Quality iPad Pro Cases - One Man's Dream Case List

We recently received an email from San Diego based professional photographer Ken Rockwell ( http://kenrockwell.com ) that told of his frustration in finding any quality iPad Pro cases. 

Ken outlined his "wish list" of what he wanted for his dream 12.9 case on a post on his blog. He then included this post to MacCase Chief Creative Officer Michael Santoro when the discussion of quality iPad Pro cases came up. So when Ken is asking questions below, he is asking his readers.

The following is the reply sent to Ken from Michael.

Ken Rockwell: Is it just me, or is it impossible to find a good iPad case today?

Michael Santoro: I would agree. There are several factors that have caused this. One bring the flood of cheap, poorly designed and executed iPad cases from China. I was speaking to a closeout buyer who was telling me he was paying .05 cents on the dollar to companies looking to rid themselves of cheap, mass produced iPad cases from China. All that junk is crowding out the quality.

Another factor in the reason why there are so few quality iPad Pro cases to be found is that retail buyers performance reviews are based on how many units they move. They are scared to stock an iPad case over $100 when, you guessed it, so many cheap alternatives are so readily available.

Lastly, the few companies that are actually making quality iPad Pro cases are selling them through their online stores. Do a search for iPad cases and see how many boutique companies show up on page one on any of the search engines. Ebay, Amazon, Target, Walmart, et al. dominate the search results for such a generic term.

Companies making quality iPad Pro cases exist, we're just a bit harder to find.

KR: It's not complicated, but for some reason it seems I've only found one kind of case that meets my basic needs. I've pointed this case out to your guys when it's been on sale, and my family owns a load of them in different sizes — but I can't find it anymore to fit an iPad Air 2 or iPad Pro.

MS: Smaller companies only need to get burned once in a market that is designed to burn itself down every 12 months, to walk away.

KR: I just bought this case, which feels very impressive (and even more so for just ($15), with nice leather and coming in a marvelously soft padded velvet bag. It seems fantastic until you put your iPad in it and realized that the four corners are cut-out, so in actual use after you throw away the silly velvet bag, it won't protect a dropped iPad! This frustration is why I'm asking you folks for ideas.

We all have different tastes, but it's beyond me as to why iPad cases all uniformly get at least one of these important requirements wrong:

Leather

It should be thick, soft, durable leather, and should have a good grain so it doesn't slip out of your hand.

MS: MacCase offers to distinct styles of vegetable tanned hides: Our Premium Leather pebble grain, satin black  and our authentic, distressed Vintage brown. Both offer an extremely soft hand and are extremely durable. Each hide offers plenty of grip as well as a luxury, quality feel.

KR: It should be soft on the inside so nothing gets scratched.

MS: All MacCase Folios feature an interior fully lined with black ultra-suede and stitched with black thread that is dyed three times so it disappears. All you are left with is screen.

We have been making iPads cases since there have been iPads and serve some of the worlds most demanding customers. We have never had a single customer ever report damage to their iPad due to our case.

KR: It should come in black or brown, and ideally also natural light brown, as well as whatever other colors the ladies like.

MS: These are the exact colors MacCase offers.

KR: Cases like the one I use with my iPad Pro are made of crummy hard leather that feels like plastic, and its inside also feels like plastic — but it's the best I've found for my iPad Pro so far.

MS: Most leather iPad cases use what is known as "bonded" leather. Bonded leather is created by mixing very low quality, scrap leather bits with paper, saw dust and other fillers along with scrap vinyl. A bonding agent is mixed with the garbage to create a paste that is spread out on large tables to create a film from which the patterns are cut. This is why the "leather" feels so hard, slippery and like plastic. Because basically it is!

KS: Nice materials aren't that hard to find, but the problem is, regardless of price, getting one with a proper functional design:

360º Protection

KR: A quality iPad Pro case should protect the iPad from falls from every angle — which means the four corners need to be covered! Ideally covered not just with a sheet of leather, but with seams sewn in such a way that the case hits a thick edge of leather if dropped.

I have no idea why so many cases simply don't bother to protect the four small corners, which just happens to be about the only place you actually need protection from falls.

MS: The corners are a high protection priority for us. We use an elegant solution to protect the corners, one that has worked for hundreds of years to protect the pages of books: Offset.

A hardcover book is constructed so there is an offset between the edge of the hard cover and where the pages begin. This offset protects the the pages all along the edges but more importantly, is highly protective at the corners. If the book is every dropped, the hard cover itself takes the impact absorbing the shock. The pages remain secure due to the offset between where the pages end and the edge of the hard cover.

The same is true for the binding edge. The pages are tucked inside, offset from the top and bottom of the hard cover. The offset works the same way as the outside corners if the book is ever dropped.
All MacCase iPad Folios are constructed the same way as a high quality books and protect the iPad just as well. In fact, the combination of our build quality, superior materials and scale, make interacting with our Folios much like interacting with a heirloom book.

You might ask whether the iPad would move inside the case if it were to be dropped, allowing the corner to be damaged. Our Folios include a large ultra-suede flap that tucks in behind the iPad after you slide the iPad inside our custom stamped alloy steel frame. The flap locks the iPad in place preventing any movement, even during a fall.

