
Preserving Laptop Stickers on MacBooks - graystevens
https://grh.am/2019/preserving-laptop-stickers-on-macbooks/
======
thelonelygod
This is nifty, but I don't really see why this beats using a case. I've been
switching laptop cases for a while (actually need to get a new one) and I put
them up on my wall when I'm done.

Checkout a photo - [https://imgur.com/a/nWz95Ex](https://imgur.com/a/nWz95Ex)

They're like $15 on Amazon and I honestly don't mind that people can see them
since the laptop is going to be covered in stickers and won't be looking like
something off the shelf anyway.'

~~~
js2
A case makes the laptop thicker and heavier. My wife and kids have cases on
their MBAs and I don’t care for them at all.

~~~
filt
Damn that's harsh. They're still your family!

~~~
mrep
Why do you need a case for your laptop? I've never dropped a laptop in my life
(I have tripped over cords before but the magsafe has saved me every time).
Shit, I bought the very first iphone the day it came out and I haven't used a
cased on any of my phones either and still have never broken anything despite
dropping my phones every once in a while.

~~~
Brajeshwar
I'm also a no case person. I don't remember ever dropping my iPhones. But it
is not for everyone. Once a friend took my phone to look at something and he
dropped it, shattering the glass. I was more amazed that in its entirety of 3+
years, I never dropped the phone once but it slipped my friend's hand in just
that few minutes. :-)

~~~
cgriswald
I’ve broken several iPhones including one the same day I got it. The breaks
always seemed to happen randomly. Relatively low impact. But once I dropped
one, tried to grab it, and ended up flinging it up and across the room where
it hit the wall about ten feet up then fell anyway... it was fine. Another
time I was hiking and stupidly had my phone out. I fell, landed with the
screen side down beneath my hand onto pebbles... not a scratch.

Anyway... I always buy a case now.

~~~
sq_
My case on my 6s finally broke a few months ago after 3.5 years of (ab)use. In
the whole time I had it, I dropped it maybe 5 times. In the week after the
case broke and I took it off, I dropped it _hard_ at least 3 times.

Suffice it to say, I got a replacement case real quick after that.

------
want2know
It's sad to see that in this thread most people jump in conclusions because
they only assume there is only one reason why people put stickers on laptops.

Without giving it much thought you place people in a 'category' that only
exists in your mind.

There are a million reasons why people put stickers on laptops. And also a
million why people don't.

I guess it's best to keep an open mind and don't think you know why people
sticker.

~~~
coldtea
> _There are a million reasons why people put stickers on laptops. And also a
> million why people don 't._

Well, let's not get carried away. There are a handful of reasons at best:

1) they feel the laptop is drab/empty and want to decorate it

2) they are fans of an artist/band and want to promote it

3) they want to broadcast the world the company they work for and/or their
choice of frameworks and tools

4) they want to cover some scratch

And that's pretty much it

~~~
aflag
There's at least two other options. Once, a friend of mine came from a
conference, he was really excited about his stickers and gave me one. I
thought it'd make him happy if I sticked it to my laptop, and so I did.

Some time ago a work colleague went on this rant about how stickers are dumb.
Only to find a sticker on his laptop when he got back from lunch. He thought
it was funny and it became a running joke for a while that everyone who went
to a conference would add a sticker to his collection while he was not
looking.

~~~
Kaibeezy
My kid stuck a white Apple sticker dead center on my X220. Funny for a minute.
When I peeled it off, it left a ghost apple in residue (or maybe a clean spot)
that’s resisted further removal attempts.

My favorite hammer has a Windows (3.1x) sticker on one side and a 1st gen
Intel Inside on the other.

~~~
magduf
Those "Designed for Microsoft Windows" stickers are best placed on trash cans.

------
numlock86
In my company I introduced stickers on working machines. We have a lot of
developers with different skillsets spread over the entire campus. There are
many departments sharing similar technology stacks and needed skills. This
helps people to get together if they have questions or ideas they want to
verify or share with others not in their department for example. Got a problem
with a particular thing in Erlang, Redis, Yocto, NodeJS, Go, Linux or
something else? Just approach the guys that have appropriate stickers and get
together and exchange some of that sweet knowledge. While on it they might
notice yours and do the same.

~~~
esmi
Reminds me of Merit Badges. :)
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merit_badge_(Boy_Scouts_of_A...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merit_badge_\(Boy_Scouts_of_America\))

~~~
magduf
Not exactly. The nice thing about Merit Badges is that they're standardized:
they're all the same size and shape, and they're not very large (around 1.25"
in diameter IIRC).

