Premium Leather iPad Pro Briefcase

 

What Problems Does This iPad Briefcase Solve? 

• Provides a quality way to protect and transport your Apple tablet, Smart or Magic Keyboard and accessories
• Feel good knowing you've chosen a product made from ethically sourced leather
• It will last at least as long as you own your Apple tablet
• No need to keep buying case after case due to poor quality
• It meets your need for a sleek, compact, professional, well made, durable, and aesthetically pleasing case
• Removes the burden of having to carry a bulky, heavy case

The Best Value in an iPad Pro Briefcase?

In an industry that sells mostly on discount, MacCase sells on value. Products sold on discount have that discount baked into the price from the start. The original price is set intentionally high so it can be “marked down” to the “sale” price. This is supposed to make you feel good about buying it. It’s a game. You lose the game when the product falls apart long before you expect it to leaving you to have to buy a replacement. You've lost both your time and your money.

At MacCase, we have too much respect for your time and your intelligence to play those kinds of games. Our Premium Leather iPad Briefcase is built to last years, not months or weeks. It's made from quality materials and assembled by people who care. 25 years of design and engineering knowledge goes into every piece. It’s much harder to sell using a value model. We only ask that you give us a chance and experience our superior design, craftsmanship and durability for yourself.

The iPad Pro Briefcase for 12.9 - An Instant Classic

Many of the products we create are in response to what customers are asking for. Others are in response to general trends in the industry, to which we typically do the opposite. Sometimes we put something out there that is a hunch, a risk, or even a bit crazy. Our new Premium Leather iPad Pro briefcase is not that product. 

Since creating the market for high-end Apple-specific leather cases in 2007, our Premium Leather line has avoided all the typical form factors that one would expect in a line of leather cases. I'm not sure how we've succeeded all these years by doing that. Nor how we've managed to find so many people who agree with our iconoclastic take on Apple portable protection. 

Maybe it's because we went to art school, not business school. Maybe it's because the person that designs all our products likes to zig when everyone else is zagging. Maybe it's because we feel originality is always better than copying what already exists. It's amazing to see how many bags and cases are available that appear to have been designed in the 1820s, not 2020s. It's scary.  

When it came time to design new models for Apple's latest and largest tablet, we looked at a lot of different forms, many of which have made it to production. One that stood out was a horizontal leather bag for the 12.9 which MacCase had never done as part of the Premium Leather line.

The first MacCase ever was a horizontal case, sort of. We have had many horizontal cases as part of our Standard line, but never one in leather. With the 10 years-long success of our vertically oriented Flight jacket models, we wondered whether it was time to rebel against our rebellious nature and do a horizontal design. 

When the rest of the world is "zigging" it's easy to zag. You just go in the other direction. The problem occurs when you decide to "zig" too. Would a horizontal design be everything a MacCase needs to be and still make a statement?

Enter the New iPad Pro 12.9 Bag with Shoulder Strap

The goal for this new brief was to provide a clean, elegant case that a professional could use to take their large Apple tablet, some accessories like the Magic Keyboard, and some personal items from office to office, meeting to meeting throughout the day.

It would also work in an academic environment for a teacher or professor, a doctor or anyone else needing to protect and transport their Apple tablet but who did not want to be dragging a big, bulky bag around with them all day. 

This leather iPad Pro 12.9 bag with shoulder strap is very slim and compact. The new ultra-light shoulder strap helps keep the overall weight down. It's the perfect case for moving back and forth, to and from, and through an office, academic, or other such environments. 

While not an outright radical design, it's radical for MacCase. Many people are very comfortable with the traditional horizontal orientation that this new model showcases.

It possesses all the hallmarks of the MacCase Premium Leather product: tough yet subtle hides in Pebble Grain black or distressed Vintage brown, the industry's best build quality, exquisite proportions, and superb functionality. This is a combination that should make this new shoulder bag an instant classic. 

12.9 iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard Case

Apple's first-ever Magic Keyboard has been designed to create what is in essence, a portable iMac. With its floating screen, the iMac has become Apple's most popular desktop model for both home and office. 

Wanting to capitalize on that user experience, the Magic Keyboard takes the "at home" iMac experience on the road with the 2020 iPad Pro. So you have your very expensive, very large 4th generation Apple tablet and now this very expensive accessory that you'll need to transport and protect. 

Meet our Premium Leather iPad Pro 12.9-inch Briefcase. 

In a very real way, the Magic Keyboard is its own case. It covers the front and back of the tablet. The problem is it doesn't offer any edge, corner, or Pencil protection. Again this is expensive stuff so a quality, secure way to transport and protect this hardware is needed. 

