Company: Speck
Product: Speck SeeThru
Price: (sale): $24.97 (usually $49.95)

Integration: 4
Design: 4
Durability: 5
Re-use value: 4
Overall Rating: 4.2 out of 5

While the plastic MacBook (and every Apple product for that matter) is a beauty to admire, its plastic casing isn’t really resistant to the hazards of daily use. Speck has set out to solve this probable problem with their shiny orange, hard polycarbonate plastic shell-type case. Speck sells the See-thru for a variety of Apple laptops, including the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air.  They now even sell my favorite version case called the SeeThru Satin, which is only for the unibody MacBook’s & MacBook Pro’s.  You can actually see Dewan’s review of the SeeThru Satin here.

One benefit of the Seethru is that it comes in three colors: Orange, Purple, and Red.  The orange color makes my MacBook more personalized, even though some consider it somewhat child-like and not to professional looking.  For those who think that, I once again consider taking a look at the SeeThru Satin.

The Speck See-Thru case is actually two separate translucent pieces that snaps directly on your MacBook. The case has cutouts on both sides for the ports. It contours the MacBook exterior corners and provides an accurate and very stable fit. Once you snap the pieces on the Macbook, the See-Thru allows for unhindered access to every port and slot on each side of the MacBook. On the bottom, there are four small rubber stubs on the underside of the case protects the laptop from sliding when placed on a smooth surface. Speck also placed there logo on the underside of the product. This is a case truly designed to protect while a laptop is in use without restricting functionality.

Putting the case onto the MacBook is a quick and painless, mainly because the case simply snaps right onto the machine by low-profile plastic tabs. It takes mere seconds to install. The top half of the See-Thru snaps onto the back of the screen by four tabs, two near the top and two near the bottom. The bottom half of the case attaches in a similar manner, with two tabs towards the bottom on the inside of the laptop, and five small plastic hooks that attach underneath the laptop right near the back edge where it connects to the screen. The tabs holding the case onto the laptop are hardly visible and do not interfere with closing the machine. The case is very snug and secure and once in place, it is there to stay until I want to take it off.

Removing the See-Thru is a slightly trickier task. You have to wrench off bottom half by flipping over the MacBook and undoing the five hooks on the back. Then, you gently pull the case up, which sets free the other two tabs. The top portion of the See-Thru is slightly more difficult to remove than the bottom piece. The easiest method I found is to close the laptop, and first pull the back left corner free, then working on the others until they release. The case fits really really snug.   For the first couple of times, instead of prying off the case, the MacBook’s lid opened instead. This case is meant to stay on for a long time, which in most cases, is a good thing.

The Speck See-Thru will add some thickness to your MacBook, but in my case, I can still fit it into my backpack, or sleeve without too much of a problem. However, if you use a laptop sleeve that provides an already abnormally tight fit, adding the See-Thru may exceed your available interior space. Most 13” sleeves, bags, etc. should accommodate the MacBook Pro with the See-Thru case, but I would check to make sure your bag or case is not super tight before buying one of these.
After extended use, the case has not come loose or fallen off while lugging the laptop between different classrooms, settings, and containers. While it does not protect against hard impacts or drops, the Speck case protects against minor nicks and scratches that are bound to show on a laptop after extensive use.
The biggest problem that I feared of the SeeThru, was to increase the heat of my already hot MacBook. Luckily, I have not noticed any difference in heat output. Speck smartly made 74 thin slits on the bottom for ventilation.

The Speck See-Thru Hard Shell is a great purchase for Mac owners who want scratch resistant protection for their expensive laptops.  Also, you might want to grab it now, because Speck has it on sale for a limited time for $24.97 (originally $49.95).