Also, when you put your merit badges on your sash, they're placed in an
orderly fashion, 3 per row. They aren't just slapped on there randomly, some
partially covering others, oriented in different directions, etc. With
stickers on laptops, they always just look like a big jumble.

If this company came up with merit badge-like stickers for all these
technologies and had people place them on their laptops in even rows, oriented
the same direction, then I would be for it. But the way I see people use
stickers on laptops now, it just looks trashy.

------
tragic
> * Resale - By putting stickers on my laptop, I am either going to have to
> try to remove them again once I come to selling it, lowering my resale price
> because the laptop isn’t in near pristine condition.

> * Damage - There is a worry that some stickers may leave a horrible hard-to-
> remove residue, or maybe leave a discolouration to the aluminium.

To which may be added a third - your Mac gets sent off for repair, but repair
nowadays means "we take the hard drive out and put it in another Mac because
even we can't fix them"

~~~
AdmiralAsshat
Or the repair person might helpfully "clean" the case. Like what happened to
this poor guy and his autographed XBOX 360 case:
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080302171919/http://hawtymcblo...](https://web.archive.org/web/20080302171919/http://hawtymcbloggy.com/2008/02/28/another-
gamer-screwed-by-microsoft/)

~~~
RandomBacon
> Taking it apart would have voided the warranty

Rrr... We must extinguish this lie! It is _illegal_ in the US for companies to
do this.

~~~
rtkwe
That was in '08\. I think that might have been before the decision came out
about that.

------
lttlrck
3M adhesive remover is amazing stuff. It beats Goo Gone by a wide margin, I
recently used it to remove PETG residue from my 3D printer bed and that stuff
is gnarly.

3M 38983 General Purpose Adhesive Remover - 12 oz.
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004EBNTYK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cU...](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004EBNTYK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cULjDb3Q4N1XR)

~~~
tomkinstinch
Helpful tip, thanks. Here's the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) in case anyone is
curious what's in 3M 38983 General Purpose Adhesive Remover[1]: Mostly methyl
acetate, with some naptha, xylene, and a small amount of ethylbenzene.
Definitely worth heeding the precautionary statements...

For contrast, "Goo Gone" is mostly naptha-like light petroleum distillate with
small fractions of limonene and orange extract[2].

1\.
[https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSuUn_...](https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSuUn_zu8l00xM8mGm8mUPv70k17zHvu9lxtD7SSSSSS--)

2\.
[https://googone.com/mr_sds/data/2018-06-14%2013:44:51/GG_Ori...](https://googone.com/mr_sds/data/2018-06-14%2013:44:51/GG_Original_SDS_U0618.pdf)

~~~
DarkStar851
This stuff is basically Goo Gone without the plant goodies and some aircraft
paint thinner. It __will __remove most paint and clear coats so be careful!

edit: I misread xylene as toluene, whoops! It still isn't the most paint-
friendly if you don't have a durable surface though.

~~~
post_break
3M adhesive remover will not remove paint. I used gallons on cars to remove
plastidip. It says right on the container, safe for car paint and clear coat.
Advertised to remove bumper stickers.

------
Stratoscope
I have devoted my life to removing stickers from all my computers. The first
thing I do with a new ThinkPad is remove the Intel and Lenovo stickers from
the palmrest.

(Tip: If you have a Swiss Army knife with the plastic toothpick, the flat
point of that toothpick is a perfect tool for lifting a corner of a sticker.)

The one exception was when I realized I was using my late 2013 MacBook Pro in
Windows more than in OS X. I thought it would be fun to turn it into a WinBook
Pro, so I got a Windows 10 decal for it:

[https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B014I1ICX8/](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B014I1ICX8/)

I lined it up just right so the machine lights up the Windows logo as if it
had always been there.

I guess this wouldn't work so good on the new MacBooks...

~~~
darkerside
I have found it similarly satisfying to remove the dealer decals from every
car I buy. Although it's probably easier just to make them remove it as a
condition of sale.

~~~
function_seven
I have a prediction to make. Let me know if I'm right or wrong: These cars
with dealer decals are all from dealerships located outside of California,
yeah?

