This little Apple of mine. I’m going to let it shine.

 

If you glanced sideways at a closed MacBook Pro wearing the black Hardshell Case from Incase, you might mistake it at first for a ThinkPad. That is, until someone pops the notebook open, and the Hardshell’s smooth, matte, translucent plastic reveals the glowing Apple logo underneath.

 

The Hardshell comes in versions for the 13-inch MacBook, as well as both sizes of MacBook Pro. If black isn’t your bag, you can also get it in frosted white, plum, or red. We tested it with the 15-inch Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro and immediately noticed one drawback, its weight. Attaching the case beefed up our MacBook Pro from 5.4 pounds to 6.3 pounds. Another problem: The bottom part of the case prevented the notebook from opening past 90 degrees. This might not be an issue if you use your ’Book on a table. But if you regularly tilt your screen back past 90 degrees when the Mac is on your lap or perched on a notebook stand, you’ll have to take the Hardshell off first.

 

We did notice that the black case picked up some fingerprints, but its matte finish minimizes their appearance. Smudges are much less noticeable on the Hardshell Case than on a black 13-inch MacBook’s plastic casing. (Though we never notice many smudges on the MacBook Pro’s aluminum casing itself, for that matter.) We also had an easier time removing the Hardshell Case than we did the Speck Products SeeThru case (3 out of 5 stars, Mar/07, p68).

 

The bottom line. If you frequently use a notebook stand, the fact that you can’t “open wide” to beyond 90 degrees with this case on will frustrate you. Otherwise it’s an attractive, though hefty, option.

 

COMPANY: Incase

CONTACT: www.goincase.com

PRICE: $49.95

REQUIREMENTS: 13-inch MacBook, or 15-inch or 17-inch MacBook Pro

Hard plastic protects MacBook Pro’s aluminum casing. Translucent to let Apple logo shine through.

Somewhat heavy. Won’t let you open the notebook past 90 degrees.