Review: iSkin ProTouch Classic and FX for MacBooks

What I like about the ProTouch silicone keyboard cover is how it has changed my MacBook habits: with a cover over my keyboard at all times I no longer have to worry about dirt collecting on the top or whether the cookie crumbs will slowly infiltrate and ultimately take over the underside of certain keys, adding an undue amount of *crunch* to every single letter I type.

More Care-Free Computing…
The ProTouch lifted a weight from my shoulders and I feel a lot more free around my computer, and it’s been great for snacking and surfing. I’m now free to biscuit away while I review, and review while I biscuit.
What’s great is that the ProTouch covers your keys from food and finger oil, but feels almost exactly the same when you type. Pressing on keys doesn’t present quite the same sensation because you can feel the silicone border around keys – but this is something I got used to within a day.  Typing is actually a little quieter, since the silicone tends to hold the plastic keys in place so they don’t rattle as much while you type.

Classic vs FX…
I was sent the Classic and FX skin in Black/White for review, and although they’re priced at different levels, there isn’t a big difference between the two: both of them feature the same fit and protect the keyboard from crumbs and minor spills.
The major differences are cosmetic: colour and a small spot on the keyboard. The Classic features a transparent look and an embossed iSkin logo along the right side of the keyboard, whereas the FX is a solid white with black keys and a smooth spacebar. The keyboard logo on the Classic is a very minor detail, but since typing is such a particular thing it’s probably still worth nothing. I don’t really notice it because I press on the keyboard with my left thumb, but it is strange that they’d switch the logo location on the “low end” ProTouch model and keep the logo above the arrow keys on the FX.
Another little advantage that the FX skin has is how it affects the keyboard backlight. By default, the backlight on the MacBook keys tends to glow a little too harshly for my tastes — almost as if Apple just stuck little light lights behind the keys and called it a day (is the light in the back? Presto, backlight!). It’s a far cry from the smooth, pulsing sleep light along the front of the machine. The ProTouch FX fixes that a little bit by dulling the illumination and making it look a little more uniform. The backlight looks softer and more subtle under the FX, and it’s a welcome change.

After a month of usage…
I wasn’t sure about this product when I first received it, but it’s probably become my favourite iSkin offering by far. I use my MacBook Pro daily for surfing and writing and both skins have held up quite nicely, although the spacebar cover on my TouchPro FX is a little wrinkled since I used it more often. I believe a month is a decent amount of time to test the ProTouch, and it’s proven to be a very solid and useful accessory.

Conclusion
The ProTouches are about as close to a necessary accessory for my uses as I can think of — I’m not a very messy computer user and I’m usually really careful around the sensitive parts of the machine. What the ProTouch does for me is ease a lot of those concerns about crumbs, finger oil, and dirt mucking up my keyboard and just let me enjoy using the thing. This luxury doesn’t come cheap, but judging from the durability and quality of the product in this last month of usage, I believe the iSkin ProTouch Classic is priced just right at $25. The ProTouch FX is priced at $5 more and really only adds colour and a bit of backlight dulling, so if you’re just looking for simple, subtle keyboard protection, stick to the ProTouch Classic and type away.

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You can pick up your own iSkin ProTouch Classix or FX for $25-30 on iSkin.com.

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