I ask because I have a suspicion that CA law bans them. Either that, or our
culture is so anti-dealer-decal that none dare try to add them. (Every decal
I've ever seen has been from out of state)

~~~
AceyMan
You got that right. I'm from Georgia and when I bought a new car I had to get
firm with the sales guy wrt no stinking stickers.

But I'm in CA now and no one has stickers; the tactful substitute is a
"complementary" plate bezel with some dealer details on it (name, city). Those
are subtle and I kind of like seeing where people are from.

Back in GA we have very legible county (2cm font) stickers on all the plates
so that's how to geo-locate other cars there.

~~~
function_seven
Thanks for indulging me. I’m still trying to figure out why this is. I
searched the state laws for any references to dealer decals, emblems, etc. and
came up empty. But there’s obviously something that causes the statewide
practice of no decals.

------
meerita
Call me weirdo but I never jumped on the sticker wagon. I don't see the point
of advertising companies for free. My support would be more in terms of using
their services (paying, yes) than paying and also putting stickers on my
laptop. Is just because fanatism or feeling proud of using something? I'm not
trying to be jerk, but I never understood that movement.

~~~
mattschmulen
How else do you identify your mbp going through TSA. Call me laptop roulette
paranoid.

~~~
pvarangot
Mine is the one with no stickers

~~~
filoleg
What is the likelihood of seeing another macbook with no stickers compared to
the one with the exact same stickers as yours arranged in the exact same way?
I think that should address the issue with your argument.

------
css
I used a flat white Dbrand skin and put my stickers on top. My stickers have
100% coverage:
[https://twitter.com/rxcs/status/888214143097987072](https://twitter.com/rxcs/status/888214143097987072).
No problems after 2 years aside from some slight fading of the colors on the
reflective stickers.

If OP is in this thread, check out 3M 1080 (or newer) series. It is used on
cars, designed to not bubble or leave residue, and comes in clear.

~~~
pimlottc
Nice, how do you keep the Apple logo clear? You just cut the stickers
carefully before applying? The shape is still quite well defined.

~~~
css
The Apple logo is recessed enough that I could trace it easily with an x-acto
knife. The stickers I used didn't stick to it very well, interestingly, and
just peeled right off.

~~~
donkeyd
Are you not afraid to damage the logo with the knife?

------
apazzolini
Small nitpick, but "orange peel" refers to the texture of clearcoat resulting
from not spraying it properly, not anything to do with an orange hue.

Example: [https://cl.ly/f5e28bc2db85](https://cl.ly/f5e28bc2db85)

~~~
jiveturkey
small nitpicks on your nitpick, but

\- orange peel refers to any paint layer, not just clearcoat. (almost all, if
not all, cars today are shot with at least 2 stage, but older and maybe some
cars may be a single paint coat, where orange peel can still be exhibited).

\- it's not from spraying it improperly, which can be a cause, but more
typically that the spraying _conditions_ (from paint mix to atmospheric
conditions, even inside a booth) aren't "ideal". most new cars are robot
sprayed with perfect spray control, and almost all new cars exhibit a small
degree of orange peel.

even ferraris have orange peel from the factory. this is why high dollar
detailers do a "paint correction" as part of their work, even on a brand new
car.

------
seanlane
My alternative to slapping them on a laptop or laptop case:

[https://imgur.com/gallery/TTlSdKK](https://imgur.com/gallery/TTlSdKK)

Grab some magnet sheets, place sticker, and cut out. Makes them a bit more
durable in that you can move them around, rather than only being able to stick
once.

~~~
thinkingemote
Do magnets do horrible things to computers? Or was that only CRT screens?

~~~
deadbunny
Could possibly fuck with a HDD if your laptop has one.

------
neilv
Has anyone ever tried this with ThinkPads, with the rubberized matte coating?

I was looking at the skins sold on eBay, and wondering whether they'd mar the
coating. The old coatings hold up very nicely for over a decade, and I don't
want the skin to react with the coating, nor to later leave behind an adhesive
that can't be removed without ruining the coating.

I'm also wondering whether the skins could be transplanted, like if one laptop
breaks in a hard-to-repair way, so you move your SSD and skin full of decals
to the replacement laptop.

(I have an unapplied backlog of nerdy decals, to make the perfect social nerd
cafe laptop out of a spare Coreboot X200. So long as being social doesn't mar
the coating, because priorities.)

~~~
linsomniac
I've pretty much had a ThinkPad with me since the mid '90s, and, and used to
carry them everywhere with me, usually one or more trips a day. One of them I
got a custom printed skin, it wasn't that expensive, maybe $50... I peeled
that skin of ~3 years later when I got a new laptop, and the top looked
_PRISTINE_. I realized at that time: While the normal finish wears pretty
well, it does wear. The skin totally protected it.

