The MacBook Pro is a pretty hefty investment - the
top of the line currently goes for $3,799 - and one thing you don't want is for that investment to look ugly or get damaged. (Witness the
outrage - and subsequent
acknowledgement by Apple that it was a manufacturing defect - when the then-new MacBooks started exhibiting discolouration.)
So it seems like a no-brainer to protect your MBP in any way possible, including the palm rest and trackpad. This is where the
Moshi PalmGuard, a colour-coded protector for the palm rest, trackpad and button, comes in.
You get four pieces - the main palm rest, one for the button, one for the trackpad and a ruler to smooth out the bubbles. (Yes, an actual ruler. Hey, it's the best tool for the job.) The pieces are self-adhesive, so installation is no more complicated than peeling off the backing and sticking it down. The palm rest and button pieces match the MBP colouring perfectly, whereas the trackpad piece is transparent.
Once you've got the PalmGuard installed (which can take a few tries - more on this later) you almost cannot tell it's there - aside from a very small and unobtrusive Moshi logo at the near right-hand corner of the PalmGuard. The trackpad is just as responsive, but this section of the PalmGuard is quite glossy and slick - it's immediately noticeable to the touch, and on the right angle it's
clearly visible.
Moshi also claim that the PalmGuard "leaves no residue when removed". As I misaligned the PalmGuard initially (the dimensions and placement of the trackpad are exact - if you're off by half a millimetre you will know it because the button will get stuck) I had a chance to test this. Removing the PalmGuard approximately ten minutes after installation resulted in no residue left behind, and no loss of adhesion on the PalmGuard. However, this may change with prolonged use and the attending exposure to heat from the MBP's innards.
The picture on top is immediately before applying, the one on the bottom immediately after. As you can see, there's not really a visible difference.
The Moshi PalmGuard is well worth a look if you want to keep your MBP looking factory fresh. At $29.95 AUD it's inexpensive and may well pay for itself many times over in maintaining the resale value of your Mac.
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17" iMac Core Duo 1.83GHz, 15" iMac G4 1GHz, Sawtooth G4 400MHz, iMac G3 350MHz, 60GB 5G iPod, 2GB 1G iPod nano, iPhone 3G 16GB
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