Hardshell Cases for 17" Unibody

Has anyone found a hard shell for the Unibody 17"? I just ordered my new Macbook Pro today and am hoping to find a shell as the one on my current 17" has paid for itself many times over!

Mac Pro 3.0 Quad, Radeon 3870, 5.5 TB, 16 GB, 30" Cinema, Mac OS X (10.5.6), MacBook Pro 17" 2.66, 500 MB, 4GB

Posted on Mar 5, 2009 2:25 PM

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39 replies

Mar 6, 2009 3:37 AM in response to Big Joon

I am in the same situation. After having my shell on since the day I got my current MBP I can't imagine not having it -- one look at all the scratches and gouges inflicted by lugging it through more airport security lines than I can recall and I know that I need it!

Unfortunately, after searching for quite a bit yesterday I didn't come up with any other possibilities, but have some sort of good news. I heard from a Speck customer service rep yesterday that:
"In about 5-6 weeks we will release the new 17" cases for the aluminum unibody macbook pros."

So not available yet, it will hopefully be available soon. I subscribed to their news in hope of getting the word as soon as it is announced.

I've also been having a tough time finding the right keyboard protective overlay as I don't think that my current Macessity version will work but think that one at Marware will work. Ironically, I also need to find a replacement for the Marware trackpad area protective skin and had searched their for that -- didn't find a new one for the Unibody, but they have a keyboard overlay. Go figure.

Mar 6, 2009 8:16 AM in response to Big Joon

Yupper about that....it definitely makes all the difference unless you just never move your MBP....heck, even then I'd probably still want it!

I did find the trackpad protector as part of the kit at http://www.marware.com/PRODUCTS/MacBook-Pro/Silicone-Protection-Pack

It looks like from what I see there that what they have for the 15" would probably work for the 17"...perhaps the wrist rest section might not be quite as large, but my wear patterns seem to indicate that I don't muck that section towward the front edge and corners up much! 🙂

Mar 10, 2009 6:57 PM in response to Dan Kirsch

ZAGG has some GREAT protective stuff for Apple products. I have it currently on 3 of my Macs and on 2 of my iphones and I swear by it. Really makes your computer bullet proof without adding any extra weight or bulk at all. Looking at the computer its almost 100% invisible.

They DO also come with trackpad/palm rest protection.


just go to zagg.com and look for:

invisibleSHIELDâ„¢ for the
Apple MacBook Pro 17 inch 2nd Gen

The picture for this laptop looks like the old 17" model but they just havent updated the picture yet.


Hope this helps

Mar 11, 2009 3:20 AM in response to justinfickett

Thanks for the suggestion, but I've already ruled out the Zagg stuff and frankly I myself wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I'd picked up the film (invisibleSHIELD) for my iPod Touch 2G and after fighting it to try to get a decent installation (the directions are complex and the install process was very difficult) because in the end a film simply doesn't seem to me to add much in the way of protection (I tossed the Zagg film and went hard case for my iPod also).

When I look at my hard shell and see the deep gouges and scratches that are there, and even the nicks, I know that I need a hard shell. Don't get me wrong, I'm not careless but it's the frequent trips through airport security lines/checks that are driving my need for the hard case.

As for Zagg for the trackpad/palm rest...again, the film doesn't do much for me there either and can't imagine using it. The Marware covering that I have on my current MBP 17 actually provides some soft cushioning as it's thicker than a film but no so thick as to impact closing properly.

Mar 20, 2009 7:31 AM in response to Dan Kirsch

FYI -- I see that the Speck site now has a backorder page for both the clear and the satin versions of the SeeThrough hard case for the MacBook Pro 17" Unibody. The satin appears to only come in black (at least as of now). Both are priced at $49.95. Backordering simply puts you on the mailing list to be notified when available, but at least there is now that page which I didn't see before.

Also, for anyone interested they right now are having a sale on their other SeeThrough cases -- MacBook Air is going for $14.95 and MacBook Pro 17" (silver keys) is going for $24.97 (each are regularly priced at $49.95).

Apr 1, 2009 4:20 AM in response to Big Joon

Another four weeks! And here I've been watching the site daily thinking that the original estimate was still good and any day they'd announce it. That's disappointing to say the least.

I am still looking myself and cannot find any other workable solution. I'm headed out on a trip this weekend and so will be going through security lines again and the only hope for not adding a bunch of scratches is whether they'll let me keep it in the open half of the bag.

Apr 8, 2009 8:11 PM in response to Dan Kirsch

Speck told me a month as well. I am also hoping the Incase makes one soon. I have had better luck with the Incase one on my old 17.

The Speck constantly got dirt/dust in the bottom vents and caused some pitting on the base of the machine. When I asked them about it they told me that I needed to clean it more. I mentioned that I cleaned my machine at least once a week if not more.....They said "maybe you need to clean it more often."

Still like the Speck case and will probably buy it unless the Incase comes out first. But to everyone thinking about one, make sure you clean the bottom of your machine and the inside of the case by removing the bottom piece of the Speck case "often."

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Hardshell Cases for 17" Unibody

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