[Adam]

A friend of mine was just inspecting my iBook G4 and was surprised that I wasn't using any type of keyboard cover or skin, to protect the LCD screen from developing imprints. He used to own an iBook G3 900mhz and said that he started placing a thin piece of material between the keyboard and the screen after he noticed that imprints were starting to appear.

I thought these precautions were only necessary with some of the Titanium Powerbook series (my boss' tibook 667 developed some really nasty keyboard imprints). Does the iBook G4 suffer from these same problems, and should I buy a keyboard cover to protect it? I saw them the other day at computer systems center for about $35, so I'd rather avoid buying one if I can. Thanks,

Adam

 

[HJS]

A piece of paper would do You could also cut a piece of lint-free fabric or leather to fit. The marks develop from oils left on keys from fingers... a real problem with some models of Powerbooks, because the keys made contact with LCD when closed.
Something like an iSkin would help protect the keyboard(though I don't think they have one yet for the iBook G4) but could exacerbate the finger oil problem, since it would be in closer contact with the LCD.

 

[Nick]

I used a piece of card stock for my 800 ibook and when I sold it 2 months ago there was not a mark on it.

 

[Chealion]

As far as I can tell, the iBook G4 doesn't need one because the keyboard and LCD don't come into contact. I know I don't have one on the one I use, and the only thing that has accumulated on the screen has been fingerprints from people pointing at things.

Putting something in between the keyboard and screen however won't hurt anything.

 

[SINC]

Some time ago in the Silver Clubhouse, new Powerbook owners were inquiring of each other if their closing clasp seemed loose. All agreed at the time they were quite loose.

I now know why Apple designed them that way, thanks to this particular thread. It was to prevent keyboard imprints on the screen.

I learn something new every day on ehMac.

Cheers

 

[moonsocket]

just use the peice of foam that came between screen and keyboard in the shipping box. thats what i use

 

[Adam]

Thanks for the replies guys. So I guess the general consensus is that it's uncertain whether or not the problem may occur, but just to be safe I think I'll follow your advice and will use the piece of foam that shipped with the computer, rather than spending $35 on an iSkin

Chealion said: the only thing that has accumulated on the screen has been fingerprints from people pointing at things.

doesn't that drive you crazy!? I get nervous when people start pointing at the screen, especially when they've just been eating a whole bag of doritos or something and they've got cheese and crap all over their fingers

By the way, Moonsocket, or any other iBook G4 owners, have you noticed any erratic behaviour with the trackpad? I started noticing that sometimes the trackpad would just go crazy and jump to a corner and become unusable, mostly after the machine has woken up from sleep, although it also tends to happen quite randomly as well.

At first I thought it was because I'd installed Sidetrack, so I removed that, but the behaviour was still occuring, so then I removed Windowshade as well, believing that it was the culprit, but it didn't make a difference. I can now almost consistently produce the erratic behaviour by pushing hard enough on the lower left side of the trackpad so that it registers as a click (as if I'd actually pressed the trackpad mouse button). While some of you may be asking why I would ever push that hard on the trackpad, first off, it really doesn't require that much pressure to do this, and second of all, this is just an example of how to consistently produce this erratic behaviour. Most of the time, this behaviour occurs for no apparent reason, no matter how hard or soft I press on the trackpad.

Anyways, I was about to reformat the hard drive and reinstall panther, thinking that maybe a fresh reinstall would do the trick, but then I came across the following thread on the Apple discussion forums: Trackpad Weirdness, so it seems I'm not alone with this problem..

I just can't believe the amount of quality control issues that Apple products are suffering from these days.. We've got the PowerBook G4 15" "White Spots", the PowerBook G4 12" Rev A "warping" and getting extremely hot, the G5 power supply sound issue, and now it seems we've got flaky trackpads on the G4 iBooks (and I've also left out a lot of quality control problems that have plagued Apple in the past). If it was any other company, there would be no way they'd still have such a loyal fanbase after shipping products with so many problems. Do these hardware problems occur from larger PC manufacturers as well (such as IBM, Dell, HP, etc)?

Adam

[ December 02, 2003, 01:31 PM: Message edited by: Adam C ]

 

[Chealion]

Adam C - The fingerprints don't mind me too much as I clean it off pretty often, so there aren't too many fingerprints. I do however ask them not to touch the screen. A slightly damp cloth and TLC does wonders. Though the case of the iBook I use is covered in fingerprints (Ones you see when the light is right) and either scratches or smudged fingerprints. That annoys me mildly, because I can't do anything about it.

I haven't noticed any erratic trackpad behaviour at all. The 12" iBook G4 is a wonder to use. Though I know I turned off the ability to tap the pad to open things because when typing I would always tap the touch pad and it could cause some very interesting results.

As for that trackpad weirdness, I get that happen all the time in Windows XP on a Dell. The mouse just shifts to either the top right of bottom left corner. Either I move it there not knowing or its one heck of a weird bug.

As for quality control issues, other companies do suffer the same fate but because their lines are more diverse and less people buy that one specific product it is not as acknowledged. Also most of those problems are only affecting a minority of users. (Sans the heat of the Rev. A 12", that was a flaw in design.)

 

[hmto]

I've had my 14" ibook 600 for almost two years now and have never used any protection and have never had an issue like the powerbook does. I don't believe the screen comes in contact with the keyboard at all. If you are worried as always err on the side of caution. As for the erratic trackpad behaviour I have had that happen occasionally. Just darts all over the place but does happen from time to time. Use a travel mouse.

 

[swift]

I have heard reports of oils on the keyboard, deposited by your hands, rubbing on the screen. Personally I haven't seen this so it should be taken with a grain of salt, but is there a reason not to treat your book well?

 

[HJS]

Just to correct my comment above:

"PLEASE NOTE: The current iBook/PowerBook Keyboard protector does not fit the new PowerBook Aluminum 12"/15"/17" due to changes in the layout position of the FKeys on these units. It does however fit all new iBooks."

iSkin PB

So it seems it will work with your iBook...

 

[jonmon]

There shouldn't be any problems unless excessive force is put on the screen while the unit is closed.

For example have it in a backpack with book and lean back on a wall!

I had some marks, but I wiped those off.

Oh and for scratches, might pick up some acrylic polish for the iBook and iPod as well (Ice Cream)