Screen Protector or Naked?

[Liquid Arikardo]

This is an interesting thread as I've been wondering this myself.

With only having a wifi model of the iPad that will undoubtedly be speeding the majority of time at home I am yet to pick up a screen protector for it. My iPhone on the other hand gies everywhere with me and has always had a screen protector on it from day one. All the way back since the 3G.

With a decent case a screen protector may not be needed for the iPad but I'm still paranoid of scratches. I may have to bite the bullet and purchase a screen protector to go on my iPad even though it's always going to be in a case.

Decisions decisions...

Sent from my iPad using the iPF App!

 

[tzimisce]

With a decent case a screen protector may not be needed for the iPad but I'm still paranoid of scratches. I may have to bite the bullet and purchase a screen protector to go on my iPad even though it's always going to be in a case.

That's the same reason why people buy insurance: for the peace of mind.

 

[Blueface]

Go Naked!!!

 

[Padeasel]

Go naked, and, can you keep a secret?

As long as you do not place an unprotected iPad screen face down on surfaces and you operate the iPad with a relatively clean finger or stylus for operation, the iPad screen will stay free of scratches.

If you use a screen cover to reduce the ugly smudges that are more apparent on a glary screen, than maybe it's the smudges that are the issue, not the glare.

Now here is a secret that I ask you not to share with anyone. I keep a small Costco lens cleaning cloth with my iPad wherever I happen to be. I use it often to wipe my iPad screens free of smudges. I have yet to see anything better. No liquid cleaner needed other than a drop of water for some occasional stubborn spots. Normally, these cloths are provided free when you purchase your glasses from Costco. If you happen into Costco, visit the eyeglass booth and request a cleaning cloth. If you are lucky, they will give you one. Remember! Don't tell anyone our secret.

I have both an iPad 1 and the iPad 2. I use my Bweasel stand and leave it attached to the iPad. The Bweasel will protect the iPad front and back surfaces if the iPad is placed face up or face down on a flat surface. I stow the iPad/Bweasel assembly in a soft sleeve only for travel/commuting and wrap the stylus in the Costco cloth and stow that in the sleeve as well. After a year, my original iPad 1 screen and back surface as well as all other surfaces look factory new. Because the Bweasel stand is adjustable over an infinite number of angles from nearly vertical to nearly horizontal it provides that fraction-of-a-degree adjustment that may be needed to reduce glare. And if you prefer to use a screen protector, the Bweasel will not harm it because it makes no contact with the front surface of the iPad.

A Bweasel for the iPad 2 has been designed and I have a prototype in hand. Thursday I will visit the manufacturer and place a production contract. I will announce the projected delivery date at that time and most likely, a Bweasel stand for the iPad 2 will start shipping in mid June. And yes, it is made in the USA.

 

[Blueface]

I use the cloth that came with my LCD TV to clean mine.
It is a large enough cloth that allows me to clean it in one or two swipes.

I compared my naked screen to a friend's that had a screen protector and frankly, mine was more resilient to smudges than his. Seems with the screen protector he had, it left more evidence of use than mine did.
So, if smudges is a concern, that may not be the best way to avoid them.

I don't mind protecting the back with a Zagg film as that is more likely to be damaged by placing it down often but I cannot be a fan of the screen as I think it truly diminishes the experience.

To me, it is sort of like buying an expensive leather sofa or a nice car with nice leather seats and then covering them with plactic to protect them. Sure you protect them but in the end, you are losing the experience as it was intended to be. Enjoy things as they were meant to be. Life is too short.

Just my two cents.

 

[tiger]

Not one of my iDevices has a screen protector (iPod Touch 4G / Iphone 4 / iPad 2)
But I have purchased a thin protective cover with rubber metalic combination.
For my iPad I have a Targus cover which is very light but protective. But now I'm looking for a cover with bluetooth keyboard and have to sort out between the Logitech by Zagg or a iPad 2 Bluetooth Keyboard & Case Cover Leather

 

[Blueface]

Not one of my iDevices has a screen protector (iPod Touch 4G / Iphone 4 / iPad 2)
But I have purchased a thin protective cover with rubber metalic combination.
For my iPad I have a Targus cover which is very light but protective. But now I'm looking for a cover with bluetooth keyboard and have to sort out between the Logitech by Zagg ora iPad 2 Bluetooth Keyboard & Case Cover Leather

Brookstone also has one that is more like a leather folio, with bluetooth keyboard. Looks really nice. Just saw it this week while at the airport.

Interesting how tastes/preferences vary.
I bought the iPad and iPad 2 because there is no keyboard and instead, a touch screen.
For keyboard, would have gone with a netbook instead for a lot less.
What is great in the end is that in fact there are so many options for all to choose.

 

[Frenchroll]

Naked since day 1, no scratches, pads are always in knomo folio or incase book jacket with a little piece of micro fiber cloth in the case

 

[Feanor]

To me, it is sort of like buying an expensive leather sofa or a nice car with nice leather seats and then covering them with plactic to protect them. Sure you protect them but in the end, you are losing the experience as it was intended to be. Enjoy things as they were meant to be. Life is too short.

Precisely. One of the reasons I love the iPad is that it's so nice to touch. Part of the enjoyment of it is the tactile experience. I can't imagine any screen protector feels as good as the iPad screen. And one of the reasons I hated the Motorola Xoom when I tried it for a few minutes in a shop the other week - apart from the pixellated looking screen - was that the screen felt plasticy to the touch.

Any scratches people are experiencing might just clean off. I spray my screen once a week or so with special cleaning solution I got for my LCD TV, then wipe it down with a lens cloth for my glasses or SLR camera lenses. Just wiping isn't effective at getting the grease off, and nor is water. I've had my iPad 10 months now and no sign of scratches.

