Twelve South

World traveler Bruce Kirkby probably travels a little lighter than most of us. Having just returned from two weeks in Asia, he’s truly road-tested the things he needs most…and determined what really makes the cut when he’s on the road.

His piece in Canada’s The Globe and Mail, “Take Just the Basics When You Travel (Especially When They’re This Cool)” reveals how this seasoned traveler thinks about packing:

“While I’m a “basics” traveller, there are fundamental differences between what I pack for a business trip, a budget backpacking venture, a resort holiday and a major wilderness expedition. Anything that eases the rigours of business travel is good. The more “home-like” each day is, the better.

But too many treats from home can weigh a traveller down, creating a cocoon that limits the opportunity for spontaneous and unexpected interaction. I see people who bring everything to their tent or their room in a resort – their favourite pillow, music, movies, books – and then never venture beyond the front zipper or door. Why did they bother to go to Kathmandu? Suck it up and get outside!”

We couldn’t agree more. So we’ve taken good notes on the things he considers necessities (though we’re going to have to look into this “Blundstones” thing). Among them are:

1) ROLLER BAG

2) MACBOOK AIR (Bruce carries an 11″)

3) BOOKBOOK

4) BLUNDSTONES

5) EAR PLUGS

Here’s why he chose BookBook for his MacBook Air:

“If you are going to carry the Mac Air abroad, consider protecting it in the uber-stylish BookBook, a hardback case disguised as a leather-bound vintage book. I appreciate the fact my laptop remains incognito, and I know the BookBook must be cool because every single security agent comments on it.”

Check out Bruce’s photo below — can you spot the BookBook? Get your own MacBook Air-hugging BookBook right away, available in 11″ and 13″ with free shipping in the US.

Here’s a little secret about us: We kind of like seeing our products in use around the world. OK, well, more than “kind of.” In our business, where “good business” means we’re sometimes nailed behind a desk creating things when we’d sometimes prefer to be traveling the world for inspiration, we like to think that at least, on any given day, our products are getting out there. Our products are allowing people to get out there. Our products, while certainly useful in an office setting…are also wonderful in that coffee shop you found in Rome, or that little side street cafe in Malaga, Spain. So we love this photo (check the background: we don’t know where the writer was, but we love the salmon-washed walls and closed wood shutters).

But even more that the photo, we love the fact that our BookBook for Air converted someone — a writer and critic who is usually averse to cases of any kind. Here’s the skinny on his test drive of our BookBook for MacBook Air:

“I have an admission to make: I’ve never been a big fan of protective cases for Apple products. There, I said it. I especially have an issue with notebook cases, many of which unfortunately can be brushed off as cheap-looking, overpriced gimmicks that don’t hold a candle to Apple’s industrial design. I didn’t cave even after the paint had started to come off of my first Apple notebook, a titanium-clad PowerBook G4, because I bumped it one time too many.

It is fair to say that in all those years I’ve never gotten my head around utilizing protective sleeves to keep my pricey hardware in pristine condition. To me, Apple gear is meant to be displayed, touched and marveled at. The BookBook case for Air has changed my preconceived notions overnight. Oozing style, premium quality, convenience and authenticity, it’s the first case I reckoned would actually protect my Air whilst keep those prying eyes at bay. It’s what notebook cases are meant to be, at least in my view.”

We agree about that — many of our products are designed specifically to be secondary to the star of the show, the Apple iPad or MacBook or MacBook Air. (Our Compass virtually disappears when in use with iPad, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.) And it sounds like this review BookBook certainly got put through its paces (girls gone mad?!):

“As I hit the coastline at the time to work from the beach, an opportunity presented itself to put the case through its paces in a variety of environments and interesting settings. While ensconced in it, my Air’s definitely seen some action. I’m talking extreme heat, sun rays on the beach, sunscreen grease, slippery fingers, fingerprints – not to mention bars, nightlife, girls gone mad and what not.

I’m pleased to report the computer emerged victorious, having survived every incident without a scratch. The BookBook case itself looks just as new (or ancient), a testament to its build quality. In fact, I slip my notebook inside to run daily errands downtown and catch up on the latest news while sipping my morning coffee. From the outside, the BookBook case features two hardback covers with extended corners and a round, splayed spine cushion. Its dusty tome look has proven to turn heads, even if the two zippers treacherously give it away (but to a trained eye only).”