------
valbaca
Or just buy Goo Gone

[https://googone.com/](https://googone.com/)

~~~
dmix
Agreed. I really don’t see how removing stickers off an aluminum case is
really that difficult.

Even for the “bad” ones that leave residue there are plenty of products for
this purpose that won’t damage the metal.

~~~
geoah
The idea is to keep the stickers when you have to change laptops or something,
not keep your laptop clean when removing them

------
iFred
I used to be in the anti sticker camp, but then someone nearly walked off with
my identical MacBook Pro at Newark. After that, I've gone through three
laptops and each one ends up caked in stickers from various customers and
conferences. I don't have to risk someone picking up my MacBook unless they
have the same arrangement IP video tech and Seattle sports stickers.

------
Razengan
Another way is to just use a body case or "shell" and applying the stickers to
that. It may not perfectly match the original aluminum look but it provides
more protection and personalization.

I got an Incase one from the Apple Store:

[https://www.apple.com/shop/mac/mac-accessories/cases-
protect...](https://www.apple.com/shop/mac/mac-accessories/cases-
protection?page=1&f=shell&fh=4592%2B463f)

[https://www.incase.com/devices/macbook/mackbook-
pro-2016-wit...](https://www.incase.com/devices/macbook/mackbook-
pro-2016-with-touch-bar)

~~~
tapland
Aren't these transparent film like the vinyl that one can use?

[https://www.bestskinsever.com/macbook-pro-15-inch-with-
touch...](https://www.bestskinsever.com/macbook-pro-15-inch-with-touch-bar)

------
abootstrapper
Putting stickers on my laptop is the closest I’ve come to getting a tattoo.

------
obenn
I just put a hard shell case on my MacBook and cover that with stickers. The
MacBook stays pristine and unaffected underneath.

~~~
Double_a_92
Are you sure?
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjOpnFmFfys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjOpnFmFfys)

------
ryukafalz
I use a hard case on my work laptop for similar reasons - it's not my laptop,
and when I give it back I want to keep the stickers! (I get a bit attached
after using a stickered-up machine for a while.)

The framed set of stickers at the bottom is kinda what I have in mind.

------
xivzgrev
IT departments at larger tech companies may be interested in this. Every time
an employee leaves or they recall equipment they need to remove stickers, a
manual and time consuming process. The key question is whether the amount of
time to apply this coating is significantly less than removing individual
stickers later?

------
jaclaz
Only for the record, there are already people selling laptop wraps.

leather and wood: [https://www.rvinyl.com/Laptop-
Wraps](https://www.rvinyl.com/Laptop-Wraps)

Various skins, already tailored for specific models:

[https://mightyskins.com/pages/laptop](https://mightyskins.com/pages/laptop)

And you can even create your own design:

[https://mightyskins.com/collections/custom-
laptop](https://mightyskins.com/collections/custom-laptop)

Another one (Macbook):

[https://dassidecal.com/collections/macbook-skins-
cases](https://dassidecal.com/collections/macbook-skins-cases)

And yet another one:

[https://www.decalgirl.com/skins/laptop-
skins](https://www.decalgirl.com/skins/laptop-skins)

~~~
archagon
Any transparent ones, or ones that match the color of the laptop exactly?

~~~
jaclaz
Hmmm. Like: [https://www.bestskinsever.com/laptop-
skin](https://www.bestskinsever.com/laptop-skin)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGGWWIwio-4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGGWWIwio-4)

------
Waterluvian
I bet Louis Rossman would have some thoughts on this. He had a customer who
became a local meme after having a tantrum about sticker residue. These things
can be trivial or impossible to remove depending how much you know about the
adhesive and removal methods.

~~~
Someone1234
And you have to be thoughtful with removal methods too, some like rubbing
alcohol for example, can damage certain surfaces.

------
finnjohnsen2
i would like to see some proper psychological research on why we put stickers
and brands on our pretty and expensive laptops.

Some keywords cones to mind based on my own feelings;

\- software tribalism and identity signaling to peers. like a mini resumé.

\- idealism and dreaming, the cool stuff I wish I was using (Who sticks a .NET
logo there, right?)

\- added uniqueness, my laptop is mine, my special tool, it is set up as an
extention of my unique set of skills

~~~
citeguised
My hobby project is collecting photos of stickered laptops [1]

From my impression and experience, it‘s like saying „I am root. This is MY
device“ more than anything else. So I‘d say your last point applies in most
cases. Although Salesforce-people seem to have a special relationship with
their stickers [2]. They have tons of them, but usually none from other
companies. They seem to be achievment-badges.