Access to Ports and Controls

KR: There needs to be a hole for every connector, camera, button and switch The Kavaj case I bought looked great, until I realized that the volume controls and more were hidden under leather, making them clumsy to use at best.

Of course there needs to be a big enough hole around the headphone jack so headphones fit, but that hasn't been a problem with iPad cases.

MS: MacCase Folios have addressed these issues since day one. Our custom stamped alloy steel frame is designed to allow full access to all the ports and controls. A camera cut out in the rear panel allows for full use of that feature. We go this one better by adding what we call our SoundBoard feature. So many cases muffle the sound coming out of the speakers to the point where you need to raise the volume to get the same level of loudness you had without the case. This drains the battery. Our SoundBoard feature actually projects the sound waves coming out of the speakers out and away from the case, enhancing the quality and allowing for lower volume saving battery life.

Don't Cover the Screen

KR: Again you'd think this was obvious, but some case makers insist on covering the screen, or enough of the bezel around the screen so it's impossible to make swiping gestures properly. This Kavaj case I bought was completely defective in design; it covered so much of the bezel that it made it impossible to use split screens on my iPad pro.

MS: We recently added additional indents into our frame that holds the iPad to allow for access to the control and notification centers in the landscape orientation. We have always provided vertical access to those controls, which actually sit off the edge of the screen itself.

With our new iPad Pro 12.9 model, we had to walk a very fine line between a frame structure that would securely hold the extremely large and heavy tablet in place and not covering the screen.
We have one customer who wrote to tell me he uses his iPad Pro exclusively in the landscape position and could not get to the control center or notification center due to the frame. The frame was not blocking the screen, just the area off the screen at the center point of horizontal border. We tested it and found this to be true.

We have since changed our design to allow access to these features in any orientation. All new MacCase Folios for the iPad Pro 12.9, 9.7 and Air have this feature.

Just flip open

KR: For crying out loud, an iPad case is supposed to just flip open and turn on. That's the whole point, which Apple's smart face covers do so well, except that Apple's face covers offer no protection against drops or the back of the iPad. Apple makes back covers, but I haven't found them in leather, which would be ideal. Apple's leather iPhone cases are perfection, but I haven't found an equivalent for the iPad.

MS: Since day one, MacCase iPad Folios have had seamless, auto on/off functionality built into each cover.

KR: There shall be no latches, bands, locks, straps or other baloney in the way of opening it. It's beyond me why designers go out of their way to add cutesy tabs that have to be undone to get at your iPad.

MS: This is what you get when inferior design ability meets the need to stand out from the hoards of other cheap cases fro all the other manufacturers. Moreover, using a piece of bonded leather scrap to make a tab is so much cheaper than utilizing expensive magnets to do the job. Again, MacCase Folios have always used expensive magnet closures and completely avoided the inferior design solution of bands, tabs, etc. These kinds of design details are what sets the quality iPad Pro cases from MacCase apart.

Keep it Simple

KR: An iPad is supposed to be portable. A case needs to be a case, and should not have pen holders, business card holders, cup holders or keyboard holders hanging off the sides or making it twice as thick as it ought to be. I don't want to carry an office with me; all I want is an iPad case, please.

MS: It's funny that you mention this. We developed a prototype that had many of these features and it was quickly abandoned for all the reasons you mentioned. MacCase makes plenty of other bags and cases that carry our Folios and all the other items you might need for the day. We kept our Folio design pure and un-compromised.

We did however integrate a place for the Apple Pencil in our newest iPad Pro Folio designs. And when I say integrated, it's seamlessly part of the front cover and does not effect the functionality of the case it you are not using it. Feedback from customers who have shopped around have let me know that our solution for protecting and transporting the Pencil is the best available.
Suggestions?

KR: Any ideas? I'd love to hear them if you have a suggestion that meets every one of these simple requirements. It's easy to find cases that meet most, but screw up on one or another. I'd love to spend $100 or $200 for one made in USA or another first-world country, but I have yet to find one at any price from any country which meets all these basic requirements today.

MS: I would have a good long look at what we are doing.

Quality iPad Pro Cases

Our price points are right around the $150 mark depending on model. Since their launch with the original iPad we have never had a single report of an iPad being damaged or of an issue with the quality of the case itself.

I would love to know if what we are doing will pass the "Ken Test"!

"Quality iPad Pro cases exist, they're just a bit harder to find"

iPad Pro Leather Cases - Behind the Design

The latest in a series of interviews about the story behind the design of MacCase products.

For this interview, we are again speaking to MacCase President and Chief Creative Officer Michael Santoro about the company's new iPad Pro Leather Cases, specifically the new Folios for the 12.9 and 9.7 Apple tablets.

JKD: You've been designing and MacCase has been making folio style cases for Apple iPads since day one. How has the introduction of the iPad Pro changed your thinking about Folio design?

MS: Wow, that's a good question. The original Folio I did was very successful. It was a design that brought many new customers to MacCase and most are still with us to this day. Our original leather iPad case really planted a flag at the top of the mountain.

You had all these high end, fashion brands, famous European design houses that came out with cases that were over $500. Some were very nice and some were real pretenders. Many people were paying big dollars for a big brand name slapped on a mediocre case design. Our Folio showed you could have world class quality, world class materials, world class design for a fraction of the price of those fashion brands.

