Alcantara. NO or GO?

Surapathi_121-0

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It should be 'No' because people, when they spill water or tea or something worse, it would just absorb like a black hole leaving a scar. There should be some type of protector for it.
 

ttsoldier

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People keep talking about the feel of the Alcantara keyboard and I just dont get it.

The top of the keyboard where the keys are feels so dry and plain. There is no feeling to it. Nothing. And i've seen others complain about this.

The back of the keyboard, you can actually feel the material but it's still not what I thought it would be based on all the advertisements and the cost.

Honestly, I expected more. Not to mention mine has gotten dirty. I tried an alcantara cleaner but it didn't help .

It seems like a photo accentuates the dirtiness because it doesn't look this bad in real. But i still notice it in person

WP_20170526_20_17_17_Pro.jpg
 

k1s23

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People keep talking about the feel of the Alcantara keyboard and I just dont get it.

The top of the keyboard where the keys are feels so dry and plain. There is no feeling to it. Nothing. And i've seen others complain about this.

The back of the keyboard, you can actually feel the material but it's still not what I thought it would be based on all the advertisements and the cost.

Honestly, I expected more. Not to mention mine has gotten dirty. I tried an alcantara cleaner but it didn't help .

It seems like a photo accentuates the dirtiness because it doesn't look this bad in real. But i still notice it in person

View attachment 135922

thanks ttsoldier for posting this picture. wow, that is dirty. im shocked it has gotten in that condition, seeing as how the alcatera type covers have only been out for 1 1/2 years or so right? hopefully the newer type covers and the surface laptop have better protection from dirt over the years.
 

k1s23

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It should be 'No' because people, when they spill water or tea or something worse, it would just absorb like a black hole leaving a scar. There should be some type of protector for it.

hey there. well, you shouldnt be drinking anything near electronics anyways.... especially something this expensive. its best for someone to think, is it really worth ruining electronics because youre thirsty and couldnt take the few seconds to get something to drink?
 

ttsoldier

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thanks ttsoldier for posting this picture. wow, that is dirty. im shocked it has gotten in that condition, seeing as how the alcatera type covers have only been out for 1 1/2 years or so right? hopefully the newer type covers and the surface laptop have better protection from dirt over the years.

Yup.. And I got mine in November 2016... It got like this earlier on this year... Can't remember exactly when.

What's sad is I got the keyboard the same time I bought a 24inch monitor... So my surface was closed majority of the time connected to the monitor with a Bluetooth keyboard.

When I did use it away from my desk, majority of the time it would be in tablet mode . I really have no idea how it got this dirty.

The only thing I cant think of is if i placed it down somewhere dirty with the keyboard flipped back. I really don't think this is from my palms.
 

k1s23

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Yup.. And I got mine in November 2016... It got like this earlier on this year... Can't remember exactly when.

What's sad is I got the keyboard the same time I bought a 24inch monitor... So my surface was closed majority of the time connected to the monitor with a Bluetooth keyboard.

When I did use it away from my desk, majority of the time it would be in tablet mode . I really have no idea how it got this dirty.

The only thing I cant think of is if i placed it down somewhere dirty with the keyboard flipped back. I really don't think this is from my palms.

sheesh, that definitely is not reassuring to read. could that be burn from heat produced from the surface pro 4 while in use? if you didnt place it down on something dirty, and you didnt spill anything on it or didnt have dirty hands, then thats the only thing i can think of.
 

kaktus1389

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Well, like any other material it needs to be cleaned properly and I definitively wouldn't use it with dirty hands, though there are people out there that are careless and then it can get dirty. There is also another reason which could cause Alcantara fabric to get damaged and as far as I am aware there's not much you can do to stop that - heavy sweating of course.
 

k1s23

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Well, like any other material it needs to be cleaned properly and I definitively wouldn't use it with dirty hands, though there are people out there that are careless and then it can get dirty. There is also another reason which could cause Alcantara fabric to get damaged and as far as I am aware there's not much you can do to stop that - heavy sweating of course.