[1] [https://devlids.com](https://devlids.com)

[2]
[https://devlids.com/all/tag:salesforce](https://devlids.com/all/tag:salesforce)

------
NietTim
> Resale - By putting stickers on my laptop, I am either going to have to try
> to remove them again once I come to selling it, lowering my resale price
> because the laptop isn’t in near pristine condition.

Small remark, I've been rocking stickers on my macbook for years now and have
"clean" periods in between, you can take stickers off the aluminum without any
issue, and the few times I've had residue left it's easy to take it off with
some alcohol or iso. After this it's 100% clean and you can't see there have
been stickers on it, it's no issue at all

------
jimmcslim
I’m disappointed more laptop stickers don’t adhere to this standard...

[https://github.com/terinjokes/StickersStandard](https://github.com/terinjokes/StickersStandard)

~~~
deadbunny
That really seems like a solution to a problem that no one has/cares about.

------
FluffyKitty
It's weird that this is being talked about as if it's not something that
companies/sellers have been offering for ages.

This "special" car vinyl with the air channels is 3M's Controltac product. You
can find many sellers on eBay/AliExpress [1] or the myriad of other Chinese
web stores offering this product.

[1] [https://www.ebay.com/itm/Surface-3M-Skin-Decal-Sticker-
Cover...](https://www.ebay.com/itm/Surface-3M-Skin-Decal-Sticker-Cover-
Protector-fr-MacBook-Air-Pro-13-15-Touch-Bar/262903624585)

------
b123400
Wonderful idea! My friends drew some brilliant illustrations on my Macbook
Pros ( [https://i.imgur.com/O4mGZqZ.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/O4mGZqZ.jpg) )
using marker, directly on the case. Not soon afterward, the anti-reflective
coating went bad and I tried to took it to Apple Store and was predictably
told it's not possible to repair the screen without swapping out the entire
screen. So 4 years later I am still using a never paired machine. I wish I
knew about this kind of wrapping earlier.

------
beezischillin
I just buy some dbrand skins for mine. I have no idea if other manufacturers'
stuff is good, probably is but I've had the best experience with them so far.
I buy and apply whichever skin I like the most at that time and put stickers
on it to my heart's content. Plus the skins are pretty tough so I get scratch
protection and it comes off without leaving a mark in case I need to sell it.
The guy who bought my old MBP didn't have anything to complain about.

------
sascha_sl
this is essentially why i have a dbrand skin (aka a piece of textured vinyl)
on my macbook pro

~~~
jhinra
But that's almost a harder decision - you can certainly buy a bland colored
skin to put stickers on, but if you're going to the effort of skinning your
laptop, why not pick an interesting skin?

~~~
sascha_sl
I currently have the Hex skin. They have a pretty big selection.

[https://dbrand.com/shop/apple-macbook-pro-13-skins-touch-
bar](https://dbrand.com/shop/apple-macbook-pro-13-skins-touch-bar)

------
vcavallo
TIL people really care about dumb stickers

~~~
torgian
Each sticker adds 5MHz to your speed!

~~~
fencepost
Hmmm....

Stickers in the style of video game powerup pops, but with MHz, GB, etc
units....

------
ayeung
Fun fact: a razor blade from a box cutter, and some rubbing alcohol will
remove any sticker off a MacBook’s aluminum case without scratching the
MacBook.

------
theon144
Man, I wish I had done that with my last laptop! There were some stickers that
I will never get again, because the communities have since been extinguished,
some were personal gifts, some were mementos of specific events...

Not too optimistic about getting them off undamaged, seeing as they've been
caked into the ThinkPad plastic for a couple years, and some have even took
some scratches and tears...

------
jiveturkey
Lot of effort for something you can buy pre-cut, off the shelf at many places.
you can get matching color, or any number of background designs.

his only covers the top. i have top, bottom, keyboard surround, and trackpad
covered.

i'm most ambivalent about the trackpad. the silky smooth texture of a naked
pad is amazing. but i really hate how it picks up rub marks after a relatively
short period.

------
PTRFRLL
Love this. My old MacBook was covered in stickers but I grew out of most of
them and removing them was a giant pain. Plus, like you mentioned, resale
value took a hit. On my new MacBook, I've kept it sticker-free due to my past
experience. This would give me the freedom to slap some new stickers on there
knowing they're easily removable down the line.