With each successive introduction of a new iPad form factor, we updated and improved our Folio design. As Apple added new features, so did we. For the new iPad Pro leather cases, both the 12.9 and 9.7 Folios, we have added and updated more new features than in any previous version. We have also had to respond, literally in the last few weeks, to new ways customers are using their Apple tablets. Those changes have been integrated into the new Folios as well.

We're very excited about the new features and how well our tried and true features have translated over to the new designs.

JKD: What features do the new Pro specific models have? Give us the details.

MS: The biggest and most obvious one is the inclusion for a place for the Apple Pencil. Creating a place, a pocket or other idea, was extremely important to how I approached the new Folio design. I have been told by many customers that we have the single best solution for storing and transporting the Pencil. That was the type of feedback every designer wants to hear.

"Yeah, you know that new feature that you designed into your new case, well, I've looked at what everyone else has done, and your is the best."

This was heard repeatedly as I answered calls and emails from customers looking for information about our products. It really feels good, especially with all that has happened with this program.

So the integration of the Pencil pocket into the front cover is the feature highlight for me. It looks likes it's always been there and the inclusion adds a nice design detail to the overall aesthetic we have developed. Most importantly, it does the job it was designed to do, which is to provide the best protection for the Pencil.

JKD: Any others?

MS: We've expanded our SoundBoard feature from the initial single speaker, to the dual speakers for the Air and Mini to a quad system for the iPad Pro 12.9 and 9.7. This is a feature I'm not sure many customers are even aware exists. They just think it's the iPad that sounds so good ( laughing).
JKD: Can you elaborate?

MS: Yes, the new quad speaker system of the Pro model sounds great. But, when you put the tablet in a case, the cases tend to block or muffle the sound. Most people respond to this by cranking the volume to get the volume they wanted without the case being in the way.

With our iPad Pro leather cases, we use a very hard, smooth leather that doesn't absorb the sound waves. In fact, the hard, smooth surface does just the opposite. It bounces and amplifies the sound waves, projecting them out and away from the case.

The benefit of this is, say you like the volume 6 clicks above mute. You place your Pro in a case from brand "X" and the sound is muffled. So you have to boost the volume level to 8 or 9 clicks to get the same volume you were using without the case.

With our iPad Pro leather cases, you can actually drop the volume level a click or 2 and get the same level of volume that you had without the case. Lower volume level means less energy needed means longer battery life between charges. Yes, it a small thing, but in a premium, luxury and professional level case, it's those things that make a big difference.

Look at cars. Both Rolls Royce and Kia have an engine, 4 wheels, a place to sit, etc. Why is one $30K and another $300K? It's what Rolls Royce does with the engine, wheels, place to sit, etc. that makes it 100 times better.

LIke Rolls Royce, how we handle the details reflects our commitment do doing things better, smarter and more intelligently. Maybe with a bit more passion as well. I think our customers appreciate this about what we do. Not just with our iPad Pro leather cases, but all our designs try to do something different, smart with a palatable passion that is present in each stitch.

JKD: You mentioned a recent addition or adjustment to the Folio design. Can you tell us more about that?

MS: Once we started shipping the new 12.9 Folios, a few customers wrote back to tell us they loved the case but they could not access the controls and the notification screens in the horizontal position.

Our frame design allows for access to these areas that are just off the actual screen in the vertical or portrait position but, as we found out, not in the horizontal. This was something that had never come up before but we didn't waste a second reacting and implementing a solution.

Both the new 9.7 and the second production run of the 12.9 iPad Pro Folios will have additional indents in the center area of the frame to allow for access to the control and notification centers when in the horizontal position. I'm very proud of how quickly we were able to respond and implement these important changes.

My goal is to keep our Folios, and all our models really, at the forefront of design and functionality. We want to be the go to product for the professional iPad Pro user. Apple users are the most demanding customers and they are quick to let us know if there is a problem. I am happy to report we have been just as quick to respond.

Another thing I wanted to say about this is that, if you don't use the controls or notification center, especially in the horizontal position, you'll never miss not having the new indents. This seems to be the case for the majority of our 12.9 Folio customers.

But I did have one customer who told me he spends 80 of his user time in horizontal or landscape mode. So for him, not having access to those screens was a deal breaker.

JKD: So how did you resolve it?

MS: I sent him a photo of the second generation 12.9 Folio with the indents in the frame on full display and he loved it. Getting that kind of feedback for us it priceless. Our customers are great at letting me know when I've hit it out of the park or, like in this instance, just missed something. But again, it's how we responded that made all the difference.

JKD: Is there anything else you'd like to add about the new MacCase Premium Leather iPad Pro cases?

MS: I know a lot of folks have waited a long time for the Folios to arrive and it seems like just as many have been waiting for the other three models, our iPad Pro Flight Jacket, Sleeve and Briefcase to get here. The 3 new models are scheduled to ship at the end of this month. So they are coming. I just wanted to thank everyone again for their patience.

I am enjoying reading all the 5 stars reviews that have been coming in for the iPad Pro leather cases. If you have yet to leave yours, please come back and do so. We'd love to know what you think.