it takes discipline to maintain this laptop fabric, because unfortunately stains are not as easy to wipe off as on a metal or plastic chassis on any other kind of laptop. gotta buy sanitary hand wipes to keep on the side just in case. :p its still kinda crazy to think a laptop will be available with fabric on the keyboard though.
 

ttsoldier

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sheesh, that definitely is not reassuring to read. could that be burn from heat produced from the surface pro 4 while in use? if you didnt place it down on something dirty, and you didnt spill anything on it or didnt have dirty hands, https://forums.windowscentral.com/editpost.php?p=3671786&do=editpostthen thats the only thing i can think of.

Wow. I did not think about that.

I keep the laptop closed while playing dota 2... sometimes for hours on a daily basis... and the surface would be EXTREMELY hot....

Could very well be possible.. Maybe that's why the alcantara cleaner did not work...
 

k1s23

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Wow. I did not think about that.

I keep the laptop closed while playing dota 2... sometimes for hours on a daily basis... and the surface would be EXTREMELY hot....

Could very well be possible.. Maybe that's why the alcantara cleaner did not work...

since you said you used the tablet with the cover closed when connected to the monitor i figured the heat from the surface pro got on to the fabric. dota 2 is really resource heavy for a tablet so im not surprised it got super hot when playing, even if the tablet screen wasnt being utilized. since i want the surface laptop and it also has the alcantara fabric, its something to think about for me too if i plug it into a monitor.
 

jmork

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Yeah, its weird to have a fabric - theres no way that in the long term it wont get dirty and uncleanable. My macbook has metal and its 6 years old and EASY to clean
 

k1s23

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Yeah, its weird to have a fabric - theres no way that in the long term it wont get dirty and uncleanable. My macbook has metal and its 6 years old and EASY to clean

hey man. i have a macbook pro and i agree that its easy to clean. a damp paper towel is all thats needed. if you dont eat/drink near the laptop and dont take it to a dusty or dirty environment and wash hands before using the laptop then there shouldnt be much damage to it. then again you should do all of those things before using any computer.
 

ttsoldier

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thanks ttsoldier for posting this picture. wow, that is dirty. im shocked it has gotten in that condition, seeing as how the alcatera type covers have only been out for 1 1/2 years or so right? hopefully the newer type covers and the surface laptop have better protection from dirt over the years.

I took another picture in different lighting. This one is a better representation of what it looks like in person
.
WP_20170527_17_27_37_Pro.jpg
 

k1s23

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I took another picture in different lighting. This one is a better representation of what it looks like in person
.
View attachment 135933

thanks for this updated picture. it looks less dirty than the previous picture but i can still see brown on the bottom right and on the left side of the track pad. yeah it could have possibly gotten burned from heat dissipation of the surface pro 4. something to think about for future surface pro 4 and surface laptop owners when connecting and using the computer to a monitor.
 

Jayesh Sharma

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Shouldn't be a problem for people who love their devices. Moreover, it sports some kind of a protective membrane so as long as you clean it quickly, there won't be a problem (you might know that already). I'm concerned about it's promotion as a student's device. Luxury doesn't go hand in hand with college use.
 

k1s23

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Shouldn't be a problem for people who love their devices. Moreover, it sports some kind of a protective membrane so as long as you clean it quickly, there won't be a problem (you might know that already). I'm concerned about it's promotion as a student's device. Luxury doesn't go hand in hand with college use.

hey jayesh. i think people still consider macs "luxury" laptops, and the surface laptop is priced accordingly as the macbook air but trying to also be marketed as "luxury". of course i cant speak for every device, but at the community college and university i went to as well as the campuses i visited i saw a good amount of women with luxury brand bags and a surprising amount of mercedes and bmw cars as well as people trying to fix up their cars. i think its a stereotype that students dont have money, as quite a lot of students ive come across seem like they do.
 

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