And in conclusion:

“If you’re anything like me – that is, a suspicious and whining type – you’ll want to double-check my review by taking a look at the BookBook case in one of the stores. My two cents? Take the plunge and I’ll swear you’ll never want to settle for anything less than pure perfection. The BookBook for Air costs eighty bucks and is is available for the 11-inch mid-2011 and late-2010 MacBook Air and the 13-inch mid-2011, late-2010 and the original Airs. The case can be ordered via the online Apple Store, Twelve South’s home page and through a variety of retailers worldwide.”

We’re so happy that you like it…and that you’ve shared it worldwide through your own adventures.

Have a MacBook Air? Planning your own escape? Consider BookBook for MacBook Air the ideal companion for all those cafes, parks, hotel lobbies and girls gone mad. (Well, maybe.) Get it here.

World famous fashion designer and icon Anna Sui has put her own touch on our BookBook…and you can have it in your hot little hands this spring.  The Anna Sui BookBook hit the catwalk in NYC, bringing a certain tech buzz to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (aka New York Fashion Week) last month. Chip Chick made sure to point it out to her readers:

“Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week might be coming to a close, but along side her Spring 2012 collection, Anna Sui has taken to the runway to debut and preview a new Special Edition iPad and Macbook Case. Anna Sui has actually collaborated with TwelveSouth to introduce theAnna Sui BookBook. The Anna Sui BookBook combines Anna’s signature look to TwelveSouth’s style of cases that resemble old books. These news cases are made of distressed leather covers with layers of purple and black, including a romantic swirls frame for the cover.

Anna Sui’s signature butterfly and rose icons with gold leaf prints are also used to highlight the spine. Meanwhile, on the inside, the iPad and MacBook cases come with the same safety aspects of every TwelveSouth bookBook, including a strong spine, a padded interior, hardback book covers on both sides to make for safe storage, and dual zippers that are made to look like bookmarks.”

Jump the line and get on the list for up-to-the-minute info on this highly anticipated fashion + tech collaboration: The Anna Sui BookBook can be yours this spring.

We really love to see people re-imaginging our products to make them their own. If you follow our blog, you’ve seen some examples of our BookBook for MacBook, BookBook for MacBook Air, and BookBook for iPad being modified by leather craftsmen to become notable tomes like a book of spells.

And now here’s another fresh approach to BookBook DIY. Scription, a Hong Kong-based blog written by Patrick Ng about all things stationary and cool, decided to take matters into his own hands when it comes to getting a camera hole on the BookBook for iPhone. (Notably he also puts a stylus into the credit card pocket, too.)

He did a great job — take a peek!

You can read more here about his conversion. If you’ve modified a BookBook in any way, we’d love to hear from you. Shoot us an email to marketing (at) twelve south (dot) com and tell us all about it!

We haven’t yet seen BookBook for iPhone modified with a book title. Get yours here, and see how you can make BookBook for iPhone your own! In stock and ships free in the US…but you’ll want to act fast!

Industrial design blog Core77.com is a great design blog and then some. Its global audience is made up of industrial designers from students through seasoned pros. And it’s rich with great content, from a design firm database to articles to discussion forums and job listings, to portfolios you won’t be able to steal away from. So it’s a great thing when Core77 notices some of your design work.

In this case, they’ve taken note of our BookBook line — available for your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPad, and iPhone. (Special note: BookBook for iPhone is back in stock today (08/30/11). Hurrah! But act fast.)

Here’s what Core77 said of our BookBooks:

I suffer from that object fetish schizophrenia where I’m taken by very new things and very old things. Sketching on an iPad is awesome, and so is laying ink in a Moleskine. On my desk I’ve got a stack of rare internal documents from the Singer company circa 1920 or so, and it’s being fed into a Canon scanner from 2010. I use a zig-zag sewing machine from 1953 and I use brand-new Schmetz needles that have the modern “scarf” cut into them.

Mac accessory-maker Twelve South’s BookBook perfectly encapsulates the old/new thing. It’s a laptop case taking the form of an ancient leatherbound book, offering both protection and scratching that vintage itch.

The company also touts it as making your MacBook less likely to be stolen, but that won’t fly here in New York; I’ll never forget my neighbor in Brooklyn being robbed so thoroughly they even took the sheets off of his bed. Still, I’m digging the BookBook, and now they’ve even got a little one that serves as a wallet and iPhone case.