~~~
rootusrootus
As a couple others have mentioned, if you keep the stickers carefully
contained to the aluminum surfaces of the computer, acetone will take them
right off and will not damage the metal.

------
znpy
This article could be the definition of "first world problem"

------
duxup
Are people often reselling their laptops?

I wanted to downsize my laptop recently and found that the places to sell hard
to find amounts offered ...not worth it.

One thing I found amusing is that they sell whole packs of "laptop stickers"
on Amazon. I just sort of assumed they were like travel stickers you gather
over time but.... I guess not.

~~~
fossuser
If you live in a place that has a strong tech market, then reselling is worth
it (on craigslist).

Apple gear resells really well, in Palo Alto I usually get 60-70% of the cost
on resale. In some instances this makes it worth it to buy new gear every year
(particularly with phones) to maximize the resale value and keep new hardware.

When I lived in Buffalo I couldn't sell anything.

~~~
duxup
Ah that makes sense.

------
nobrains
This car wrap vinyl material is the same stuff that Zagg Invisible Shield
([https://www.zagg.com/eu/en_eu/invisibleshield](https://www.zagg.com/eu/en_eu/invisibleshield))
and others use for mobile scratch protection wrapping.

------
JoshTriplett
I'd love this for a non-Mac laptop, as well.

~~~
graystevens
I think that might work for certain popular brands - Dell XPSs certainly
crossed my mind, as well as the Lenovo Thinkpads. Both are likely to have a
vinyl equivalent available that could be used, although I'd want to thoroughly
QC how the Thinkpad lid holds-up with the residue on removal.

~~~
tonylemesmer
[https://www.vinylrevolution.co.uk/services/macbook-and-
lapto...](https://www.vinylrevolution.co.uk/services/macbook-and-laptop-
branding-services/custom-laptop-wraps/)

------
habosa
When it was time for me to get a new laptop I put my old macbook in the office
scanner, got a high-dpi scan of the whole thing.

Then I ordered a custom full-size sticker for my new macbook that has all the
stickers of my old macbook. Then I kept stickering on top. Final result:
[https://photos.app.goo.gl/VQ75mPshvzs6ubf87](https://photos.app.goo.gl/VQ75mPshvzs6ubf87)

I am very happy with it, even though it doesn't look half as nice as what this
person did. The combination of old and new stickers on the laptop is fun, and
the whole thing took me 30 minutes to do.

------
nautilus12
I became disenfranchised with the whole sticker thing, just another one of the
many cultural distractions that companies use to make us feel like we are part
of something and in exchange pay us less.

------
bootlooped
There is a brand that makes screen (or body) protectors for phones, tablets
and laptops. I have used their phone protectors and have always been happy. I
don't agree with the downsides listed for this approach, they offer matte
finish, I have never had an issue with the protectors yellowing, and I can
source (buy) them right now.

[https://www.bestskinsever.com/laptop-
skin](https://www.bestskinsever.com/laptop-skin)

~~~
ValentineC
I had one of these on a 2008 MacBook, and it started yellowing and flaking
around 2–3 years later, most noticeably on parts that had considerable heat
(like the bottom case and removable battery).

If it was just used for the top case, I think it should be fine. Mine has
yellowed, but was autographed by my favourite author. :)

------
Theodores
I like the idea of using the wrap plastic used for cars, maybe with fancy
colours, skipping the stickers. When I am done with the machine I could remove
the wrap and have a brand new looking case. Actual hard shell covers do
protect the machine but they do get dirt inside that does add wear patterns.

Has anyone done anything really cool with automotive wraps and laptops? Not
necessarily on Apple products but on PCs that don't have a tough aluminium
shell?

