Something happy came in the mail yesterday: an iPad skin from
Lucky Skins. They sell decals for phones, tablets, laptops, and mp3 players, and kindly offered to send over the design of my choosing. My choosing had a tough time since there are
lots of patterns to pick from, but I opted for
Confection.
The skin is essentially a big vinyl sticker, and applying it was simple. I lined it up at the top—you can lift it up again to reposition if you don't press it down firmly—and the air bubbles smoothed out easily as I worked my way down. I even managed to take a one-handed photo while doing it.
My big concern was whether this thing (printed on 3M Controltac™) will come off again if I get tired of it. It's stuck on quite firmly, but peeling up a corner as a test seemed to work okay. I'm guessing the vinyl will stretch a bit as you peel it off, since you have to tug fairly hard to remove it from the back of the iPad. So it's probably not reusable.
The set also comes with a skin for the front of the device, so I threw that on, too. It's a little crazy to look at, but fun. Like my iPad is having a party. This sticker peels off easily from the glass if you want to remove it.
The corner radius isn't a perfect fit on my antique, first generation iPad, though that was the skin size. But it's quite close.
You can even go nuts and download matching wallpapers for most of the device skins on the website. Choose your device, select a design, and help yourself!
14 comments:
Wow! That's pretty flashy!!
Mum
I'm all about flash.
3M Controltac is the same type of vinyl that is used to do vehicle wraps. It's specially made to go over curves and that web-like pattern on the adhesive side is like that to release the air bubbles during application. It takes about 24-48 hours for the adhesion to really take hold. Usually when someone wants to remove vehicle graphics we recommend using a hair dryer to heat the vinyl up as it will peel more smoothly. Not sure you want to do that with your IPad. Since it's not a terribly large graphic it should peel off fine, but if you leave it for 6+ months it is likely to leave some adhesive residue behind. And you are correct; it's not reusable.
The idea's cool, but I don't think I'd wrap my electronics in it, and I work with the stuff almost daily.
Looks pretty cool!
Steph, thank you very much for your expert comment! I appreciate it! And so does my iPad. :)
I had one of these for quite awhile and it came off without a problem. No residue, though you are right it isn't reusable. :) I love all the new designs!
Steph is pretty accurate about the 3M Controltac. It is used extensively for vehicle wraps, however its' adhesion to the plastics, glass and metal of electronic devices is MUCH different than the painted and clear-coated surfaces of vehicles. We've removed skins that have been on devices for many, many months with no problem whatsoever. We definitely wouldn't recommend using a hair dryer either (for obvious reasons). Just peel it off by hand and it should come up cleanly. We laminate all our vinyl with a much thicker laminate than would typically be used on vehicle wraps. This gives the product more "body" and helps in the removal process as it doesn't stretch as much. Just wanted to chime in! :-)
Excellent. Thanks for the input!
I have another brand of skin - "Gelaskins" and I love mine too. They look so funky with the matching wallpaper background.
Mine looks like this...
http://www.matchingpegs.com/2012/07/04/my-gelaskins-arrived/
Very cool!
Wow! I love the design. Colorful and vibrant. Nice post. Check my page at http://www.ecarport.com.au/
Very cool! It looks as if your iPad is at some funky party, dressed up for that first colorful drink!
Awesome! I don't have iPad nor iPhone, but those customized items make me feel like buying them...
This is fantastic! I've been looking for a decal or something for my macbook but haven't seen anything I've liked. I'm heading over to the link now. Better get my wallet!
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