Find Your Leather Mac Case or iPad Pro Bag Here Featuring Our Ethically Sourced Hides

FAQ -

Do you make a MacBook and iPad Case Combo?

Yes, several MacCase models allow you to carry both a MacBook and an iPad creating the MacBook and iPad case combo bag. The larger Flight Jacket models and our Briefcase Backpack are 2 examples of bags and cases that will carry both.

What size leather mac case bag do I need?

The size of the bag you need will depend on which Apple laptop you own. All bags designed for the 13-inch MacBook Pro should fit that model. All bags designed for the 15-inch MacBook Pro should fit that model.

Why should I choose a leather mac case vs. a nylon case?

Depending on the quality of the hides and the overall design of the product, a leather mac case will present in a much more professional and upscale way vs. a similar case made from man-made materials. Nylon cases are usually preferred by students and users concerned with weight.

What are the most popular mac leather cases?

The most popular mac leather cases tend to be cases and crossbody bags, messenger bags and briefcases. Sleeves are also a very popular style of case for a mac. For tablets, Folios are some of the most popular mac cases made from leather. 

Does a Mac leather case offer good protection?

A leather MacBook case, bag, or sleeve can offer excellent protection but it depends on the quality of the leather, the amount and type of padding and the overall intelligence of the design and if you use the mac leather case in the way it was intended. 

Does a leather iPad case offer good protection?

A leather iPad case, bag, sleeve, or folio can offer outstanding protection. The level of protection depends on the quality of the leather, the amount and type of padding, the overall intelligence of the design. Be sure to choose the right iPad leather case to meet your needs.

Does MacCase use ethically sourced leather?

Yes, MacCase has been using ethically sourced leather since the launch of their Premium Leather Collection in 2007. They were one of the first companies in the industry to do so. Their leather comes from ex-dairy cows whose hides become available when the cows pass naturally.

Read more about the history of our Collection here.

History of the Best Mac Leather Cases and iPad Pro Bags

As we close in on the 15th anniversary of the launch of the Premium Leather Collection by MacCase, it's hard to believe the line has been around that long. The Collection represents the best leather MacBook cases and iPad Pro bags and cases available.

The Collection was groundbreaking in that it reinvented the Apple-specific case market Mac Case created nearly 10 years earlier. Not only was MacCase the first maker of Apple-specific leather cases and bags, but did so using ethically sourced leather since the launch of the line in 2007.

This is an excerpt from an interview with Michael Santoro, Chief Creative Officer of MacCase, the architect of the concept of moving the Apple- specific case market to new heights. Let's take a look back at the history of the line that represents the best an a leather iPad and MacBook case.

JDK - Take us back almost 15 years. What was life like at MacCase in 2007?

MS - You have to go back later than that. The leather line launched in 2007 but the impetus to create something that the world had never seen before goes back to around 2005. We were the number one selling Apple-specific case line at CompUSA for 3 years. CompUSA folds and we lose half of our revenue overnight. This kind of loss tends to make you very creative, very quickly.

JDK - So you are saying the leather line was born from necessity?

MS - That is part of the story. When I created the first ever Apple-specific case, there wasn't much competition. This changed quickly. After nearly a decade, the market had gotten crowded. It seemed every time Apple announced a new product, a new MacBook, there was another slew of new case companies jumping on the bandwagon to compete with us.

Even though we were still doing very well, I was itching for that same excitement when we had the place to ourselves. This, combined with the loss of CompUSA pushed me to start thinking about a second act for MacCase.

The Genesis of a New Mac Leather Case

JKD - So what led you to leather? Did you look at any other options?

MS - That is a good question because along with going upmarket, I also looked at going downmarket. I thought there would be an opportunity to bring high-end design to ultra-low-priced pieces. We even had the name of the line picked out, the branding, everything. I walked around with the ideas for the products in my head for a long time never putting pen to paper to get them out.

JKD - Why?

MS - I don't know. That happens sometimes. I'm sure songwriters have the same experience. You'll walk around with a melody or some lyrics in your head for a week and if you don't get them out they evaporate back into the ether from which they came. For these low-cost models, they just never got out. It happens.

JKD - Did you have the ideas for the leather line in your head at the same time?

MS - Yes.

