Ah, yeah, I assume the smudgeguard will prevent further deterioration too, except for from the pen itself. I'm tempted to peel off the original coating (they actually replaced it in the winter when I sent it in for repairs, but I destroyed it in 6 months again) with an off brand one that isn't as grainy. I was also using one of those microfiber cloths for glasses to clean it about twice a day, and a clorox wipe every day before work, but whatever else I was doing caused the entire middle area to have a rough feeling from just using it all day. I suppose in your case, never touching the screen with your hand has preserved it... But I also wonder, how often do you change your nibs?