~~~
jaclaz
See my comment above, about a couple of pre-made (and customizable) resources:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20410335](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20410335)

------
nullorundefined
anyone else think stickers are super gaudy?

~~~
amiga-workbench
Yeah, but I have an immense distaste for branding anyway. If my ThinkPad
didn't have a badge on the lid it would be perfect.

------
killjoywashere
License this to Sticker Mule. Sell it with framing options.

------
betandr
I like this idea although I use vinyl stickers on my MacBook and then, before
needing to sell it, I peel them off again. They leave very little residue
which I clean with some isopropyl alcohol and they prevent the case from being
scratched because they're covering it. For me there's not much difference
between a vinyl sheet then stickers or just the stickers themselves.

------
archagon
Serendipitous! I've been agonizing over this very question for the last few
months. I have a few rare and interesting stickers that I'd love to stick on
my Macbook, but I haven't been able to find any transparent/color-matching
covers that would let me keep them after I switch computers. Really hope this
product gets sold! (Or that Graham makes a one-off for me. ;)

------
Mikho
There is a company that serves precisely cut skins of different colors for
most popular tech. The author basically reinvented DBrand. Here is a section
for MacBook Pro on the site: [https://dbrand.com/shop/apple-macbook-
pro-15-skins-touch-bar](https://dbrand.com/shop/apple-macbook-pro-15-skins-
touch-bar)

------
SenHeng
Here in Japan, we have anime girls.

(mostly) SFW google image search.

[https://www.google.com/search?q=%E7%97%9B%E3%83%8E%E3%83%BC%...](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E7%97%9B%E3%83%8E%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88pc&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiY_ufchazjAhWPyYsBHZ_BCMQQ_AUIECgB&biw=1920&bih=1114)

~~~
Jaruzel
Are these acceptable in the workplace?

------
systematical
If I were to get any sticker, it would simply say "Burn Your JavaScript
Stickers." That sums up my opinion of stickers.

------
gaebn
That's truly amazing how many people have difficulties differentiating their
laptops from the others. It would be a pity if they were just covering up
their need to signal the world how special they are and how important their
interests are. Glad that it's not the case, it would be pretty stupid to do
this on the internet, right?

~~~
hk2001
> their need to signal the world how special they are and how important their
> interests are

Honestly, the compulsion to accuse others of narcissism for something as
harmless as putting stickers on their personal property screams "LOOK AT ME,
I'M SPECIAL" much more.

~~~
gaebn
I was accusing others for being insincere, not narcissistic. Guess you've read
only the quoted part of my message, hope the reason is not some sticker on the
inside blocking the view.

~~~
hk2001
You were accusing them of being both. Now who is being insincere?

~~~
gaebn
I have nothing against being narcissistic, provided you are honest about it.
If I say that you are trying too hard with your "No u!" game, will you accuse
me of trying too hard?

------
spilk
I've been doing this for years with easy-to-acquire clear protective films
that are specifically cut for laptops.

------
dudul
Maybe I read a little fast, but why only mention "MacBooks"? Wouldn't this
system work for any laptop?

~~~
miloignis
A similar system, I'm sure, but he got the material specifically to match the
metal of the MacBook and is gauging if other people are interested in it.

------
rcarmo
When I had a black Lenovo X1, I glued a single sticker in the center (a silver
cutout of the Imperial Sigil from Star Wars) and stuck all the “other” stuff
(conference logos, mementos, etc.) to the underside.

This was part of a long-running joke about my joining the Dark Side (I work
for Microsoft), and was all the individuality my laptop really needed.

My last work MacBook had the same sigil stuck under the Apple logo (back when
it was lit) and a couple of other stickers on the underside as well, just so I
could single it out, but I never really went for glueing lots of stickers to
my machines, and these days I carry a Surface Pro (which folds at the back) or
a Surface Laptop (which I like for its clean looks), so stickers are mostly
out (I make do with a big high-res Stormtrooper close-up photo on my login
screens, which are usually the first thing people see when I set up for a
presentation :))

I like the idea, though, and wonder if I will end up combining it with a large
decal of some kind. Printing a partially opaque monochrome image on that big a
Surface (pun not intended) is... interesting.

------
torgian
That's cool. It's a nice idea, but I think cases are just a better, easier way
to do it.

That said, I use a case and have no stickers. Everyone else I see has tons of
stickers on their MacBooks, though nobody seems to put stickers on their
Windows laptops.

------
fredley
Acetone (nail polish remover) will easily and harmlessly remove almost any
sticker residue.

~~~
rootusrootus
Harmless on aluminum, for sure, but it will melt plastic, so avoid splatter on
apple logos, keyboards, etc.

------
veritas3241
I have 12 small whiteboards (14x14 in) mounted on my wall that I add stickers
to now. The only stickers on my laptop are ones I have duplicates of. It's a
nice collection and it's scaled more than the back of my laptop has.

------
gravypod
If you're looking for something like this that also includes a texture or
color change then the company dbrands makes a nice product. They're not really
over priced, they apply easily, and it is very easy to remove.