With its perfectly tailored to fit, the most vulnerable parts of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard combination are protected. Completely padded and lined, our brief is designed to pick up where the Magic Keyboard leaves off when it comes to protection. 

Many cases designed for the 12.9-inch are not designed to fit the tablet when the Magic Keyboard is added. Why? Because the Magic Keyboard needs a case that has room for the added half an inch or 12mm the keyboard adds to the width of your large Apple tablet. The MacCase iPad Pro Briefcase has this extra 1/2 inch so it's the perfect case for the Magic Keyboard and the 12.9-inch. 

Along with outstanding protection, there are places for other items. This functionality combined with its sleek, timeless style and bulletproof build quality, makes the brief a favorite among a broad range of Apple tablet users no matter which generation of the 12.9-inch they own. 

Integrated Pencil Holder of the Briefcase for iPad

One of the key features of all MacCase products for Apple's largest tablet is our integrated Pencil holder that is part of each design. Visually, this is highlighted by a vertical "stripe" that runs down the center, in part or whole, of each 12.9 model.

On this briefcase for iPad, this can be seen at the bottom of the main flap, under the clasp, and when the flap is opened. Once opened, storage pockets fan out from a central column that serves as the Pencil holder. Apple's popular $100+ accessory slots into the opening at the top and is safely protected during transport and storage. 

Additional places to store things are featured under the front flap and, along the rear panel. Don't be fooled that because of the sleek exterior appearance, this briefcase for iPad cannot hold much. As mentioned, the case is designed to comfortably store and transport the Magic Keyboard. 

But there is more to this case than just the main compartment. The front panel under the main flap can hold quite a lot of things in the assorted pockets. Moreover, there is a large pocket in the main flap itself to store even more items. The shoulder strap is attached along the long axis of the top of the main flap so the brief hangs close and tight to the body.

 

Leather iPad Briefcase Bag - Behind the Design

This is 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 Premium Leather iPad Pro Briefcase.

JKD: This design is a new form factor for MacCase. Why a horizontal briefcase after all this time?

MS: I think your question is eluding to the fact that all of the cases in the Premium Leather Collection are vertically oriented and this one is not, correct?

JKD: Yes, you've made a point of not doing a traditional horizontal briefcase, and now you have. I am curious as to why?

MS: One thing that is important to remember is that MacCase started as a company that was launched on a single briefcase design. Briefcases are where we come from so doing an iPad carrying case with a shoulder strap is second nature for us. It's always special when I pick up the pen to design a new briefcase. 

Our original case for the original iBook was radical. It was radical when it was new and to see one today, it still looks radical. The joyfulness of the design is still present. It still makes people smile. One of the radical things about it was, that while it was somewhat horizontally oriented, it was not traditional in any way.

There were not any rules to break because the market didn't exist. So the first rule of this new Apple-specific case market that we created was that there was not going to be any template to follow. This can be thrilling or fill you full of fear. It's like being an explorer and being in a new place for the first time. For us, we had to figure out what the rules were going to be. 

Rules for a Leather iPad Briefcase

JDK: So what did you decide? What would be the new structure for this new market? 

This became a mission statement. I didn't go to business school but I guess these are the sorts of things you study in business school, "how to create a mission statement", that sort of thing. 

What the question really should be is what are your values? What was important to me and the company?

Quality rules. Innovation rules. Being better than what had come before rules. These were the principals then and these are still the principals that guide us today. When I sat down to design the leather iPad Briefcase, I knew that we would have a Flight Jacket model for the 12.9. There was a template in place. Customers would be expecting it. I wanted something unexpected. 

The Flight Jacket is a vertically oriented design that has been around since what, 2008? We have been responsible for making vertically oriented designs somewhat mainstream. They are still the minority vs. the more traditional horizontal cases, but you sure see a lot more of them now than you did back in 2008. In 2008 it was radical. Now it's just different. 

When I was working on the new iPad Pro models, I did the Flight Jacket design in under an hour. I thought there was something wrong with that. The original MacCase was a radical design responding to a radical Apple laptop. I wanted at least one new leather iPad shoulder bag to be a radical design responding to a radical Apple tablet. 

A Radical Briefcase for iPad?

JKD: Yes but how is a horizontal design radical?

MS: When you've been zigging for almost 10 years as we have been doing with our vertically oriented designs, sometimes it's radical to zag. Especially if the rest of the world has been zigging behind you.