JKD: Thank you again for your time.

MS: It's always a pleasure Jody.

"The new iPad Pro leather cases have added and updated more new features than in any previous version"

iPad Pro Leather Cases - Long Road to Delivery

 

It has been a difficult start to the year for everyone here at MacCase. Late last year we tried something new. With the best intentions, we put our new iPad Pro leather cases on a pre-order and it didn't quote work out the way we wanted it to.

Usually Apple releases their newest iPad models or makes changes to an existing model in October of a given year. We tend not to get access to the actual product for another few weeks after that. Apple does sort of a pre-order thing themselves.

They'll reveal new product, get the media buzz going, get the pre-orders coming in, and then ship a month later. One of the problems for MacCase is that we need the Apple hardware before we can begin of design and development process. There is typically a large offset between our potential customers seeing the new iPad from Apple and we having an actual piece of hardware to design to. So, right from the start we are behind the eight ball trying to play catch up.

Most times we can make up for that in the super efficient way we develop our new models. When you have been designing for Apple portables as long as MacCase has, and we've been doing it longer than anyone, we created the market, you get pretty good at some things. Compressing the product development cycle while still delivering a world class product is one of them.

So it was with this confidence we marched with our heads held high into the world of designing and building not one, not two, not three but 4 new premium leather iPad Pro cases for the 12.9 model. Combined with the 3 nylon models we were also working on, our iPad Pro case program was the largest new product initiative in our nearly 20 year history.

Now this is all well and good if your designing a product made by machines or some other automated process. Once you have everything set up and turn on the assembly line, widgets spring forth ready for sale.

This is not the case with handmade leather goods. So many factors that are outside of one's control impact what you can and cannot do or what you can and cannot deliver in a timely manner. This was the case for our new iPad Pro leather cases.

The program of 4 new models in two different colors all being developed at the same time proved too much for our small family tannery to handle. Yes we added staff but just because someone says they can sew or says they know who to cut leather does not mean they can do it to the MacCase standard.

MacCase has created a strong reputation with professional iPad users around the world for making the best iPad cases available. Our goal was to present equally excellent, world class cases, sleeves bags for the new iPad Pro. The last thing we wanted to do it put our reputation for the highest quality in jeopardy by trying to rush things.

Human beings have been making things by hand since, well, since we've been waking upright. As the centuries have passed, we have gotten increasingly better at making things but one thing has not changed over those centuries: Making things by hand takes time. Wanting to make things faster was the reason for industrial revolution. When the folks who right history call something a revolution, it's usually a pretty big thing.

Many people feel it's quite romantic that we are making hand made leather goods to protect and transport post-industrial, digital age products. Producing the best quality pieces we can is something we take very seriously and great pride in. The MacCase Premium Leather Collection can stand toe to toe with the leather goods from any manufacturer on the planet. We are obsessed about quality and design.

This is especially true when it comes our iPad Pro leather cases. Designing and building products for the iPad takes a special sensitivity and understanding of scale. This is why so many iPad cases are made from plastic or silicone. Molding things is much safer to do when things get small and tedious. Sewing things well, really well, at a small scale takes a great eyes and even greater patience. Again, it's something that can't be rushed.

When we put our new leather iPad Pro cases up for pre-order we did so using drawings. This was a first for MacCase and something we were a bit uneasy about doing. Who would order a $200+ product from a drawing? Moreover, things change in development. What if the finished products didn't look anything like the drawings? That could get awkward. Well the orders starting coming in anyway. Especially for our new leather iPad Pro Folio and leather iPad Pro Briefcase.

Drawings gave way to the images of the final prototypes and production began. Slowly and then, more slowly. Everything just took longer. The stress of having to do 4 new models at the same time took it's toll. Since the largest number of orders were for the new iPad Pro Folio, we concentrated on getting those finished first.

Orders for the new models continued to arrive. More hides were ordered for the production of the Briefcase, Flight Jacket and Sleeves. We had to reject the Vintage for not meeting our specification. It was too green. This set us back another month or so while new hides were tanned to our correct vintage specification.

In the meantime, the Folios were finished and shipped only to run head long into what has been the second longest wait for product to clear customs in company history.

Throughout all of this, our insanely patient customers have been waiting. Everyone at MacCase is truly humbled and forever grateful for every single customer who placed their order with us and has waited. And waited. And waited some more. As a product company whose purpose it is to ship real products, not being able to do so undermines the purpose of our existence. It's an existential crisis for us.

We hope that in the coming days an email will go out to everyone who is waiting. This email will let them know product has arrived. Their long awaited iPad Pro leather cases are in stock and shipping. That will be a good day. Moreover, we plan on doing something very special to thank our Premium Leather customers who have stuck with us during this time. If you are one if them, everyone here sincerely thanks you.

"We put our new iPad Pro leather cases on a pre-order and it didn't quote work out the way we wanted it to"

iPad Pro Leather Cases - They Are Finally Shipping!

After what seemed like an eternity, our Premium Leather iPad Pro cases, the long awaited 12.9 Folio models, were finally delivered this week. It has been a long time coming. I am proud and happy to say that they look beautiful and work wonderfully. 

