But then reports started surfacing - widely, at that - about discoloration problems on the white MacBooks. The area below the keyboard around the trackpad in particular was susceptible to quick and awful staining and discoloring, seemingly caused by whatever chemical reactions occur when human wrists rest on MacBook plastic repeatedly.

Though Apple has since acknowledged the problem and has made production changes that seem to have resulted in a new, stain-resistant white MacBook casing, anyone who's ever owned a PowerBook or iBook can tell you that "minor cosmetic issues" are nothing new to Apple notebooks. I've owned a few PowerBooks and one iBook in my day, and have dealt with issues ranging from MacBook-like discoloration on my iBook G4 to the notorious keyboard outline on the screen of my titanium PowerBook G4. Fact is, whether your motivation is aesthetic, functional, or pragmatic (with an eye towards future resale value), it's never a bad idea to do something to keep the interior of your Mac notebook clean. To that end, Marware sent us a sample of their new Protection Pack for MacBook, a twenty dollar kit meant to keep the interior of your $1,500 MacBook looking like new.

Microfiber and PVC Leather
The Marware Protection Kit for MacBook consists of two pieces: A microfiber keyboard cover that doubles as a cleaning cloth for the display, and a PVC leather hand rest with a sticky backing. The kit is available in black and white to match both shades of 13" MacBooks, and is also available for the 15" and 17" MacBook Pros as well as a host of legacy PowerBooks and iBooks. Marware sent us the black MacBook kit, with a shiny silver-grey keyboard cover and black hand rest (the hand rest included with the white kit is, of course, white). Using the kit is simple: The keyboard cover is cut to fit the MacBook's keyboard and simply lays flat atop it, while the hand rest is affixed to the plastic below the keyboard - it has a trackpad cutout and sticky backing to keep it in place. Both pieces are thin enough to allow the computer to latch securely when folded shut.

My one complaint with the Marware kit has to do with the look of the hand rest. The black PVC leather doesn't quite match the shade of the MacBook's black plastic (really, how could it, since it's an entirely different material?), and as such detracts somewhat from the computer's sleek matte finish. Also, the relatively prominent Marware logo is done in a readily visible white that really catches the eye, again detracting from the sleek black look of the computer itself. These are minor complaints in one sense, but if you're willing to pay an extra 10-plus percent to get the black MacBook instead of white, you're likely the kind of person who cares about these sort of aesthetic details. From the pictures on Marware's website, the white hand rest has a grey logo which appears slightly less obtrusive.

Conclusion
If you're worried about preserving the pristine look of your new MacBook, a keyboard cover/screen protector is a no-brainer. Marware's Protection Pack for MacBook bundles a quality lint-free keyboard cover with a PVC leather hand rest designed to combat the MacBook's unique propensity towards discoloration around the trackpad. While the look of the hand rest is subject to personal taste, the functionality of the Pack isn't in question: Marware has made a quality accessory that, for twenty dollars, can go a long way towards preserving the showroom-new look of your MacBook.

The Marware Protection Pack for MacBook retails for $19.95 and is available direct from the Marware website as well as from Web and bricks-and-mortar resellers. Protection Packs are also available for the MacBook Pro, PowerBook, and iBook lines of computers.