There are laptops but there are Apple MacBooks. The people at Apple took pains to create this simple yet sleek looking design. Not to sound like a fan boy but people pay also for the design aside from the functionality. While it looks fashionably good out there and bare, MacBooks can easily get scratched. For a guy like me who likes to rough it out when I travel and slip the MacBook on my backpack sleeve, my MacBook does need an extra protection. I decided to use a shell case for that extra layer of protection and looking around for some options I decided to try the iPearl mCover Hard Shell. After more than a month of using it, here’s what I can share.
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Yes I shopped around and looked at the available hard shell cases in the market like Speck, inCase and Hard Candy. All three have their good selling points and I was just deciding which ones to get but then I saw the iPearl mCover Hard Shell at Kimstore on Facebook. It looks like it got some good reviews from users and it was recently awarded by MacWorld Asia Silver Brand Winner in 2012. That sounds credible. And what was better, it only cost Php 1450 (US$35) which is almost half the price of the commercial ones available. I immediately ordered the Aqua (from the 8 different colors available).
The iPearl mCover Hard Shell
The thing about buying online, you never had the chance to inspect it first, luckily it looked good as it promised. The product came neatly packaged like the commercial ones and each piece has its own plastic cover. The design is a lot simpler and much elegant than the ones I’ve seen on the reviews or their website with an engraved box just over the Apple logo, I’m glad this new design has non. The shatterproof polycarbonate material doesn’t have that nice textured satin feel like the Speck but it still does look nice matte surface that prevents fingerprints all over the case. I had no problems fitting the 2 pieces as it snapped easily without any portions feeling loose. The monitor can bend to its full extent as well.
What I liked
- The 2-piece set is light weight (at 300g)
- Simple yet elegant stylish design
- Lots of ventilation slots on the bottom piece to keep the MacBook cool
- All ports and media ports are accessible
- It’s the only case I know that has a fold-out rear feet to elevate the rear of the MacBook an inch higher for a comfortable typing angle. It also aids for better ventilation. I noticed the MacBook doesn’t heat up easily unlike when it is flat on the surface.
- There are two rubberized front feet at the bottom to prevent the MacBook from slipping
- Good value for its price
What I didn’t care for
- The folding rear feet feels fragile so I always take care in flipping it out as it might break.
Bottomline
I really like the iPearl mCover Hard Shell case. It’s really of good value considering the price of Php 1450. It feels durable enough to protect the aluminum MacBook body, stylish with different colors yet still shows the unique contours designed by Apple. The plus are the fold out feet to angle the Macbook and ventilate. While it feels fragile, I found it very comfortable and useful.
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