Speck See Thru Case - Your Thoughts

Question

I know this question has come up many times about the Speck See Thru series of snap-on shells for the MBP. But after a response to a thread I read the other day in comparison to an answer I received at the Apple Store I'm even more confused.
The advice in the earlier thread advised against the use of the Speck suggesting that it would cause the MBP to overheat, or at the very least run hotter than usual which would in turn lead to an early demise of the MBP.
The advice from the Apple Store Genius was quite different though. He said that it's fine to use the Speck, and although the argument that the aluminum case was designed to disipate heat was true, the bottom of the Macbook was insulated and thus does not offer much in heat dispensation anyway. He added that the majority of heat is released through the vent that runs along the hinge which is not obstructed by the Speck.
So my point is this. If the MBP is running three to five degrees warmer with the Speck, but still within the lower limits of acceptable operating temperture, then whats the harm?
And, is it safe to assume that since the Speck is sold in the Apple Store it's perfectly ok to use?

Answer 1

Joseph, greetings:  There is no speculation on my part.  Heat is the bane of all computers.  Aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat.  Plastic is not and will tend to insulate heat rather than dissipate it.  These characteristics conform to the laws of Physics.
Placing two MBPs side by side will prove very little because that does not meet the requirement of a statistically significant sample. What I am suggesting is analogous to a clinical trial, large enough so that the variables among the individuals is such that the item to be studied for effectiveness becomes the sole differentiating factor being measured. (For MBPs that would be the manufacturing variables and the sole factor is the Speck case.)
The result would be two failure curves (each curve consisting of date on the X axis and number of MBPs on the Y axis.)  The MBPs (with out the cases) curve will be shifted to the right of the MBPs with the cases.  If I had said by how much the respective failures would be and the differences, that would be speculation, but I did not.
Even if the MBPs were all operating within Apple specifications, as a group the hotter ones would fail sooner.
In a nutshell, the more heat a MBP, or any computer is subjected to, the shorter its life span.
Perhaps we should get together and develop a cooling system that will enable our MBPs outlast us.
Ciao.