Doing a horizontal Brief was not something anyone expected. For us, it was a radical departure. We could have just done another 12.9 Flight Jacket and have been done with it. But you know me, I'm not satisfied with just doing what's expected.

Happiness comes from seeing the world in your head match the world outside your head. For designers, this means that a design idea made real, whether it's a hit or not, should make you happy. It does for me.

If there is one more person in the world that gets it to, that says "yes" to your idea, that's even better. There is a joy in having something that is not just an idea in your head, but tangible, real, and in your hand. Customers like the design.

JKD: Do you think its because the horizontal orientation is more familiar? 

MS: Maybe. I try not to drill down too deeply on any one reason. Again, if you look at it in the context of our Premium Leather Collection, it stands out. It looks different. A lot of what we offer is vertically oriented. So on our Collection pages, a horizontal briefcase for iPad stands out. 

While people may come to MacCase for the first time looking for a case, and they see this horizontal case, to them it might look familiar. Maybe they gravitate towards it. I see a radical design within the context of our line. 

I would like to think people are buying it because it truly embodies all the designs tenants of the MacCase leather collection: Timeless proportions, the highest quality hides, handmade craftsmanship.

This iPad carrying case with a shoulder strap was not designed in an hour. It took a long time to get all the proportions correct, all the details just right. Don't forget, it all has to function at a high level as well. If customers are going to use this as an iPad travel case, it has to work in a lot of situations for a lot of different kinds of people. 

An iPad Shoulder Bag

JDK: Can you talk about the functionality? Is there something that sets this leather iPad shoulder bag part?

MS: The first thing anyone coming from a horizontally oriented hold bag will notice other than the good looks, (laughing) is that it's incredibly thin. Yes, it might be horizontal but it's sure not your father's briefcase. 

Most traditional briefcases are horridly thick and bulky. Cumbersome. Inelegant. Yes, I know people like to put things in them, but come on! Wasn't one of the promises of the digital revolution that everything would get smaller and more miniaturized?

Aren't we supposed to be carrying fewer papers and paperwork? So why do you need a big, bulky bag anymore? This iPad should bag is less than an inch thick even with stuff in it. 

The next aspect of how it functions is specific to the 12.9-inch Pro and the Apple Pencil. Like we have discussed before, so many of the cases designed for the iPad Pro are just bigger versions of older iPad cases with an elastic loop sewn to the side in an attempt to hold the $100+ Apple Pencil. Good luck with that. 

This leather iPad shoulder bag centers the entire exterior and under flap design around safely storing and transporting the Apple Pencil. I have yet to see another company have a line-wide solution as good as ours.

The customers who are purchasing our leather iPad shoulder bags are the ones who are spending weeks doing this research, looking at what is out there. They are coming to MacCase and saying they have looked all over and our solution for the Apple Pencil is the best available. 

JKD: You can see the center stripe theme in all the Apple Pro models. 

MS: Yes, and this center stripe becomes the actual pocket for the Pencil. The stripe disappears under the flap of 3 of the 4 of our Pro models. This is design content. This is how to protect the Pencil in an integrated and holistic way. Its designed from the ground up to be part of the solution.

So many of the solutions other manufacturers have released look like some last-minute feeble attempt to provide a place to stick the Pencil. I think substandard solutions like the ones customers are telling me about are insulting to them. This is another reason why our Pro models are selling so well. Our designs honor the customer's intelligence. 

Apple Pencil Holder

JKD: So you have addressed the Pencil but are there other details that set this design apart?

MS: Our leather briefcase, the vertical Flight Case, has come under some criticism for not having places to put specific things. Our design philosophy at MacCase is not to micromanage how our customers set up and use our products. We like to give people spaces and let them fill them as they please. 

Because the leather iPad Briefcase is so thin, I thought it was important to have some specific places to put things besides the Apple Pencil. So there is a place for writing pens, credit cards, the charger, and cables. We still have some generic pockets where people can put what they'd like. 

JKD: Do you see some of these features making their way into the Flight Case?

MS: Sure, if customers want them, we will. Our designs evolve. Adding a pen holder or business card pocket to a case design is not turning our back on what we believe. I always try to do the most appropriate design that is needed. For this solution, having some specific areas to put things in was important. 

 JKD: Can I just say that we've been doing these interviews for some time and one thing that never changes is your passion for the products, their design, and your customers. 

MS: Well, none of us would be here without the people who continue to support us.  I am continually humbled by their loyalty and passion for what we do. 

JKD: Thanks as always for your time. 

MS: What? No zinger questions this time? Whew. I got away with one here. Thanks, Jody.