5 Responses to “iLuv Anti-Glare Protective Film for iPad”

1. Steve Gibson says:

   August 25, 2010 at 10:50 am

   Everyone who hates this anti-glare film because it’s IMPOSSIBLE to put on — is right! It is really impossible to put on. (Despite that, I have it on BOTH of my iPads, and “iLuv it.”)

   Get the two-pack version of this, and use the first one as a “learning film” and also as a good remover of whatever dust was on there despite all your best efforts. Then putting the second one on afterward is much better. Do I wish for a “clean room environment” as one of the 1-start reviewers quipped? Yes, absolutely! … got one?

   I have owned three iPads. The second one was a 3G that occasionally “hung”, Apple replaced without complaint. So now I own two that I use constantly. But, much as I LOVE my iPads, I really can’t STAND the ultra-gloss screen. Not only is it a mirror, but it’s MADE to show fingerprints. The matt finish of the iLuv anti-glare screen really goes a LONG way toward hiding the annoying fingerprints. When people see my iPads they are so pleased by the anti-reflective surface. It’s really SO much better. My point is, it is WORTH THE TRUE NIGHTMARE of getting one of these on right.

   Also… I’m the sort of person who will (and I have) buy one of each brand just to find the best one. So this is why I’ve given this iLuv film a full Five-Star rating: I HAVE tried every other film I could find… and I really think the iLuv is the best, annoying though it certainly is. It’s just not easy — and it’s never going to be — to get a film THIS LARGE onto a screen the size of the iPad. It just isn’t.

   The main trouble is that, unlike laptops, where the LCD is recessed into a bevel, which can be used for alignment. The iPad’s screen is raised up a bit out of the surrounding bezel. This really DOES make it tricky. But that isn’t this film’s fault, and it’s not any better with any other films I have found.

   The reason I came BACK to iLuv, is that the iLuv film comes sandwitched between two protective outer sheets. You pull the lower one off first, then apply the film, smoothing out the bubbles. (Note that the act of pulling the sheets apart is a BIG generator of static electricity which then immediately attracts every lose particle of dust within a ten meter range.) Laying the film down is so darned tricky, since it can’t be repositioned (easily) once much of it is in contact with the screen. Then smooth-out the air pockets and smaller bubbles. Use a credit-card edge and be as rough as you need to be. Since the screen is STILL being protected by the unremoved top-sheet, you’re not scratching the real film. Take your time with that since once it is bubble-free, it DOES stay bubble-free. The problem is that the film’s edges, if the alignment is not true, will tend to float a bit above the glass in places around the edge. It’s NOT going to be perfect — which, yes, is annoying on such a lovely piece of equipment. But the anti-glare result is SO worth it!

   Once you peel off the top protective sheet you wind up with a near-perfect look. I *really* wish that Apple would simply give us a matt-finish screen, but they appear determined not to.

   The OTHER films I have tried didn’t have the final CLARITY that the iLuv film has. For example, as you scrolled, and if you tracked the scrolling text with your eye, you could see quite distracting variations that other films were introducing — their own “sparkliness” to the screen. There was an “interference pattern” with the screen’s pixels and something about the films. The iLuv has none of that.

   So… annoying? Yes! Worth getting right? Oh,, so much so! Best possible film for the iPad? I really do think so.

   (Would you please consider giving this review a thumbs-up so that others will have the chance to see it too? Thanks!)

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2. R. ONeill says:

   August 25, 2010 at 11:37 am

   First of all, Amazon had horrible packaging, and the product was damaged when shipped to me. After installing it, there were 3 bubbles I couldn’t get out until I realized they were creases caused by damage in shipping, and could not be fixed. To their credit, Amazon is replacing them. The replacement process was painless, and they’ll pay for me to ship the damaged ones back. So it’s all good there.

   The 5 stars is on the product itself. I’ve applied screen protectors on all my devices back to my Palm III. The application of this was no better or worse than any of them – they’re all pretty much the same. This is going to do what it’s advertised to do, hence the 5 stars. Your success will depend a lot on the amount of dust in the room. Don’t blame the product if you can’t get away from dust particles, every screen protector has that problem. And don’t blame it for air bubbles, they all have the same issues I’ve found. The way you install it is the most crucial part. I did it in my very dusty computer room and only had about 3 pieces of dust trapped. Here’s my recommendations for a successful installation:

   1. Get a bowl of water and put a drop of baby shampoo in it. Rub your fingers in this to remove oil from them. I usually apply the protectors with my fingers wet, then I can touch the bottom and the screen itself and not leave fingerprints. I’ve also used rubbing alcohol mixed 50/50 with distilled water to do this also.
   