OK, so a screen protector might give you peace of mind etc, but when I buy something I buy it to use it. I look after my stuff, sure, but things get worn. That's life. Do I care if my iPad doesn't look new in 2 years time? Not really. There won't be much resale value for iPad 1s when the iPad 3 or 4 is out anyway. Why worry about it???

 

[KJSmitty]

With exception to the minor cost and possible application woes, I didn't/don't see the reason or hoopla over having an iPad or iPod etc "naked".

In the case, I have yet to have anyone even tell I had a screen protector installed? Sure you can see the edge at the lower button if really looking, yet screen visual, use and feel are seriously, unaffected.

No worries is right!



Cheers

 

[tzimisce]

To me, it is sort of like buying an expensive leather sofa or a nice car with nice leather seats and then covering them with plactic to protect them. Sure you protect them but in the end, you are losing the experience as it was intended to be. Enjoy things as they were meant to be. Life is too short.

To me that is a poor analogy, because one of the features of genuine (full-hide) leather is that steady usage is what allows it to break in and acquire that durable, "well-worn" quality which characterlizes leather goods.

A glass screen, on the other hand, which gets more and more scratches simply reduces the quality of the device and experience. If nothing else, a flaw on glass is way more obvious than a similar defect on leather - which an inexpensive protector might have prevented.

 

[Blueface]

To me, it is sort of like buying an expensive leather sofa or a nice car with nice leather seats and then covering them with plactic to protect them. Sure you protect them but in the end, you are losing the experience as it was intended to be. Enjoy things as they were meant to be. Life is too short.

To me that is a poor analogy, because one of the features of genuine (full-hide) leather is that steady usage is what allows it to break in and acquire that durable, "well-worn" quality which characterlizes leather goods.

A glass screen, on the other hand, which gets more and more scratches simply reduces the quality of the device and experience. If nothing else, a flaw on glass is way more obvious than a similar defect on leather - which an inexpensive protector might have prevented.

Poor analogy to one, excellent to another.
Protector on for one, not for another.
Different strokes for different folks.

I am awed by how many folks are so potentially destructive with something they paid so much for.

I have had iPhones, since the first 3G, in my pocket constantly, with never using a screen protector, with not a scratch at all on them. I use common sense. No keys, coins or anything else for that matter in the same pocket.

I have now had two iPads, both of which are used extensively by my soon to be 4 year old, no screen protector, and not a scratch.

Either I have magical non scratching fingers or folks are just too paranoid as these devices don't scratch the way they fear, at least not if not abused and just used as intended.

To each their own. Let those that love the feel of plastic as opposed to glass, fearing scratches that may never happen, enjoy themselves and support those great companies that manufacture them.

I just think it is senseless to worry about something that may not happen and along the way, spend money to take away pleasure from the experience of how the device was intended to be enjoyed.

 

[tzimisce]

Poor analogy to one, excellent to another. Protector on for one, not for another. Different strokes for different folks.

I have had iPhones, since the first 3G, in my pocket constantly, with never using a screen protector, with not a scratch at all on them. I use common sense. No keys, coins or anything else for that matter in the same pocket.

The "it's never happened to me before" line of reasoning is illogical. If you have never damaged your iPad for the last 99 days doesn't mean that it mighn't slip and fall and break on the 100th day.

Even with the best of care, accidents and bad things do happen - as evidenced by various members on this board who have described such unfortunate things. In fact, users without a screen protector would have more worry and need to take more care, since it is precisely installing a protective sheet that alleviates the problem from random, accidental damage. By virtue of the way it works, insurance is sometimes seen as expensive and superfluous, since you hope to never have to use it -- but when you do need to use it, its value is priceless.

I think people can make up their own minds about whether they want a screen protector or not, but to merely dismiss it as "useless" or "a waste of money" is patently failing to understand the reasons why others choose to use one.

 

[Feanor]

I think people can make up their own minds about whether they want a screen protector or not, but to merely dismiss it as "useless" or "a waste of money" is patently failing to understand the reasons why others choose to use one.

Um, despite your quotation marks I don't think anyone has dismissed screen protectors as "useless" or a "waste of money"?

The thread is about whether the OP should or shouldn't use a screen protector. Some are putting the case for one, some are putting the case against. Neither side should, or has, said that they are either indispensable or pointless.

And I don't see that saying 'it's never happened to me before' is so illogical. Of course it's pretty stupid when it comes to something like wearing a seatbelt. But life is about balancing and assessing risks. For someone to say that they believe the risk of damage is low, and that their assessment has thus been borne out by their experience thus far, isn't illogical - especially when some people have reported scratches occurring within days. In that context, it's far more logical to question what the different people are doing differently, as it if were truly that easy to scratch an iPad screen then all of us without screen protectors would have scratched ours.

My issue is mainly with the look and feel of a screen protector. If, as someone said above, there really is a screen protector that doesn't change the feel of the iPad and make it feel plasticy, then that might convince me to get one. But I'm not going to lose any sleep over not having one because Apple clearly went to a lot of effort to scratch-proof their screens and I generally trust their designers to be thorough.

 

[Wookiee2cu]

I have a RadTech anti-glare screen protector and ordered a SwitchEasy CoverBuddy that should be here in a few days. Main reason for the screen protector is the finger prints/streaks were driving me crazy; I still get some but it's not nearly as bad as it was. I have a smart cover but wanted some protection for the back and the CoverBuddy seems to fit the bill without adding too much thickness to it. I have been looking at the OtterBox but it's not out yet and I'm not sure if I want that bulky of a case. I also have a screen protector and case for my iPhone 4... I pretty much protect everything for a little piece of mind and to protect my device for future resell.