{"id":4531,"date":"2010-04-19T10:05:28","date_gmt":"2010-04-19T15:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=4531"},"modified":"2014-05-22T13:38:04","modified_gmt":"2014-05-22T18:38:04","slug":"new-mouse-pad-from-newertech-shows-why-its-sometimes-worth-it-to-go-the-extra-mile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/4531-new-mouse-pad-from-newertech-shows-why-its-sometimes-worth-it-to-go-the-extra-mile\/","title":{"rendered":"New Mouse Pad from NewerTech shows why it\u2019s sometimes worth it to go the extra mile."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"With the proliferation of laptops with built-in trackpads and optical mice that can mouse over just about any surface, not many people think about the surface they use their mouse on.<\/p>\n

Things aren\u2019t always as they appear.<\/h3>\n

When metal-surfaced mouse pads started to make their appearance, we got a lot of requests to start carrying them. Based on a number of reviews and brand requests, we chose a popular manufacturer and started working with them.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the quality left much to be desired. <\/strong>Scratches on the top surface were the norm, and I even saw one with severe bands of discoloration on a supposedly \u201cgray\u201d surface. More disturbing, though, were the rough chunks out of the edges of many of the pads. One of our IT department staffers even managed to cut a finger open on one of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d we thought, \u201cmaybe this was just a bad batch.\u201d So, we contacted the manufacturer.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d was the reply to our inquiry, \u201cthose pads are 100% salable, and of our highest quality.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not an engineer, but I have countless hours of experience working with precision-cut metals; back before I became \u201cOWC Chris S.\u201d, I worked at my family\u2019s suction filter business<\/a>. I won\u2019t bore you with the details, but one of my jobs was checking in fittings that we used in these filters. If we\u2019d received parts with this level of relative quality, the whole batch would have been rejected and sent back. As I see it, if it isn\u2019t good enough to stick in the oil tank of a backhoe, it isn\u2019t good enough for someone\u2019s desktop<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Anybody who actually saw<\/em> one of these pads would know in their heart of hearts that they were not\u2014in any way, shape or form\u2014\u201csalable.\u201d In fact, I would believe that any manufacturer claiming that those pads were \u201cquality\u201d either doesn\u2019t know about quality control or flat out doesn\u2019t care about their product and\/or the customers who use them.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not the kind of product that we want to sell; we\u2019re dedicated to giving you a high-quality product and the customer service to back it up. A manufacturer who has that much disregard for its customer base is not something we want to be connected with, so we decided on the next best solution: we\u2019ll do it ourselves.<\/p>\n

Anything they can do, we can do better.<\/h3>\n

After the disappointing offering from this third-party supplier, we jumped in and decided to rebuild from the ground up – and that\u2019s just what we did. From the natural closed cell sponge\u00a0rubber bottom <\/strong>(instead of the cheap matting usually used for shelf liners, like on other models) to the clear, anodized finish <\/strong>(produced with the same process as used for medical supplies), we made sure this was a mouse pad you\u2019d be proud to display and use on your desk.<\/p>\n

This 100% Made in the U.S.A. <\/strong>metal mouse pad is made from precision laser cut, aircraft-grade aluminum, and wonderfully compliments the aluminum cases of iMacs, Mac Pros, MacBooks and MacBook Pros, while fitting in with even the most stylish decors.<\/p>\n

That’s why we’re proud to announce the\u00a0Newer Technology NuPad Forever. <\/strong>It’s available now, and comes in two sizes:<\/p>\n