It’s been a few weeks now with the white silicon keyboard cover and it is going to be replaced. For all the reasons I described in my last post, but the deal breaker was the fact that it blocked the backlight of the keyboard. I miss that feature too much. So I ordered a clear TPU cover and put it on my laptop a few weeks ago.
The protector arrived in a very nice package. There was a formed plastic keyboard template in the envelope to make sure that the actual TPU unit didn’t lose any of its’ shape. Overall it was an impressive presentation given that this cover only cost $8. I think the design sensibilities made popular by Apple is spreading. It’s a great thing.
Installed on my computer, the effect is exactly as I had hoped. The keys are protected but it’s so subtle that you can barely tell that it is there. Also the feel of TPU is not as “sticky” as silicon. Although you can tell there’s something there as you type, it is in no way as noticeable as silicon. About the only thing that’s not better than the silicon is the fact that the protection doesn’t extend much beyond the outer keys. The silicon unit overlapped the recess for the keyboard affording a bit more protection from spills, etc.
In the picture above, you probably can’t even tell there’s anything on the keyboard. The “soft” look on the keys looks like a photo anomaly or something. Nope, it’s just the TPU protecting the keys. So if there a bad thing about this cover? Well, it does get dirty after a while and become a little less clear. The good news is that it’s so easy to wash and restore it back to new that I do it every week or so.
At the end of the day, TPU is an amazing material. I’ve tried many types of covers for my iPhone and keyboards for my laptops and I always return to a high quality TPU. In the end, it is the best combination of protection and appearance that I have ever come across. Thumps up!