As mentioned in a previous post, this has been the toughest, most difficult and longest gestation period of any new product program we have ever done. Part of that is our fault. Part of the problem was at the tannery and part was the long review process by US Customs which did a full inspection on our inbound shipment. 

Our hope is that all the Premium Leather iPad Pro cases we are shipping out will be well received by both their new owners and their 12.9 tablets. A customer who ordered our both our Premium Leather Briefcase and our new iPad Pro 12.9 Folio wrote to tell us,

"I wanted to let you know that the briefcase and the iPad Pro case arrived and they are both exceptional quality. I haven’t played with them much yet but at first glance, they look and feel top notch!  Thanks much. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning!"

Take care,

Adam L

The 12.9 iPad Pro is Apple's largest model and designing a Folio for it proved to be one of the biggest challenges in the history of our design studio. The feedback we have gotten so far is that our solution for storing and protecting the Apple Pencil in the best in the market.

Our design provides true protection, not just a place hold the Pencil when it's not in use. At $100 a pop, protecting and storing the Apple Pencil is something that should not be taken lightly if you are someone who owns or plans on owning one.

Our Premium Leather iPad Pro cases insure that your Pencil is protected and will be there when you need it. Our Pencil pocket does not interfere with using the Folio if you don't have the Pencil. The pocket is seamlessly integrated into the front cover. 

Along with the Pencil pocket, the new 12.9 design features our SoundBoard 2.0 sound enhancement system. This is an exclusive feature that allows you to set the volume to a lower setting without a loss of the volume level you would like, saving battery life. 

Many of the features that MacCase iPad Folios are famous for are also present in the 12.9 model. The stamped alloy-steel frame that holds the tablet in place is present along with the black ultra-seude material that covers it. The ultra-seude feels wonderful to touch, is very durable and absorbs so much of the surrounding light that when you open the case, all you see is screen. 

The rear tab that allows the case to be folded into movie and typing modes has also made the transition to the larger size. All these features are only as good as the care and passion that goes into putting them all together. And nobody puts more care and passion into our products than MacCase. 

Since inventing the premium case market for Apple portables in 2007, MacCase has set the standard for quality, design, craftsmanship and durability. Many of the original models we shipped in the first year of production are still in the field. This is something everyone here is very proud of. This tradition continues with the iPad Pro 12.9 cases. 

We hope that all the customers whose Folios will be arriving shortly come back to our site and leave a review. You can do that here. Just scroll down to the section where the reviews start. In the upper right hand corner click on the text link "Write a Review" ands tell the world your story. I am sure potential customers for our Premium Leather iPad Pro cases would love to hear your opinions and experiences. 

So now that the Folios are in stock and shipping, what's next? Well, we have all the very kind and patient customers who are waiting for all our other iPad Pro 12.9 models to deliver for. These include our iPad Pro Flight Jacket, Briefcase and Sleeve. These models are being finished up and we hope to have them soon. 

Coming on the heels of the 12.9 Folios will be our Premium Leather iPad Pro cases for the 9.7 model. This 9.7 Folio is undergoing testing now and production will start shortly. This model was relatively easy to develop as it's basic size is the same as the iPad Air 2 Folio we currently produce. It will feature the same industry leading Pencil pocket as it's 12.9 big brother and our Soundboard feature designed to enhance the Pro's quad speaker system. 

But first things first. Now that we have the 12.9 Folios, we need to make sure the rest of the Pro models arrive as soon as possible for those customers who are waiting. Once again, thank you for everyone who stuck with us and who continues to stick with us during this period. Everyone at MacCase looks forward to the day when all the backorders are filled. 

"Our hope is that all the Premium Leather iPad Pro cases will be well received by their new owners"

iPad Pro Backpack - Go Behind the Design

The latest in a series of interviews about the story behind the design of MacCase products.

For this interview, we are again speaking to MacCase President and Chief Creative Officer Michael Santoro about the company's new iPad Pro Backpack.

JKD - The iPad Pro backpack is the company's first nylon model geared towards a tablet. What do you want potential customers to know about this new model?

MS - Like any of our other models, first and foremost, the product protects. It's an unspoken promise we make with every sale. We've done the absolute best we can to insure that under the majority of conditions and situations you may find yourself in, this iPad Pro backpack will protect your investment.
When you combine the layers of fabric and foam of the included iPad Pro Sleeve with the layers of fabric and foam of the backpack, you have a system that is incredibly protective. Let's face it, the iPad Pro is one expensive piece of hardware for what it is. If you plan on moving it through the world, you'd better be sure it's protected. This new iPad Pro backpack answers than call and then some.
JDK - I know you like to talk about the value quotient. Why is this bag a great value as well as being super protective?

MS - What makes this backpack different from what many other laptop case companies who make backpacks do is that we include one of our custom iPad Pro sleeves with the pack. You can call it a bundle, combo, package, whatever. At the end of the day, you're getting two excellent protective, stylish, well designed, well built products for an incredibly low price. You get the proven protection of our iPad Pro Sleeve that goes into what is already an excellent backpack plus the accessory pouch for under $80. Show me a better all around deal of the same quality?

