So, please know that I am not a complete australopithecine. I'm a fairly handy fellah', but applying a screen protector to the iPad has been a very frustrating affair.

I have tried it three times.

Each time the result looks like I made the attempt after two martinis and three Percocet.

I have flawlessly applied screen protectors to my phone, to my iPod Touch, but the sheer acreage of the iPad screen is making the application impossible.

1) I do not live in a NASA approved "clean room".

2) So many bubbles which when I attempt to smooth them out with my most perfectly edge credit card unit, disband, move behind enemy lines, strafe me with sniper fire, and generally refuse to go away.

The first two times I applied a protector they were of the smooth, clear sort and the attempt to remove bubbles marred their surfaces so badly that even were I to have removed the bubbles, the end result would have been terrible to distraction.

This third time was a glare reduction screen protector which got so bad with bubbles that I just pulled it off in frustration, crumpled it, and threw it away in a very Annie Wilkes kind of way. (so embarrassed now)

So, please, anyone... Help? Tips? Tricks? Magic spells? Contracts with Old Scratch?

P.S. I know the screen is sturdy and I am actually pretty good to electronic devices (the back of my 3 year old iPod Touch is still mirror perfect) but I want a glare reduction film to, well.... reduce glare.

Originally Posted by Wreybies

So, please know that I am not a complete australopithecine. I'm a fairly handy fellah', but applying a screen protector to the iPad has been a very frustrating affair.

I have tried it three times.

Each time the result looks like I made the attempt after two martinis and three Percocet.

I have flawlessly applied screen protectors to my phone, to my iPod Touch, but the sheer acreage of the iPad screen is making the application impossible.

1) I do not live in a NASA approved "clean room".

2) So many bubbles which when I attempt to smooth them out with my most perfectly edge credit card unit, disband, move behind enemy lines, strafe me with sniper fire, and generally refuse to go away.

The first two times I applied a protector they were of the smooth, clear sort and the attempt to remove bubbles marred their surfaces so badly that even were I to have removed the bubbles, the end result would have been terrible to distraction.

This third time was a glare reduction screen protector which got so bad with bubbles that I just pulled it off in frustration, crumpled it, and threw it away in a very Annie Wilkes kind of way. (so embarrassed now)

So, please, anyone... Help? Tips? Tricks? Magic spells? Contracts with Old Scratch?

P.S. I know the screen is sturdy and I am actually pretty good to electronic devices (the back of my 3 year old iPod Touch is still mirror perfect) but I want a glare reduction film to, well.... reduce glare.

iPad doesn't need a screen protector. Glass is very tough to scratch.

I can say with a certain amount of certainty that I have dropped my iPad over 100 times. Not a scratch on it.

I feel the same way about phones, it's a waste of money. Who needs the hassle?

If you want to reduce glare can't you just dial down the brightness?

Originally Posted by hookbill

If you want to reduce glare can't you just dial down the brightness?

Not outside. This trickie no workie. I do generally keep my brightness pretty dim when indoors which has more to do with old habits from my time in the service and the "dark rooms' we worked in, but out of doors the reflection from my screen is the one and only "minus" I give to the device.

So, my question still stands. I know that a screen protector is not for everyone, and under certain schools of though, pretty unnecessary, but if one were to need/wish to have a screen protector, any tips on an easier application method?

You could use a Zagg protector.

Jamie

Here is the the info to use the Zagg protector. They have a video on how to put it on online. My 8 year old and I put it on with little hassle. It IS a wet application, but it works great and Zagg has a lifetime warranty.
scroll down a bit for the iPad video.
http://www.zagg.com/support/installvideo.php

I find that the screen protectors that use the wet application method come out better and it is easier to remove the bubbles than those that don't. The secret is to use plenty of the application fluid. it seems scary to put all that fluid on the iPad, but it works.

I had the same problem with my screen protectors( dry ones ). I did figure out how to do it with very little bubbles and were able to get all bubbles out.

The iPad screen is much larger than iPhones/iPods and the credit card just didn't work. I cut up a cereal box to be a bit larger than the screen and just like the smaller cousins with one swipe put the screen protector on with the large cardboard like you would with the credit card.

Than I used the credit card to get the couple bubbles that were on the corners. hope this helps.

Sent from my iPad 2 using iPF App

I had the clerk apply the protector when I purchased it with the IPad - was nearly flawless. After 4 months, the fingerprints just weren't coming off by using the microfiber cloth, so as per instructions I removed it and washed it with soap and water. When it had dried and I re-installed it, it was a disaster- full of bubbles.

The trick if to ensure there aren't any dust particles on the glass, then use cello tape to remove those dozens of invisible particles that are on the adhesive sice of the protector. Any bubble will almost certainly have a bit of foreign material beneath it.

Originally Posted by ipf17954

iPad doesn't need a screen protector. Glass is very tough to scratch.

I can say with a certain amount of certainty that I have dropped my iPad over 100 times. Not a scratch on it.

I feel the same way about phones, it's a waste of money. Who needs the hassle?

If you want to reduce glare can't you just dial down the brightness?

The iPad screen can definitely scratch. I put a screen protector right away on mine after seeing a friends. It isn't easy, but if you drop something on the screen the keys by accident or you drop it and it hits something it can scratch pretty easily. And is your nickname "butterfingers"?

I wanted an anti-glare surface thus the screen protector. The glass on the iPad has superior clarity but outdoors is difficult to read due to glare even if not in direct sunlight.

The a/g protector takes care of that issue and I'm quite happy with it now that I know how to get rid of the bubbles after cleaning it with soap and water.