- Wow, never a dull moment in that brain of yours huh?

MS - You have no idea, Jody (laughing).

JKD - So the low cost line never saw the light of day?

MS - No, but if you look at amazon and eBay, the Chinese manufacturers pretty much did exactly what I envisioned. When we started, a basic nylon sleeve for a MacBook was about $40. Now it's a lot less. I cannot speak to the quality of the stuff that is out there now at those super low price points, but that was the idea. My thinking about the direction of the market at that time was spot on.

JKD - So somewhere at this time the idea for a Mac leather case line springs forth. What was the difference in that idea vs. the low cost idea that made you take action?

The First Leather Mac Case

MS - Because I was going to get to so something first again. There was no up market leather case line specifically for Apple in 2006. The disposable nature of nylon has always bothered me. If you make a good quality leather Mac case it can last for decades.

Doing products that were more substantial had meaning to me. Doing upmarket and beautifully designed, beautifully crafted products that the world had not seen before is what designers live for. Knowing these products were going to be the best MacBook cases available brought a resurgent sense of confidence and pride to our work.

JKD - How did you choose which form factors or styles to include in the new line of Mac leather cases?

MS - That was probably the easiest part because we knew what was selling well on the nylon side. So we just took the styles that were hits for us in nylon and copied them in leather. Well, we didn't just copy them. We fused the new leather aesthetic with the form factors we knew were top sellers.

JKD - Yes, tell us about the visual vocabulary you developed that became the hallmark of the new leather line.

MS - Well, if you are going to make the best of something, you want people to be able to see that. In our case, we wanted to make the best leather MacBook Pro cases. How do you use design to get that message across?

I needed a way to have the products speak for themselves. I wanted the vocabulary to be timeless. Our nylon models were never trendy so there was no way our leather line was going to be. The more time I spent on working on the designs, the more it felt like they were the right products at the right time, again. It would be a new line of Mac laptop cases for exactly when we and the world would be ready for them.

Mac Case Leather- The New Look For The New Line

JKD - What did you ultimately come up with?

MS - Arcs. Whenever you bring curves into a design, it tends to make the design more complex and interesting. They can get away from you so you have to be careful. They do add a certain element of elegance and beauty. It's also something that sets MacCase models apart visually from everyone else. People see those beautiful arcs and the perfect white stitching and know

But curves did 2 things for us: They showed the world we could cut leather, and when we used contrasting white thread to sew the curved panels, it showed the world we were serious about quality. It showed everyone that we cared.

It's really hard to do this stuff. You can't make a leather MacBook and iPad case at the quality we do on a speed line. And you can't put a white thread through a black leather curved panel unless every stitch is perfect.

Why? Because everyone can see it. If you do a poor job sewing and you're using white thread, it's like fireworks going off in front of someone. You cannot ignore it. But it works just as well the other way. If you're producing something of outstanding quality, you can use a contrasting color to call attention to it.

This was the unspoken, visual language that was developed to let the world know that these were in fact the best leather MacBook cases anyone had ever seen.

JKD - When the line launched you had 7 colors. Was that a bit ambitious?

MS - Of course. Making Apple laptop cases from really expensive leather for a market no one knew was there was ambitious too. It's all ambitious. That's the point.

As an entrepreneur, ambition is the gas that keeps the engine running. Doing this line was as exciting as doing the first Mac Case for the old iBook. It had the same kind of energy. That's the time to try stuff. 7 colors was over the top. So what? Reinventing yourself, reinventing your company, inventing your products, that is the key to staying ahead and staying on top.

If you are doing something worthwhile, the second-handers will copy you. It's inevitable. But they cannot copy your innovation, your next move, or what you are going to do next. They cannot see into your head.

If you're always one step ahead, waiting for them to copy your next move, they are always one step behind waiting. This is a huge advantage in a space like ours. It's probably one of the reasons we've been able to do this for 20 years.

JKD - Were there any colors of the original seven that you look back on now and think, "What was I thinking?

S - No, not at all. You have to try things. You never know how the market will react. We sold a lot of red, a lot of pink and a lot of chocolate that first year. Don't forget, we only had a few styles back in 2007. Nothing like all the styles we have today. Cream never did well but it was a cool color to have in the line. So was tan.