One of our employees purchased a backpack for around $35 at a big box store because her daughter really wanted it. It has ponies or unicorns on it. She asked me what I thought and I said, "Well let's see how it holds up". A month later she brought it in and it was ready for the landfill.

I don't know when we crossed over to a culture that only buys on discount vs. buying on quality or value. It's sad. How is buying a $35 bag every other month better or most cost effective than buying an $80 bag once every 4-5 years?

JDK - Are you speaking about your employee or just making a general observation about the state of buying public?

MS - No, no, I am speaking in terms of most people's shopping habits vs say, what people looked for, or what motivated a purchase 25 or 30 years ago. I know why my employee purchased the pack she did and that is fine. Her daughter didn't care if she could get one of ours for free. Ponies are important when your 8.

It boggle's my mind how someone can drop $900 on a piece of hardware like an iPad Pro, then immediately look for the absolute cheapest case they can find to put it in. Would you park your new Ferrari in a refrigerator box?

Thankfully, these are typically not our customers. But they are out there.

JDK - So getting back to the new iPad Pro backpack, can sleeve and pack be used separately?

MS - Yes! That is what is so great about this package. You can use them separately or together. If you have a rolling bag that you want to use and you want to put your iPad Pro in it, you have the sleeve that came with the backpack that you can then use to protect your Apple tablet in the roller. If you want to use the backpack to take to the gym, you leave the sleeve and the computer at home and throw your gym stuff in the backpack and you're off to the gym. It's the most versatile backpack out there for the iPad Pro.

JDK - It seems like the heart of the new model is the iPad Pro Sleeve. Tell us more about that.

MS - Yeah, why haven't you done one of these behind the design stories on this new Sleeve? It's our first redesign of a nylon sleeve since, well, ever! Our product life cycles are way to long! (laughing).

JDK - Well let's do it now. This is the iPad Pro Sleeve that you sell separately for $29.95?

MS - Yes, that's correct. The design is based around the center stripe that creates the pocket for the Apple Pencil. I've seen a few of the iPad Pro cases and sleeves for the iPad Pro that have come out and how they are handling the Pencil is scary. There is a huge difference between holding the Pencil and protecting the Pencil. Our nylon sleeve, like all our iPad Pro cases, are designed from the ground up to protect the Pencil, not just hold it.

If I am dropping $100 on the Pencil, there is no way I am just sliding into some elastic loop that was sewn on to the outside of the case as an afterthought. There is going to be a lot of angry iPad Pro owners who are using inferior iPad Pro cases with poor storage solutions whose Pencils are going to be lost. Those folks will not be MacCase customers. No way.


JDK - So you have the Pencil pocket and 4 additional pockets as well?

MS - Yes, this is something we looked at on and off for many years. How to integrate pockets into the overall sleeve design without it having look like a malignancy. As the things that people would want to carry in exterior pockets have gotten smaller and smaller, adding pockets become more and more aesthetically attainable.

The last thing I wanted was to have something that looked tacked on or applied. Thats what I love about the Pencil pocket. It's integrated so well. And the fact that it's under the flap makes it all the more special, it provides so much safety.

The other accessory pockets came about from the desire to do something different and slick. Again, I work towards ever increasing levels of integration. Are the materials, textures and color changes just for show? It that just styling? I think a lot of potential customers will be delighted to find out that they are in fact completely functional parts of the design. The color and texture change are there to highlight the functionality.

JDK - It comes with an accessory pouch as well?

MS - Yes, this is really the icing on the cake. They make great companions to any of our iPad Pro cases. Apple makes all their cables, chargers, and other accessories white. The cables especially are a sticky white rubbery material. And while they do a great job of looking pretty when they are new, they also do a great job of attracting dirt. Everything that lands at the bottom of whatever bag you are using will stick to them. 3 year olds are jealous of how much dirt the Apple accessories can attract.

So we designed these little 6" x 6" x 1" pouches to hold all of the expensive Apple accessories. They keep them safe so they don't come to harm during transport and they keep them clean as well. They're simple, they work and one is included as part of the iPad Pro Backpack. We have some new color matched, extra large ones that are also available if you need more than the one that comes with the pack.

JKD - It seems like you have a lot invested in the iPad Pro. There is talk that the tablet is not doing as well as Apple had hoped. Does this worry you?

MS - Every product has to find it's audience. The Pro is physically huge. It's a big thing to lug around compared to an Air. And it's heavy for something you handle in that way. That's why you need a MacCase sleeve, case or backpack to put it in and keep it safe! (Laughing). I see a lot of people, a lot of creative people, people who like to draw, loving the Pro / Pencil combo. It's opening up new doors for them.

This idea that everything Apple does has to be a home run is nonsense. It was created by the Apple hating, mainstream media to give Apple an artificially high sales standard to always have to live up to and then if they don't, the media can say Apple has failed. It's a set up.

Steve Jobs took chances on products all the time. If you want to lead, it's what you have to. Some will be home runs, some won't. Is the Pro for everyone? Maybe, maybe not. My job is to make sure that the people who make the investment in one can find us. And when they do, we deliver on the promise of providing innovative, beautiful, functional protection for their Apple portable executed at a highest level of quality and value. I think the new iPad Pro backpack just does that.

