Review: MacBracket lock bracket for Apple’s MacBook Air

If you own a MacBook Air, you’ve probably noticed that it’s missing something that almost every other laptop in Apple’s line-up (and those from other manufacturers as well) does have: a Kensington lock slot. So if you need to lock up your MacBook Air to secure it at a coffee shop, at university, or anywhere else, you’re out of luck. Fortunately, MacBracket is here to save you and your MacBook Air.

The MacBracket is a metal bracket that slides into your MacBook Air’s hinge and has a Kensington lock slot on one end so you can attach a lock to it to secure it to a desk. The MacBracket is made of a high-quality alloy by a company in Germany. It retails for €19.90 (about US$26) plus shipping and can be purchased directly from MacBracket’s site or through the German or UK Amazon stores. It’s available in two versions – one for the older 2008 and 2009 MacBook Air models and another for the models made in 2010 through the present. The version I have is the latter to work with my mid-2011 11-inch MacBook Air.

Here’s my video overview of how the Bracket works:

As you can see, it’s a bit tricky to install and takes a little bit of practice before you get the hang of inserting and removing it (I fumbled more than usual when removing it, which I chalk up to nerves). MacBracket has an installation guide you can download here, which I saved, printed, and read through a few times as I installed it and removed it the first few times.

The pros of the MacBracket:

• Portable and simple solution
• Easy way to add a layer of security

The cons:

• Takes time/fiddling to get the hang of installing and removing
• I’m worried it could scratch the hinge and top case corner when sliding it over to expose the lock slot

Given the design of the MacBracket and other brackets like this I’ve seen (check out my review of another bracket I used with my 2008 MacBook Air), you can damage your MacBook Air severely if you forget that it’s installed and try to close it, so beware. I don’t consider this a con of the MacBracket itself since Apple really leaves no other option to secure a lock slot to the MacBook Air but it’s worth noting if you’re the forgetful type.

All in all, I think the MacBracket is a worthy purchase if you need a quick (once you get the hang of it) and easy way to secure your MacBook Air while you’re away from home.
[frame]Disclosure: MacBracket provided me with this review unit at no charge. Despite this, my review is based on my own experiences and opinion and MacBracket did not provide have any input in this review.[/frame]

As an aside, I’ve been working on improving my video recording set-up to get better audio quality and lighting. I just got the iRig Mic Cast to use with my iPhone (which is my video camera) and a pair of PBL softbox lights so I don’t have wait for a sunny day to get good light in the spare bedroom I use to record my videos. Hope you like the improvements!