MacDirectory Magazine

Winter-Spring 2010 (#44)

MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.

Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/7575

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MacDirectory 133 CLOSER LOOK MUSICSKINS > EXPRESS YOURSELF THROUGH MUSIC, YOUR MUSIC WORDS BYJAMES P. FINLAY With most people consumed by the applications, software and entertainment contained on their personal electronics, Brooklyn-based MusicSkins LLC is forcing the masses to care about the external look of their gadgets. MusicSkins produces a high-quality vinyl skin outfitted with the latest in music, art, or fashion. Love the Black-Eyed Peas? Let the world know by strapping a picture of Fergie, Will.I.Am and company to the back of your iPhone. MusicSkins products boast a wide-array of musical talent, from legends such as Bob Marley and the Beatles to current A-list acts like Jay-Z and Coldplay. Skins for most phones run $15, while skins for laptops and other electronics start at $20. MusicSkins Vice President Jed Seifert explains the company's mission statement, "We hope to provide fans a cool, new, stylish way to express themselves while showing their passion for their favorite bands, brands, and artists." Durable enough to prevent scratches, scuffs, and general wear and tear, MusicSkins are manufactured specifically to fit any iPod, iPhone, or Macbook (along with a slew of BlackBerries and other smart phones). However, do not buy a MusicSkin if you are looking for strict protection; a MusicSkin is not an iPhone condom. The good news is you will no longer be judged by hipsters in the subway when they see a neon green rubber case wrapped around your iPod touch. Instead, they will ask where you found that cool Sex Pistols album art and how it is stuck to your iPhone. Your response can be as smug as you want. You can play it cool, merely mention and throw the word "vintage" around. Or if you prefer you can remain allusive, stating you purchased the skin from an independent, small business in Brooklyn. Both are true. To maximize the self-satisfaction, make an aloof mention to the Thievery Corporation skin currently adorning your MacBook Air. The genius of the product comes in the removal. Unlike a Band-Aid, a MusicSkin leaves behind no gross, sticky residue. MusicSkins can be removed and applied as often as Perez Hilton says amazing without leaving any goop on the device. Additionally, a skin weighs practically nothing. It brings no additional burden to operating an iPhone, significantly less cumbersome than many cases available in the marketplace. A very cool, if under-utilized, feature on the MusicSkins Web page is the customizable skin. Within 10 minutes, any user can create a personalized skin with a picture of their boyfriend, puppy, sunset, or any other jpeg they can load onto the MusicSkins site. The cost is still just $15 before shipping. Simply select the device you want the skin made for, pick a color scheme, and upload a picture. The process is easier than ordering Chinese take-out. A recent AppleTell review of the customization process offered a ringing endorsement. The reviewer, Kirk Hiner, appreciates the picture quality and the reasonable price, saying, "MusicSkins makes all of this quite easy, and they deliver a solid product. Check them out." The positive reviews continue elsewhere on the Web. "The Music Skin is a good feeling skin," according to iPhoneXpert in an October review, "and has some of the best designs I've ever seen in an iPhone accessory." The only recurring criticism of Music Skins concerns protection. They will do their job of guarding against the harshest of scratches and scuffs, but the skin is not a shock guard. Accidentally throw your phone out of a second-story window during a heated conversation with your significant other; you're on your own. In the end, do not buy a MusicSkin for protection. Buy a MusicSkin to differentiate yourself, to express yourself, to entertain yourself. If nothing else, buy a MusicSkin to alienate the hipsters.

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