------
jaakl
I used screen cleaner gel to clean up some old macbooks with pile of years old
stickers and it worked without any trace left I can notice. And I guess it is
already safe for electronics. No special formulas needed.

------
ratsimihah
You could even not bother showing the Apple logo and have more sticker
surface.

------
mikeymop
I was on the same search and ultimately gave up and applied them directly to
my lid after finding Isopropyl gets the residue off nice.

I would love to know how they cut it so clean so I can attempt to make one for
the XPS 13.

------
rhizome
AKA "Cloud flair"

~~~
crazysim
Cloudflare Cloud flair

------
jrslv
Once I decided to remove all stickers from my 2013 mbp. A piece of cloth and
small quantity of vodka did the job surprisingly well. No residue at all.
(Disclaimer: I’m from Eastern Europe)

------
gadgetoid
I’ve peppered my laptop with stickers. Not out of some desire to promote the
services they embody, but rather because it makes my laptop look less
appealing to a would-be thief.

------
aripickar
I used to put stickers on my laptop, but I lost them all when I had to bring
them to the genius bar for some work. Would this be re-aplicable? I would
think no, right?

~~~
graystevens
So it remains sticky when removed, but I certainly wouldn't expect it to fit
quite as snuggly the second time around. Interesting idea though, but my
initial reaction would be no, not re-applicable.

------
Fnoord
Oil, peanut butter, or what I used is "HG stikkerverwijderaar" (I don't know
the English word or brand name) which I bet is just turpentine.

------
timvisee
This is brilliant! Kind of a coincidence, I've been thinking about something
like this a week ago. I wonder how well this would work on a ThinkPad.

------
izzydata
Stickers are casual.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-whrWIGJes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-whrWIGJes)

------
PhasmaFelis
I can honestly say this is the first time I've ever heard of someone worrying
about the resale value of their computer.

------
zrail
So maybe a silly question, but is there some reason clear contact paper
wouldn't work? Is the sheen not quite right?

------
reiichiroh
What about stickers for various causes leading to profiling, targeting and
harassment by security thugs?

------
quickthrower2
Love The Bourne-Again Shell sticker. I'd love a COBOL sticker!

Or
[https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.627087627.9542/sss,small,wid...](https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.627087627.9542/sss,small,wide_portrait,750x1000.jpg)

------
jimnotgym
Am I the only person who is sick to death of Macs on their network? My mac
users take up so much more time than the Windows majority for their overpriced
hipster-books.

The ones that really get me are the ones that use MS Office all day. Wrong
computer for the job.

------
the_arun
May be we need to fix the gums in stickers to peel off easily - then it could
work for all laptops/devices. Another option could be put an easily peelable
tape and then sticker on top of it.

~~~
bdamm
The technology already exists, but not all stickers you might want to stick to
a laptop has that good type of sticky chemistry. So the implication is that
the achieve such a "fix" would require regulation to limit the types of
stickers that are generally available. It would potentially be global as well,
since people travel and put stickers from travel on their gear. Also,
sometimes people put bumper stickers on laptops. Should we limit the chemistry
of bumper stickers? Obviously this leads to madness, and I would not want such
burdensome regulation.

------
juandazapata
Or buy a $10 case. Or buy a $4 3M sticker remover.

------
sswaner
Page said you are looking for a name: LapWrap

------
_pmf_
That's one nice looking blog theme.

------
cardamomo
Bonus feature: You can apply one of these to the back of your non-Mac laptop
and pretend you have a Mac!

~~~
MartinCron
The right term for that would be MockBook.

------
elif
None of those stickers are sentimental or novel...

You could probably get them all at the same conference for free

~~~
citeguised
Those stickers match pretty much the product-tester-pack you get from sticker-
mule for 1€.

------
snek
does anyone know of vinyl skins for the thinkpad x1 extreme?

~~~
elif
Any vinyl skin will do. Use a razorblade around the edges like it's a
skateboard.

If you try to size it perfectly, you'll get lifting eventually.

~~~
rzzzt
And then a little sandpaper to smooth it down...

------
elasticrash
the most interested part of this article was that, people are actually
worrying about sticking a sticker on their laptop. I would never resale a
laptop with my hard drive on it, and nowadays most laptops (and definitely all
macbooks have soldered hard disks)

------
spurmboy
Laptop stickers are a cancer

~~~
dang
Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments to Hacker News? We're
trying for something a little better than that here.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

------
BLanen
I mean... There's many many products like this already and I don't understand
the point of this article.