Tan looks great in photos. So even though some of the colors were not great sellers, they presented a new idea, the idea of upmarket, high-end leather quality products for Apple portables to a world that had never seen that before. A beautiful tan of red will do that a lot more effectively than a black case will in a photo.

10 Years + of the Best in Leather iPad Pro Bags and MacBook Pro Cases

JKD - When did you realize the line was going to be a success? That your huge risk was paying off?

MS - Probably by the end of the first year. Sales were good and interest was picking up. I was motivated to create more form factors, more styles and grow the line. It was the right line of products at the right time.

Eventually, we made up all the revenue we lost from Comp and then some. It's very rewarding to be sitting here with you now 10 years later knowing it's still going strong. After a very dark day in our history, we responded in the most creative way possible and came back stronger than ever.

JKD - Looking back now these 10 years, is there anything you are partially proud of about the line or what you have accomplished?

MS - I am proud that so many of the Mac leather cases and now, leather iPad Pro cases that we have produced are still in use today. Some pieces of the original launch from 2007 are still in use. That is pretty good for a $100 - $250 case.

I am proud of how well we have brought the iPad Pro bags and folios into the Collection to the point where we are probably going to be best known for them in the not-to-distant future.

I am proud of all the new customers we've brought on board. Marie Osmond recently placed a nice order with us. Last week, Ralph Lauren's organization purchased our Folios for their staff. That says a lot when an iconic design brand like Ralph Lauren is purchasing your products for their staff. That meant a lot to me.

Neil Diamond's road crew uses Mac Case. Wherever Neil is in the world, if someone on the tour gets a new Apple portable, Stan (Neil Diamond's road manager) calls Debbie and we ship it to them. Lastly, actor Vince Lozano recently placed an order with us. Vince is best known for his work on the Pirates of the Caribbean.

MacBook and iPad Case Combo

JKD: We're seeing a rise in people needing bags and cases to carry both a laptop and a tablet. Does MacCase have a MacBook and iPad case combo that will allow for this?

We have looked at this a bit and while we have not overtly created a product to carry both, we do have several products that could be considered a MacBook and iPad Case combo. They were designed before the tablets existed. Now that the tablets are here, they do a great job of carrying both a laptop and a tablet.

The best candidate for a combo case that will carry both a laptop and a tablet is our vertical Briefcase. It has the interior room and the design features to carry and transport both devices safely and comfortably. The removable, padded divider ensures the 2 devices won't do damage to each other.

Another option would be our 15-inch or 16-inch Flight Jackets. Though not as much interior room as the Briefcase, the larger version of this shoulder bag will accommodate both a portable Mac and one of the smaller iPad models. A lot of customers have told me they use their Flight Jacket this way and it works well for them.

Lastly, is our Messenger Bag, but I would not necessarily describe this as a MacBook and iPad case combo in the way that I believe you are asking. Yes, it will easily hold both devices but it will also hold a lot of other items as well. You would need sleeves for each device to protect them from each other in a bag like this. I do know customers that do use the Messenger as a combo case and they have told me it also works well for them.

iPad Pro Bags and Cases and Folios

JKD: You mentioned earlier that your iPad Pro bags, cases and folios are becoming more and more important to Mac Case. How so?

MS: On one hand, it's a numbers game. Apple is selling a lot of tablets. Those users want to protect them. That's a very large opportunity for us. When the Pro models came out, we went after that in a very aggressive way.

We designed and launched 4 new leather models at the same time. 3 of them were an iPad Pro bag of one form or another including our iPad Pro 12.9 shoulder bag, a briefcase, a sleeve and 2 different size Folios. It was a huge program.

As Apple has released and continues to release new models every 18 months, our Folios have evolved. They are the best they have ever been. These are pieces of design I am very proud of. Luckily, the 12.9-inch tablet has remained relatively the same size since it was introduced. All the iPad Pro bags we made for that initial launch are still in production and selling well.

JKD - Lastly, looking back on the last 10 years and the success you've had, does this inspire you to come up with something else? A third act for MacCase?

MS - I would not say the anniversary is inspired me one way or the other. Boredom, Jody. Boredom inspires me. I get restless really easily and am always looking for the next thing.

JKD - Have you found it?

MS - Stay tuned......