Why, yes we do have a little one that serves as a wallet and an iPhone case! And that little one is back in stock at this very moment. So quick — to the Twelve South site — to get your BookBook for iPhone while they’re here. Ships free in the USA.

Ed Zitron, frequent flyer and writer of the Forbes column “Tea and Technology,” took our BookBook for MacBook Air for a spin — around the world, maybe — and had lovely things to say about it. If you like what you see below, just wait till you’re cradling one in your own two arms. Get one here (ships free in the USA so you can travel the world like Ed).

From Forbes:

It’s always a pleasure to read anything in The Washington Post lately that *isn’t* about the debt ceiling. So it was indeed a thrill to open up the WP Magazine this weekend (which locals receive on Saturday, but which appears to the rest of the nation on Sunday) to see that this week’s Trend Report featured none other than our BookBook.

Holly E. Thomas, arbiter of uniquely good taste that she is, chose BookBook among five great things she’s come across lately…and we’re honored! Here’s what she had to say:

“Camouflage your shiny new MacBook Pro, iPad or MacBook Air in something decidedly old-school with the BookBook from Twelve South. The hardback leather cases are designed to look like antique tomes, blending in on a coffee table or bookshelf, while keeping your tech treasures safe. $69.99-$99.99 at Anthropologie (5402C Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, 301-652-1056) and www.twelvesouth.com.”

It’s true, people — our BookBook is indeed for sale at Washington’s Anthropologie. If that’s not power to the people, we don’t know what is! Get your own BookBook here, for iPad/iPad 2, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air…or of course, for your iPhone (new!).

Cult of Mac spent some time with our latest BookBook — custom designed for MacBook Air — and came away with the realization that a MacBook Air housed in a BookBook for Air is “the antidote to book snobbery.”

Here’s an excerpt:

“Dude, your laptop case is, like, totally sick, brah!”

I looked up. It was my waiter, every inch of him a bro. He looked like the kind of guy whose cocktail of choice was a pounder of vodka and Mountain Dew, who spelled extreme with triple x-es, who never met a problem he couldn’t jump a skateboard over. He wore an Offspring t-shirt and a wallet on a chain covered in stickers. His goatee looked like a mullet growing out of his face.

I looked down. The “sick” case in question was the BookBook Case by TwelveSouth ($80) — a case which was designed to make my 11-inch MacBook Air look like some dusty vellum tome plucked from an ancient library.”

You can read the full review here (and see more of their gorgeous custom photos)…and then get your own BookBook, redesigned just for MacBook Air, right here. (Ships free in the US for a limited time.)

Customized BookBooks are quickly becoming a popular option for many Twelve South fans inspired by our vintage cases for MacBooks and iPads. We’ve seen BookBooks re-imagined into classic stories like Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, but fan and BookBook owner Dave Ousley had an idea for his own inspired novel.

In his words:

“I used a local company called San Diego Bookbinding. It was a really nice guy that works out of his garage and only charged $25. Thank you for providing the correct font (which is Times New Roman, in case you’re wondering) and here is the result:

The first line was intentionally left distressed. I used my name as the author and my birth year as the publish date. I’m very happy with the result.

Thanks for a really cool iPad case!”

Thanks for reaching out, Dave. Great attention to detail for wanting your cover to match the original “BookBook” lettering on the spine! Looks very cool.

Want your own original BookBook? Order one for your MacBook, MacBook Air or iPad today at twelvesouth.com.

It’s always a great pleasure to be noticed. But to be noticed by people one suspects are “professional noticers?” Well, that’s another thing entirely. When the designers behind Modern Ink magazine reached out and told us about their new design magazine, we had to wonder if there was room in the world for another.

But then we feasted — and that’s the right word — our eyes on this wonder of a new magazine, and we have to admit: We’re hooked. Here’s a peek at the page which features our BookBook — and as fans of white space, we appreciate the “visual pause” it allows the eye to take it all in.

May we suggest you become a regular reader of Modern Ink, on your iPad or iPad 2, in a BookBook? (Some might say the practice has been endorsed by professional noticers the world over.) And congrats to the Modern Ink team — well done on the first issue. Onward and upward!

BookBook is here. And Modern Ink is here.