   2. Don’t use the second one as a trainer – too expensive to waste on that. You can get a 3 pack of cheap protectors elsewhere on Amazon for just a couple bucks. Be careful though, I had one company ship me 3 sets of them before giving up – they couldn’t distinguish the glossy from the anti-glare ones, and kept sending me glossy ones. However, the quality of them is all the same, they’re not any harder to install than the more expensive ones.
   
   3. Try to get as much dust off the screen as possible with the cloth.
   
   4. Before applying it, line it up to see where you want to place it ahead of time before you take the backing off.
   
   5. I start from the bottom of the iPad, in one corner so I can get a good alignment around the button. Slowly peel the backing off. With your wet fingers, wipe off dust particles as you place it down. I do about an inch at a time, and keep wetting my fingers and wiping dust away.
   
   6. When you have it placed, you’l have a ton of wet bubbles in it. Using your finger and the microfiber cloth, push them out. You can also use a credit card, but make sure to have the cloth under it so you don’t scratch the screen protector. I keep another cloth at the corner to quickly soak up the liquid from the air bubble as I push it out. The air bubbles go out much easier, imo, when they’re wet.
   
   7. Once it’s on, if I see a dust particle that I just can’t stand, I wet my fingers, peel up the protector up to the point and wipe it away with my fingers, then do step 6 over.

   I’ve never damaged a product this way, it’s pretty much the way you install a Zagg invisishield. However, if you’re not comfortable having liquids that close to it, obviously don’t do it. I’m no pro, just some idiot, so don’t take anything I say as gospel. I’m sure there are video walkthroughs on similar methods on Youtube, I recommend checking them out.

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3. Brian Leatherman says:

   August 25, 2010 at 11:58 am

   For me, this product is just OK. For those who say it is impossible to apply, they just didn’t have a little patience. I did have a little fiber under it during my first attempt which was frusterating, so I had to throw away my first one, but luckily, it came with 2, and my second one went on well. The anti-glare does make the screen a little less clear, but it is nice for when you’re sharing your iPad with someone else. You don’t have to worry about who might have a glare depending on the angle you’re holding it at. For me it’s a toss up. I still have mine on, but I do wish I still had that nice clear screen again, so I may end up taking it off at some point. You don’t have to worry as much about fingerprints with this, but it can smudge a little.

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4. M. Lopez says:

   August 25, 2010 at 12:14 pm

   The name says it all”I LUV” ,I purchased the 2 in 1 and I had no trouble putting it on.I cleaned the Ipad surface really well and made sure my hands were clean and put something below for the Ipad to stay put while I aligned the anti glare film.Keep the protective film no.1 and slowly peel it off as you slowly work your way removing the bubbles.
   
   Of all the protective screens that I purschased this seems to be the best out there and the worst is the one by Zagg.I agree with the other reviewer use screen 1 as your practice one and the second as your final one.
   
   Again make sure you work around a dust free environment and all the windows are close.Use a credit card for application then the soft cloth to remove any bubbles.This can be tricky and can also be costly so make sure you have a lot of time in your hands to start this prodject,not easy but worth all the trouble.I like the finish of I Luv anti glare screen protector it does what it promise to do.

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5. Bryan Erwine says:

   August 25, 2010 at 12:41 pm

   I purchased this after seeing Leo Laporte demonstrate it on TWiT TV. It is difficult to install perfectly, but I did OK. The problem is that after I installed it, there were a few very noticeable air bubbles on the screen. Looking at it closely, I saw there were several small creases in the film itself that no amount of smoothing would remove. I assumed that the cause was my aggressive pursuit of air bubbles, so I decided to use the spare. Just before I applied the second film to the iPad, it hit the light in just the right way so that I noticed creasing in exactly the same spot as the first one. I am guessing the creasing is either a manufacturing defect or something that happened in shipping. I am going to leave the film on for now, but I’m not sure if the glare reduction justifies the installation effort and the annoyance of having permanent crease bubbles staring me in the face.

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