If you’re self-employed, you’re not bound by the typical cubicle walls, where bad lighting plays havoc with your eyes and the seemingly sub-zero temperatures force you to wear multiple layers in the summer. No, you have the freedom to work wherever and whenever you want, which means you’re taking your work to decidedly non-work settings. For you, your office is your neighbourhood’s libraries, coffee shops, pubs, and parks. As a result, your MacBook sees far more action than the typical laptop – and it shows. Even if you’ve only recently invested in the latest Pro Retina 15, you’ll notice it isn’t without its own fair share of scuffs and scrapes. Most people will tell you it’s an inescapable part of being a remote, self-employed worker.
When your computer is your livelihood, that can be a bitter pill to swallow. Luckily, you don’t have to. In reality, cosmetic and structural damage is completely avoidable, as long as you’re willing to handle your laptop with care and invest in proper protection.
Handle with Care
Most of us know better than to roughhouse with our MacBooks. Despite Apple’s best efforts to reinforce the aluminum chassis, it’s still a delicate piece of machinery. As such, few of us will throw our laptops around or slid them across surfaces. But there are other, seemingly innocuous habits that put your Pro Retina in jeopardy. We all need a cup of joe (or several) to get going in the morning, and many of us think nothing of setting it down within easy reach of our keyboards, but one false move, and you could be courting disaster. At least, you could be contending with jammed keys sticky with coffee; at worse, you could be looking up replacements after your Americano fried your motherboard. Don’t tempt fate – be careful with your MacBook by treating it like the fragile device that it is.
Skins and Decals
Mistakes happen, and even with concerted effort to handle with care, we can put our laptops into the line of fire. Kitting out your MacBook with a Pro Retina skin or decal is one way to protect your device when oversights threaten it. Pro Retina decals are made from a waterproof, grime-resistant, and durable vinyl that adheres to the body and trackpad of the MacBook, creating an air-tight barrier between it and the dangerous outside world and saving it from scratches, scuffs, dents, spills, and dirt.
When it comes to decals, it’s about fit. An ill-fitting skin that leaves parts of the computer unprotected is as useless as a bare MacBook. The creators at skin providers like dbrand understand this, which is why these designers offer an accurate fit. The best skins for macbook at dbrand.com are made to measure within the micro-millimetre, offering a superior fit that hugs its sleek silhouette and accommodates every port flawlessly. And because MacBook decals are made with genuine 3M vinyl, its thin enough not to upset the sensitive trackpad.
Carrying Cases
Next to cafés where spilled lattes are the norm, the most dangerous place for your MacBook is enplein air. Transporting it to and fro, wherever your work takes you, opens it up to harsh conditions that can threaten both its good looks and functionality. Whether you take the subway or hop on a bike, be sure to travel with a properly insulated MacBook case, so you don’t have to worry about it while on the go. There are plenty of secured bags that are made with the Pro Retina in mind. That, coupled with the best skins MacBook users trust wrapped around your laptop, and you’ll never have to worry about damaging your computer.
There are a lot of pros and cons to being self-employed. One of the pros is that you get to choose where your office is for the day. The downside is that travelling there might damage your equipment. When you’re the one to supply all of the tech you need to get the job done, don’t just hope for the best. Make sure you handle your computer properly and use protective material like decals (or skins) and carrying cases.