"This iPad Pro Backpack is the best value out there..."

iPad Pro Messenger Bags - Go Behind the Design

The latest in a series of interviews about the story behind the design of MacCase products.

For this interview, we are again speaking to MacCase President and Chief Creative Officer Michael Santoro about the company's new  iPad Pro Messenger Bags. 

JKD - These new iPad Pro Messenger Bags are the company's first messenger models geared towards a tablet. What do you want potential customers to know about this new model?

MS - A long time ago someone did a review of our original MacCase Messenger Bags and gallantly called it "the most versatile messenger bag they had ever tested" or something to that effect. That made me very happy. I always want MacCase models to offer a "value added". 

This new iPad Pro Messenger Bag follows the original format and if and when it is reviewed, I would not be surprised if the reviewer commented on the inherent versatility that we've built into it. So what I want potential customers to know about this new model is that it's a great value and part of that value comes from how versatile it is. 

JDK - I know you like to talk about value added. Why is this bag a great value as well as being super protective?

MS - Having the messenger shell and the iPad Pro sleeve together allows for countless possibilities for the customer. Yes they can be used together, but they can just as often be used separately. You could go out and spend, let's say, $50-100 on a decent messenger bag. Then go out and spend $20-40 on a decent sleeve.

So if you bought the cheapest, lowest quality of each part, sleeve and bag, you'd still be into it for somewhere around $70. I can guarantee that the $70 you'd spend on this theoretical combo package will in no way equal the quality, design, functionality and style of our package for that same $70.

On the high end, if you spent the max of our little scale, you'd be in it for $140 and still maybe not surpass what our package offers. If you manage to find a sleeve and bag combo that's equal to our new model in the ways I named, congratulations, you just spent $140 on something you could have bought from MacCase for $70. The value is there. 

JDK - Can you talk about how someone might use the sleeve and shell separately?

MS - Sure. Say you're going to the gym and don't need to take your iPad Pro with you. The sleeve stays at home with your iPad Pro safely inside but you still have a fully functioning messenger bag that you can throw all youth gym gear in and it will handle it without a problem. 

Like we discussed before with our iPad Pro Backpack, if you have a roller suitcase or piece of luggage and want to store your iPad Pro in it when you are traveling, you can use the sleeve to insure the tablet stays safe during that trip. This time the messenger bag stays home. The point is again, the versatility. For $70 you're buying so much convenience and so many real world user options. 

You know your very large, very expensive Apple tablet is always protected as well having a general day use bag you can use all the time. Together they're unstoppable but used separately they also excel.

JDK - We spoke about the new  iPad Pro Sleeve in our last discussion. Anything you want to add about the Sleeve now?

MS - I think this has the potential to be a very popular model. As I mentioned in our last talk, the design is based around the center stripe that creates the pocket for the Apple Pencil. I've seen a few of the iPad Pro cases and sleeves for the iPad Pro that have come out and I'd be very weary of how they are handling the Apple Pencil. There is a huge difference between holding the Pencil and protecting the Pencil. Our nylon sleeve, like all our iPad Pro cases, is designed from the ground up to protect the Pencil, not just hold it. This is an important point. 

If I am dropping $100 on the Pencil, there is no way I am just sliding into some elastic loop that was sewn on to the outside of a case as an afterthought. Once the word gets out about how protective and functional this sleeve is, I think it will find it's audience. I understand not everyone wants to spend over $100 on a leather iPad Pro Sleeve. You get all the protection, all the design content of that much pricer model for a fraction of the price with our nylon model.

That's why we still do our nylon products. I feel if I can take a really good solution that we have executed in leather and knock it off in nylon. It's better to have MacCase knock itself off than have someone else to do it. (Laughing).

As the creators of the Apple specific case market, we started with nylon. When we went upmarket and invented the space above nylon with our Premium Leather Collection, I did not want to abandon our nylon customers. As a designer, each material offers challenges and each customer group appreciates how well we meet those challenges. If it's done well, it's a win-win for everybody. 

JKD - Changing gears a bit, Apple released the new 9.7" iPad Pro this week. What is your response?

MS - My response personally or from MacCase's perspective? (Laughing)

JKD - How will MacCase respond?

MS - From a company standpoint, it's very positive and opens up more opportunity for us. It's a line extension thing for them and it will be for us as well. Tim Cook said a few things that I called out a long time ago about the iPads replacing laptops. For Apple, it's a no brainer. This is what they want. They make so much more money on iPads than they do on MacBooks. In the near term, we will have a Folio for the 9.7 as soon as we can. People are already calling and emailing asking us when we'll have it. 

JKD - So back to the iPad Pro Messenger Bags. What is the takeaway you want people to know or realize about this new model. 

MS - If you're new to Apple products, and a lot of our nylon customers are first time Apple buyers, understand Apple portable protection is all we do. If weren't doing it really, really well, we would have been gone a long time ago. 

I put my heart and soul into each one of these designs. Do I always get it right? No, of course not. U2 makes a bad record once in a while. And if I do miss something, the customers let me know right away, which is great. 

I think these new iPad Pro Messenger Bags really gets it right. It's super light, super protective, very functional, contemporary without being trendy and feature for feature, the best value out there. This is a solution a lot of people across a broad spectrum are looking for. 

