Twelve South

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.

Departures, the gorgeous magazine published by American Express for its Platinum and Centurion members (read: very best customers), now has a hip online featured called “Departures Dispatch: 5 Essential Things to Know This Week.” One of those 5 things is called Whim, and last week our BookBook was the Whim of the Week.

Yes, that’s us right there, and here’s what they had to say:

“Despite the many delights afforded us by portable computers, no one takes pleasure in lugging a laptop from place to place in a purse or a briefcase. Twelve South, a design firm that caters exclusively to Mac users, is out to change that, adding a little whimsy to an arduous task. The BookBook, one of 12 Twelve South accessories designed for Apple products each year, is a carrying case that disguises laptop computers as vintage books. The case features two leather hardback covers that are distressed by hand, lined with velvet and bound by a sturdy, weathered spine. When zipped shut and tucked in a purse, it looks like a tome plucked from the darkest corners of the library, stealthily misdirecting potential thieves and lending a literary air to even the most plugged-in tech lover.”

That’s what the people at Departures have to say…we say don’t leave home without it. Get your own BookBook here — for iPad and iPad 2, for MacBook Pro, and of course, for MacBook Air!

We all love our gadgets (and of course our Macs), so GadgetMac sounds like the perfect blog to be one of the first to check out our newest BookBook for the ultra-thin MacBook Air. GadgetMac has reviewed several of our products over the past year and always came away impressed, so we were curious to hear their opinion on BookBook for Air.

Did it meet their high expectations? From the review:

The amount of detail that was put into making the BookBook case is so realistic. Twelve South have outdone themselves yet again by creating such an incredible piece of art, they call the BookBook. It isn’t just made out of cheap materials, the BookBook is handmade using real leather. The tough spine bares golden markings and features red accents. Never have I came across such a unique looking case or sleeve, whatever you want to call it, for the MacBook or any other laptop for that matter. I’ve reviewed quite a few of Twelve South’s products, each have their own innovative uniqueness. The BookBook for the MacBook Air is a stunner on the outside.

Both sides of the BookBook are rigid, hardback covers that will keep your investment safe and sound inside. There are very few cases out there for the MacBook Air that offer a hard cover protection like the BookBook does. The leather used for the BookBook case has its own characteristics in that it can easily get scuff marks and scratches, the more the better in this case. As time goes on, the BookBook will look even more vintage then it is. No two BookBook cases will ever be identical because of this. I’ve had a pleasure carrying my 13″ MacBook Air inside the BookBook. It’s slim enough and comfortable for travel making it feel like you’re carrying a naked MacBook Pro in terms of thickness. For the amount of protection you’re getting, I think that the BookBook is at the perfect thickness that’s suitable for any kind of travel and even a protective case for safe storing.

To me, Twelve South has created the most creative and inspiring MacBook case ever. It’s no wonder it quickly replaced my boring Incase neoprene sleeve I’ve been using for a long time now. I think the BookBook case for the MacBook Air would find a place in your accessory wish list sooner than later. The $79.99 price tag is a little pricy, but when you consider the utmost uniqueness, quality and protection the BookBook has to offer, it’s fair enough to say that it’s undoubtedly worth the asking price. I don’t even like reading books and the BookBook has won me over.

Well thanks GadgetMac! We always love creating new and inspiring products for what we think are the best (and most beautiful) computers in the world. With Father’s Day less than a week away, don’t you think getting a BookBook for Dad’s MacBook Air or iPad 2 would make the perfect gift? Order soon and have it at your door in time for Dad this Sunday.

It’s always so neat for us to see our own Twelve South products featured in international publications. Today’s highlight was this feature in “Escape 360,” which is Scandinavia’s leading travel magazine. Of course, our ability to translate Finnish at the present time is limited to use at IKEA stores (and that’s not so much translation as appreciation for all the cool things they come up with), so we can only hope the BookBook article is positive! (We have a good feeling about it.)

This is definitely a magazine we’ll be picking up next time we’re overseas, if only to look at the pictures — the photography is gorgeous!

Like what you see? Get your own BookBook now — for iPad and iPad 2, for MacBook Pro, or for MacBook Air. Many volumes available now!

MSN’s Glo was early to the gate in discovering our BookBook, and we were happy they featured it again in their round-up of all things “O” — as in, All Things Oprah.

That is mighty nice of you guys. We’re just happy to be able to keep introducing new iterations of BookBook by popular request — like our re-imagined BookBook for MacBook Air.

Get the O Favorite — BookBook for iPad and iPad 2 here.

And if you’re in an Air, make sure to get a new BookBook for MacBook Air here. (Did we  happen to mention that in addition to being available at the Apple Store online, it’s now also available at TwelveSouth.com?)

Both ship free in the US for a limited time. Act fast.

After months of development and much anticipation, BookBook for MacBook Air was released yesterday exclusively through Apple Store Online. So far, the response to our latest “novel” has been overwhelming. Gizmodo said “this thing is a damn beaut.” TUAW added that “BookBook for Air isn’t all that much thicker than the device itself,” maintaining that thin Air profile we all love.

One of our favorite initial reactions to BookBook for Air however, comes from the folks over at Cult of Mac. “As both a bibliophile and an 11-inch MacBook Air owner, there’s only one word to describe the new BookBook case by TwelveSouth: utterly gorgeous.”

Here are some more of our favorites:

“The MacBook Air BookBook has a ’rounded spine’, which really means that damn computer is so thin they had to make a super small version just for it.”- Gizmodo

“As both a bibliophile and an 11-inch MacBook Air owner, there’s only one word to describe the new BookBook case by TwelveSouth: utterly gorgeous.”- Cult of Mac

“Twelve South has written yet another chapter in the BookBook saga”- CNET Crave

“..every iteration gets a little better. Today’s just-announced BookBook for Air is the coolest one yet”- iLounge + Mac

“[Twelve South] makes some of the most beautiful third-party accessories for Apple devices.”- Macstories

“Sounds to me like a good story.”- GadgetMac

“Yet another example of creative thinking going on over at Twelve South.”- Macgasm

“The BookBook for Air isn’t all that much thicker than the device itself, so it won’t bloat the ultra-thin profile you’ve come to love about your MacBook Air.”- TUAW

Pick up your own BookBook for Air exclusively at Apple Store Online.