iPad Pro Messenger Bag

iPad Pro Messenger Bag - 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 iPad Pro Messenger Bag.

JKD - This new design is the company's first nylon horizontally oriented, shoulder bag 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 horizontally oriented, shoulder bag 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 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.

These bags started out as simple, lightweight protective shoulder bag you could use everyday. MacCase Messengers have remained true to this mission. Our latest design is no different: A simple, lightweight, protective place to store and carry Apple's largest tablet, plus all the other things you need to get through your day.

We started out with the best selling shell from our Universal model then add the proven protection of our 12.9 Sleeve. This creates an overall design that is very lightweight and extremely protective. Our customers like to call them "super protection" bags. This is due to the layers of protection this combination provides.  

Is it more than you need? Only you know the answer to that. You also know how expensive your new Pro and assorted accessories were to purchase. Is having too much protection for them ever a bad thing? We don't think so. That'a why we built such a bag. We like to keep our stuff protected too.

iPad Pro Travel Bag - Maximum Value

JKD - 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 shell and the 12.9 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, $70-150 on a decent horizontally oriented, shoulder bag. Then go out and spend $25-50 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 $100. I can guarantee that the $100 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 $100.

On the high end, if you spent the max of our little scale, you'd be in it for $200 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 $200 on something you could have bought from MacCase for $100. The value is there.

We had been making a version of this style bag for many years. Our designs tend to have a long shelf life due to the fact that we set out not to make them trendy or disposable like so many other manufacturers do who make similar products.

iPad Pro Shoulder Bag - Maximum Flexibility

When it came time to design a new nylon, horizontally oriented, shoulder bag, there was one attribute that we wanted to make sure we carried forward: Outstanding versatility. This new 12.9 model coalesces all our knowledge of designing and building some of the world's best bag for Apple portables into one pure statement of protection and usability.

We include our new 12.9 Sleeve specially designed for the Apple's largest, heaviest and most expensive tablet as part of the package because we know how expensive this hardware and we want to make sure it's protected.

But protection is only part of the story. What if you want to travel with your 12.9 Apple tablet, this set makes a great travel bag. Even if you want to leave the exterior shell home and just take your roller bag.

Without the Sleeve, your tablet would be naked and in danger of coming into harms way. Because we include the 12.9 Sleeve, you can use it with the exterior shell, or use it separately when you need to. Our product gives you that option, at or below the cost of what others might be changing for just a exterior bag alone.  

Value is important to us at MacCase. Our leather models are priced well below products of the same quality. For our nylon models, we try to add as many features that we feel our customers can appreciate for a given price point, and then push harder to add a few more. Versatility and protection are great to have and made all that much better when great value is part of the design.

Messenger Bag for iPad Pro - Maximum Versatility

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 12.9 with you. The sleeve stays at home with your Apple tablet safely inside but you still have a fully functioning case that you can throw all youth gym gear in and it will handle it without a problem.

If you have a roller suitcase or piece of luggage and want to store your 12.9 Apple tablet in it when you are traveling, you can use the sleeve to insure the tablet stays safe during that trip. This time the exterior shell stays home. The point is again, the versatility. For $100 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 - Apple has 3 models, the 9.7 and 10.5 and the 12.9. Is this set designed for a specific model?

MS - Our goal was to design a great bag for the 12.9. It’s the largest and heaviest of the current generation of Apple tablets. It’s the most difficult to keep safe. The smaller models tend to take care of themselves. There are plenty of places in our Universal model for them.

The iPad Pro Bag for Me?

JKD - So back to the iPad 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 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 horizontally oriented, shoulder bags for a 12.9 Apple tablet. 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.

Why This is the Best iPad Pro Messenger Bag

If you're looking for a proven design for school, work or just every day use and light weight, super protection, multiple storage options and versatility are all important to you and you want to spend around $100 for a quality piece, than this might be the best iPad Pro Messenger Bag for you. 

The combination of the protection provided by the included 12.9" Sleeve  (a $40 value ) with the built in padded compartment of the bag creates the most protective yet versatile 12.9 iPad Pro Messenger Bag available at any price. This bag will hold almost everything you can throw at it and then some. 

FAQ -

Can I carry an iPad Pro in a Messenger Bag?

Yes, but many messengers are not designed to protect the delicate nature of an Apple tablet. If you want to carry an iPad in a messenger bag, be sure to purchase one that has a dedicated tablet compartment. A messenger bag that also includes a protective sleeve for the iPad is even better.

What is a good bag for carrying an iPad Pro?

There are a lot of options for storing and transporting your Apple tablet. Some bags are specifically designed to carry such a piece of hardware but many are not. A good bag for carrying an iPad Pro will have a dedicated slot, pocket, compartment or sleeve that is designed to keep the tablet safe while inside.