I first encountered TwelveSouth, makers of Mac-only products, on the MinimalMac blog. I became an instant fan of their style through pictures of their BookArc MacBook stand, and I was delighted when I was given the chance to take a look at their SurfacePad for JAMM. Unlike the two other other products that TwelveSouth currently offers, the concept behind SurfacePad is probably something you’ve seen before. However, the form and feel is what really makes this leather layer for the 13″ MacBook Pro stand out.

[It should be noted that I say 13" MBP for a reason: the SurfacePad only fits this particular MacBook.]

Installation
There are a couple of points that could be improved upon here, but I like the attention to detail that TwelveSouth gave the process. The SurfacePad is essentially a gigantic Napa leather sticker (bet you’ve never heard that word combo before), and you stick the whole thing onto your aluminum computer in three stages. Each stage is labeled with a coloured tab, and the process helps you apply the sticker from the bottom (trackpad) and work your way up so that the SurfacePad frames the keyboard and trackpad perfectly. The installation took me a try-and-a-half (darn small wrinkles!), but it went pretty well overall.

One major warning for people new to the SurfacePad is to be careful of folding it. I took a few pictures of the tabs for this review, and so I bent the SurfacePad a little in order to read them: that was a mistake, and it’s one that has showed ever since in the form of wrinkles that run along the base of my MBP. I’ve convinced myself that this is par for the course with leather, but were I to do the installation again, I’d definitely be a lot more careful.
Testing the claims
TwelveSouth’s website says the SurfacePad adds a layer of “luxury comfort”, but I think they chose leather because most other materials would look cheap on the MacBook’s aluminum shell. Thats not to say they didn’t make a comfortable working surface, because they did. It’s just not a huge, noticeable difference to me. What I’d really recommend this product for is its sense of style.
I never had any complaints about the feel of the aluminum before, but I’m quite happy to have the SurfacePad on now because of how it makes me feel about the whole machine. It’s an extra layer of customization that is mine alone, and it just makes me feel as though the black leather accent makes my computer stand out amongst the other brushed aluminum bodies out there. I see the SurfacePad as another way to make the MacBook Pro classier, and the flowery textures along the bottom aren’t emasculating – but awesomeating instead. I’m going to just leave you with that fake word and move on to the next paragraph.

From the way the lid MacBook’s lid still closes perfectly, to the cut-outs for the keyboard and trackpad – working with a SurfacePad is a totally unobtrusive experience. What I mean to say is that working with a SurfacePad is business as usual, but clad in leather (if that’s allowed at your workplace). The pad really is gorgeous, though, and I think the design definitely deserves some praise. Aside from the keyboard and trackpad accessibility, I like how the leather doesn’t cover the whole surface of the MBP. The length and width stop just short of the edges so that the pad is accented by the silver of the aluminum, and it also stops short of the power button, which made the installation process much easier. It’s always a real pain when you have to fit a sticker over a button.
My only concern in the appearances department is that the flower engravings won’t last through long-term use. The tips of the flowers are already feeling a little flat, but this isn’t a feature of the pad I’ll miss all that much. In fact, the flowers are almost invisible until you look closer (they are black on black, after all).

Durability
I’ve only had the SurfacePad for a little over a week, but aside from the flower degradation issue, I think that one SurfacePad should stay on a 13″ MBP for quite a while. The adhesive on the back isn’t meant to be re-applied, but my experience has shown that it can take at least one “oops” and maybe even an “oops, I did it again” due to a wrinkled application. There’s also the fact that the SurfacePad is completely protected when the MacBook is used, and none of the corners (the usual culprits when a sticker peels) are under any major pressure at any time.

Conclusion
If you’re looking for spill or dust protection, then the SurfacePad is going to look quite expensive and completely ineffective to you. Actually, even if you are the right kind of user for the product — someone looking to spruce up the 13″ MacBook Pro’s look and add a little texture to the computing experience — then the $40 asking price might still seem a little high. However, while the SurfacePad doesn’t totally fulfill its promise of “luxury comfort” (the leather is just too thin for that), I’d be perfectly comfortable paying $40 for the luxury of the gorgeous design should anything bad (stay away, cat!) happen to this one.

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You can pick up your own SurfacePad for $39.99  (or six of them for $199.99) from TwelveSouth’s website.

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