All the fuss about Alcantra

[Jayesh Sharma]

I have read quite a good number of articles about how Alcantra is the "easy to make, expensive to sell" fabric. I've seen it used in high end cars and luxury bags. I've come to understand that it gets greasy and a mess over the time and is difficult to clean (unless, of course, you act quick). I have formed an impression that it is not quite the luxury item it is marketed as. It's just an alternative to leather (after it went mainstream). Knowing this, why did Microsoft choose to use it on the laptop? I get the fact that it needs to be cared for as a luxury item but then why aim it at college students?

 

[JohnnyRedLight]

I've seen some pretty nasty Surface Pro type covers. Is the Surface Laptop the same material?

 

[Shr96]

It has oleophobic and hydrophobic coatings made onto it in this case.

 

[Starboy21]

Well there r people who use phones n laptops while eating food n dont mind dropping some on the laptop n thats why there r laptop covers n so many ways to clean ur lap

But honestly if it was me i wud always make sure my hands were clean just to keep that beauty shining...

 

[AndreAC_920]

All the fuss is just because Microsoft and not Apple made it, if it was the other way around i'm sure no one would be bothered about it

 

[Gestalt]

I'm a fan of the material. But then I also like the leather Mozo phone cover I own. There's something satisfying about the feel of metal and leather and the way they wear over time. I feel the same about Alcantara.

 

[volpenger]

It's a great material, and very cleanable.

 

[JohnnyRedLight]

All the fuss is just because Microsoft and not Apple made it, if it was the other way around i'm sure no one would be bothered about it

Too true... Too true...

 

[J88NY R]

Alcanata may looks great, and it may be "durable" but its only durable in relation to suede, which isn't durable at all.

 

[J88NY R]

It stains, and it balls up when you it gets oils from yours hands on it. Look at any car with alcantara interior of touched parts (gear knob, steering wheel) after a few years it looks terrible.

 

[J88NY R]

It looks lovely, but your really need to clean it probably at least once a week to maintain it.

 

[J88NY R]

Cleaning Alcantara and general maintenance | Alcantara

 

[J88NY R]

Not really, if Apple made it, every single person on here would be saying it was a bad idea.

 

[Indistinguishable]

After being a Surface user for +5 years, I honestly think fabric and technology don't mix. The durability just isn't there.

 

[Caleb Hester]

As nice as it looks not sure how crazy I am about it being on a keyboard. I've seen what the Surface Pro 4 type cover with alcantra looks like after a good bit of use and it's not exactly eye catching and not easy to clean either.

 

[J David]

It's not Alcantra, but my SP3 blue keyboard looks awful now; it has just picked up a ton of grime, and I hope whatever coating they put on this thing prevents that, because you can't just buy a new keyboard for the laptop.

 

[Wam1q]

I like the fabric!

 

[Joshua Muldoon]

I can't wait to try it out!!! I just hope it is easy to clean

 

[Jeffery Holderness]

SP3 fabric gets a little grimy but one of the reasons is because it's a tablet and often times is on the back of the tablet then set on tables or desktops. Generally laptop keyboards aren't placed directly on dirty surfaces. 2nd, the fabric makes it so easy to clean with a little soap and a washcloth. Looks brand new after a little scrubbing. I've cleaned mine 2 times since I bought it in 2015 looks great still. I think the new fabric will be even better for the laptop.

 

[tpitts15]

If nothing else, I think it's cool that it will be different.