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I’ve been searching for a keyboard and wrist pad area protector for my Black MacBook since I got it last June. I found a product from Marware called the MacBook Protection Pack in early July on the Marware website. Since I like supporting eBay sellers, I searched in eBay and found an eBay store (TechNGnet) that sells the protection pack. (At $16.95 + $7.50 for S/H, this was still a few $$ cheaper than buying from Marware direct or from any other online vendor I could find — at least since the release of the product in late June.)

The product came in a simple box with a plastic window. Inside were the MacBook wrist pad protector and the cloth keyboard cover. Following are a few pictures of the product — showing the simple process of installation on the MacBook.

	Out of the box.
	Cloth Microfiber keyboard cover and foam wrist pad protector
	Detail of cloth cover
	Although Marware notes on its website that the wristpad protector is restickable, I wanted to make sure it was clean and oil-free before sticking it on.
	With the backing still on the prtoector, I laid out the product to see how to tackle the sticking situation.
	Peeling off the paper backing …
	With the paper backing off, I placed the product upside down just to show you a picture of the thin sticky strips that surround the trackpad area. *Note: this was the most difficult part to stick on — especially if you’re trying to be a perfectionist.
After about 3 tries (good thing Marware made this product easily re-stickable), I finally came up with a procedure that works. On trial #1, the protector was completely out of alignment. So I slowly peeled it off and tried again.On trial #2, I wasn’t very happy with how the protector covered the trackpad just a TEENY-WEENY bit! On trial #3, I started with the right edge of the wristpad and carefully pressed on the pad, moving my way to the left side. I had to redo the thin strips until they looked perfect for me … and then finally pressed on the left side of the wrist pad — and I was done. If you have ever installed a screen protector on a Palm handheld computer — then the experience is comparable.
	Marware MacBook wrist pad protector and cloth microfiber on my Black MacBook. Very nice!

BRIEF REVIEW OF THE WRIST PAD PROTECTOR:

From what I’ve been reading on forums and other blogs, the WHITE MacBook’s wristpad area is prone to discoloration due to friction from the wrist as one types on the keyboard. I’ve seen discoloration even on gray-colored laptop PC’s. Paint rubbing off, oils and dirt from one’s skin — these all contribute to discoloration as time goes by.

I don’t think the BLACK MacBook would be vulnerable to this — but I didn’t want to find out for myself! So I went ahead and got the protection pack.

PRICE: Well, a lot of computer accessories will always be expensive and sometimes over-priced. As for this protection pack — I think the MSRP of $19.95 is up there in “almost expensive”. Before finding this product, I went ahead and bought an iKlear Micro-Chamois keyboard and trackpad cover for $9.99 (+tax) at Fry’s Electronics.

QUALITY: The iKlear cloth combo worked for me from the time I got my MacBook until I got the Marware product. (I actually folded the keboard cover in half, put that on the right side of the wristpad area and then used the trackpad cover for the left side. So for a while, I had a rudimentary wristpad protector.)

The iKlear cloth is very thin and flimsy compared to the Marware cloth cover but it still does the job. I use it to lightly wipe the MacBook’s screen and body. The Marware cloth is thicker and smoother to the touch. Its light gray color also blends in with the MacBook much better than the blue-colored iKlear cloth.

DURABILITY: When I’m at home or at work and the MacBook doesn’t have to be that mobile, I use an external keyboard and mouse. After a few days with the Marware wristpad protector, I noticed the upper left side was peeling off (the are of the Marware logo stamp). Since the product is restickable, I just press down on it. The MacBook gets warmer on the left side of the wristpad area than the right. This heat may be responsible for the peeling (?) or it could be that there was a bit of dirt/oil residue on this part of the wristpad that I wasn’t able to clean off initially. At any rate, the peeling doesn’t occur that often and since the product is re-stickable, it really doesn’t bug me that much.

BOTTOM LINE: I think the Marware MacBook Protection Pack is a great idea and a useful product. If you own a WHITE MacBook, it’s probably necessary to install this on your wristpad area — especially if you are very careful with your tech toys. If you don’t care about dirt and discoloration on this area of your MacBook, then there’s no need for this setup.

For those with a BLACK MacBook, I still suggest getting your hands (or wrists) on this product. Although the foam is thin, it’s got enough padding to make typing more comfortable. (BTW: The product is available for the MacBook Pro as well.)
Both the wrist pad protector and the light gray cloth microfiber keyboard cover are examples of very good quality work. The sides of the cloth cover are cleanly stitched and the logo is unobstrusive. (In contrast, the iKlear cloth is trimmed with a shearing pattern while the logo is huge and is stamp-branded on the cloth.)

For the MSRP of $19.95 — it’s in the league of other similar products. The very good quality speaks for itself. So after seeing and using it and writing about it, it seems now that it’s not that expensive (although a bottom line price of $20.00 with tax and shipping would be a better deal). Besides … when it comes to protecting and maintaining tech things you love, price is most likely an afterthought.

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Filed under: Mac, Tech Toys