thanks for the tip! The bottom piece pops off pretty easily but I always had a hard time getting the top off with just my fingers.

[flasher555]

I just can't wait to get myself on of those MBP's with one of these covers (black covers look quite good).

Using PowerBook G4 at the moment (my work material) good portable, however it is nothing compared to the MBP.

Thank you for your review;

[EdgarJMiranda]

Does it get very hot? And I mean in general, not with the case.

[orionmods]

No, not at all. imo, the 2.2ghz model is the best model to get. My brother has a Core Duo 15" and the bottom gets so hot that you can't keep your fingers on the bottom for more than a few seconds. The Core 2 Duo models are better, but they are still mini-ovens. I've also read that people are experiencing high temps with the 2.4ghz Santa Rosa models.

[orionmods]

So I've either really lucked out and gotten a gem with my 2.2ghz model or else the 2.2ghz model is just a good compromise between speed and heat. It rarely gets warm, but when it does (like if I'm using Parallels heavily) it never gets hot enough to have to pull my hand away. The Speck case has done nothing to affect the heat as far as I can tell; there are plenty of vents on the underside and it seems to be doing just fine.

[orionmods]

Two of the corners popped up after the first day, but did not leave any sticky spots. After that I kept the lid shut to make sure it would press down firmly overnight. The company says that it does not leave a residue, but I'm sure it will. It would be easy enough to clean off with rubbing alcohol or Goo-Off or something of that nature. Besides, the wrist pad isn't something that you'll be taking on and off on a daily basis - you'll want to leave it on until it gets too nasty to keep using.

[Pjawsk]

Very good review!

[Glendale1901]

Good stuff! Makes me scared with you handling the laptop like that! hehe..

[orionmods]

That's entirely the point of the case - so you don't have to baby it. You would think that a $2,000 laptop would be a *bit* more durable, but sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. I feel like I have a good amount of protection between the Speck case and the Marware wrist pad.

[linyasen5]

Great review...Thanks a lot for the information!!!...