Two things are going to happen if someone is shopping messenger bags for an iPad Pro. They'll either spend a week looking all over the internet and then eventually find www.mac-case.com and think, "This is the best bag I've seen all week". And buy one. 

Or, since we are showing up on page one of google's search results for a lot of the iPad Pro keywords, find us very early in their search and think, "Humm, this looks like exactly what I'm looking for, but I'd better spend a week searching all over the internet so I'm sure". And they will and then come back to us and buy one. 

You know I answer the phones, Jody. This is what people tell me they are doing. I ask all the time how people find us. Many times it's during a week long search and they find us early or find us late, but the important thing is they come back and by a MacCase. These iPad Pro Messenger Bags should insure than continues. 

"These new iPad Pro Messenger Bags real get it right" 

The Vintage Leather Briefcase & the Steampunk Ideal

I was at a party recently and someone asked me what I do for a living. When I mentioned I worked for a bag company they asked to see. I pulled our site up on my phone and showed them our vintage leather briefcase that is part of our Premium Leather collection. They were quick to notice that the design was not based on some older, set aesthetic that we had just copied. They mentioned that there was a certain modernity to the proportions, execution and details. "The vintage leather really makes it look like steampunk."

Huh?

I really was at a loss for a reply. In the same way people hear things in a song that they want to hear, product design can be the same way. I would never think of MacCase design as steampunk. We just do what we do and for the most of our history enough people have liked it enough for us to continue doing it. (For which we are very grateful!) We never set out to be part of any design aesthetic or sub-culture. We eschew trendy. Was this person's comment warrantied or was he just projecting?

One of the sub-genres of the overall steampunk movement is "western steampunk". One of the tenets of western steampunk aesthetic is a vision of a re-imagined American West. It's a view of the past as if the future would have happened sooner. In that regard, I can see his point. In this brown hide, our vintage leather briefcase with it's very modern vertical orientation appears retro and futuristic at the same time in the same way that our Flight Jackets do.

There are a number of things that set our vintage leather briefcase apart from many briefcases out there that are just copies of older designs. The vertical orientation being the most obvious. But what about the details? The MacCase design is not dated by the heavy handed details of the past. An example of this would be the lack of leather straps with belt-like buckles to open and close a compartment. Or handles made up of many heavy, distressed metal parts with a faux patina.

Thinking about our vintage leather briefcase and how it did or didn't fit in with the steampunk aesthetic made me think of a similar situation where a creative work was associated with a group or movement that could have been taken out of context.

The time was 1935 and America's most famous or infamous architect, depending on your perspective, was Frank Lloyd Wright. He was once again being told he was washed up and that his career was over.  He was being upstaged by a group of architects and designers from Europe, most notably from Germany's Bauhaus school. Their claim to fame was a movement called Modernism. Architecture as the sleek machine. Machines for working in and living in devoid of any of the craft that were the hallmarks of home design up until that point.

During this time, Wright was asked by Pittsburgh department store owner Edgar Kaufman to design a summer home for his family. Was Wright's solution a "modernist"statement to show the Europeans how it's done or just the greatest, most daring piece of  residential architecture of the 20th century? For people who knew nothing about architecture and had spent their lives living in Victorian homes with pitched roofs and tiny, compartmentalized rooms, Wright's Fallingwater looked like a spaceship that had landed in a ravine in western Pennsylvania.

For people that knew Wright's work, it was just Wright being Wright. All the hallmarks of his earlier work were there, just taken to a new, higher level. A masterpiece and one of the high water marks of his long and illustrious career. But was it modernist in the way the Modernists would define a modern home according to their aesthetic?

I think the answer, like the answer to whether our vintage briefcase is steampunk or not, is both yes and no. Whenever anyone sits down to create something new they have to work through what an old teacher of mine called "cultural baggage". Cultural baggage is the visual vocabulary we carry around in our heads that define objects. For example, a chair is visually defined as this, or must has these elements, etc. When we set out to create something, there are images and ideas of whatever it is we are trying to create that are usually the first designs that we put to paper. They are very rarely our best work. True creativity comes from pushing past the cultural baggage into the unknown. That's where the fun begins.

Wright designed Fallingwater aware of the Modernists and their machine for living ideas. But he didn't let that stop him from imbuing Fallingwater with his values, his aesthetic and his genius. Our vintage leather briefcase was designed to be a statement against what a briefcase had always been. In essence, a rebellion against the cultural baggage that people carry around with them about what a briefcase is supped to be. There is that rebellious nature of "punk" in the design. And let's face it, our vintage hides are the essence of the romanticized American west aesthetic.

So after thinking about it, I guess I could not disagree with the person at the party's comment about our vintage leather briefcase looking steampunk. I wouldn't call it that and I know our designer wasn't motivated by that aesthetic when drawing it up. The steampunk aesthetic seems much more detailed oriented. There is an overabundance of detail in the most simplest objects. Where as our vintage leather briefcase is very clean with minimal detail.

But that is what makes creating and putting real products into the world so rewarding. Like music, fine art, literature, even dance, you never know how someone will respond to your work. You hope for the best and keep creating.

"Our vintage leather briefcase with it's very modern vertical orientation appears retro and futuristic at the same time."