Twelve South

So would we recommend that you stuff your BookBook for iPhone this full? Not really…but here’s the proof that somewhere out there in the wild, it has been done. George Costanza would be jealous at this insanely-full-yet-orderly-looking BookBook. Get your own BookBook for iPhone here.

OK, so here’s a question we get a lot: “How much stuff can I fit into a BookBook for iPhone?” (Usually asked kind of sheepishly by someone with lots of loyalty cards who isn’t quite ready to lighten his or her load.) Our official answer is that a typical BookBook for iPhone can carry a credit card in each slot, along with some cash…bringing its width to about 20mm. But we’ve seen bigger…

Seinfeld fans might remember lead character George Costanza’s overly full wallet…and while we don’t actually encourage usage like this, it’s good to know that those of you with fat wallets like George’s could be happy with a BookBook too. Check this out:

Introducing the all-new BookBook for iPhone 5 from Twelve South

Charleston, SC, November 19, 2012 – Twelve South is pleased to announce the release of the much-anticipated BookBook for iPhone 5. Redesigned exclusively for iPhone 5, BookBook combines a wallet with an iPhone case, creating a handsome, genuine leather case that protects and disguises both wallet and phone. This installment of BookBook features five slots for cards, cash and ID, a secure, leather-wrapped frame to hold iPhone 5, and a built-in camera hole. The Vintage Brown and Classic Black versions of BookBook for iPhone 5 are available at TwelveSouth.com for $59.99. More information and images can be found at www.twelvesouth.com.

BookBook for iPhone 5, the latest chapter in the Twelve South BookBook collection, has been reconfigured to protect and promote the best features of Apple’s latest iPhone. To hold iPhone 5 in place, BookBook has a leather-wrapped inner frame that provides edge-to-edge access to all four inches of the beautiful retina display on iPhone 5. Users also have access to all iPhone ports and buttons. By popular request, BookBook for iPhone 5 has a built-in camera hole to quickly grab photos with the iSight camera and shoot stunning HD video with iPhone 5.

All of those reward and airline frequent flyer cards that fatten your wallet are still there, tucked inside Apple’s Passbook app. Users will find reading books on iPhone even more fun with BookBook. This unique case becomes your wallet, checkbook, address book, notebook and diary. Simply put, BookBook becomes the story of your life.

On the wallet side of BookBook for iPhone 5, you will find three slots for debit, credit or business cards, plus a window slot to display a driver’s license or ID. The window has a convenient thumb slide for quick removal of your ID. BookBook also has a slot for cash and receipts. If you ever lose your wallet, simply use Apple’s Find My Phone feature to retrieve your wallet and iPhone 5.

“The sign of a great accessory is how much you miss it when it’s gone,” said Andrew Green, Creative Director of Twelve South. “The demand for the BookBook for iPhone 5 has shown just how essential our iPhone case and wallet has become in many of our customers’ lives. I am thrilled to say it’s finally ready. But it’s not just a rehash of the previous version, it includes a much-requested camera hole, extra card slot and an entirely new leather-covered interior support frame. Our favorite thing to do is make our customers happy. Today many of them are smiling.”

BookBook for iPhone 5, like previous versions, is crafted from high-quality, genuine leather and hand-distressed so that no two look exactly alike. Color options include Vintage Brown and Classic Black. In addition to stand-out looks, BookBook protects iPhone 5 with a rigid spine and two hardback book covers. Perhaps the best feature of all is the fact that BookBook turns your wallet and iPhone 5 into a pocket-sized book, keeping it out of sight from any would-be thieves.

Reduce the clutter in your pocket by combining your wallet and iPhone case into one BookBook. Order today at TwelveSouth.com. The Vintage Brown BookBook for iPhone 5 will also be exclusively available at Apple Stores worldwide soon.

Haven’t upgraded to an iPhone 5? Not to worry. BookBook for iPhone 4/4S is still available from Twelve South. Click here to learn more about BookBook for iPhone 4/4S.

Click here to read the original release.

A recent user email from Benjamin said, “I wanted a unique iPhone case.  After reviewing the post of someone else who got the bookbook embossed, my wife decided that we would get the leather laser-etched on the front and back.  The back has my initials.  For the front, we found an embossing from an old 1895 Oratory.  She extracted the image and also had it laser etched.  She then used leather paints to “emboss” it. I know you like to see what your purchasers do with your products and I thought this was too exciting not to share.” You’re absolutely right, Benjamin — it’s super cool and we can’t resist sharing it with everyone. (And how awesome is your wife for doing this?!)

Get your own highly-personalizable BookBook for iPhone here. (Clever wife not included.)

We love it when reviewers cut to the chase with a semi-executive summary right up front, so this piece in AlliosNews was great to see:

“Do I recommend it?  Unequivocally yes!  This new version of the BookBook for iPad – Vol 2 as the folks at Twelve South refer to it – may very well be the perfect iPad case.  I fully appreciate that is saying a lot and is almost hyperbolic but I struggle to find anything that is not good, right and perfect about this case.  The styling is extraordinary, the fit and finish of it is perfect and it allows you to use every button, control and feature of your iPad uninterrupted.  Add on to that the outstanding protection the BookBook provides for your iPad and it becomes the complete package.”

The rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say, can be found here at AlliosNews (and if you’re curious to see what they thought of our BookBook for iPhone, check this out). Get your own perfect iPad case here (and Flat Rate Shipping is now available to much of the world, which is very nice indeed).

While there’s certainly a lot to watch on YouTube (cat memes, anyone?), sometimes we come across something we’d like to share that everyone in the world hasn’t already seen. This video is neat because it’s both a great advertisement for BookBook for MacBook Air that we didn’t have anything to do with, but also cool because it’s stop-action AND produced by a kid in Japan. Check it out, and get your own BookBook — for MacBook Air, Pro, iPad, or iPhone right here.

By popular request, Twelve South presents the “little black” BookBook for iPhone.

Charleston, SC, June 17, 2012 – Twelve South is pleased to unveil a Classic Black version of its best-selling BookBook for iPhone 4/4S as well as a refreshed Vintage Brown version. Like the original, the new black version of BookBook marries a wallet with an iPhone case, creating one must-have iPhone accessory. The Classic Black BookBook for iPhone, designed at the request of customers, and the Vintage Brown BookBook for iPhone are available now at twelvesouth.com and soon at Apple Store for $59.99. More information and a gallery of images can be found here.

BookBook for iPhone, introduced by Twelve South in 2011, launched the iPhone wallet category. The hybrid wallet and iPhone case looks like a pocket-sized book. Open it up and you will see that it holds a driver’s license/ID, credit cards, cash and iPhone, eliminating the need for both a traditional wallet and an iPhone case.

iPhone features become even more valuable when combined with BookBook. For example, Find My iPhone becomes “find my wallet” – it’s like a GPS for your billfold. Passbook, a new feature in the upcoming iOS 6, will store your digital cards right next to your plastic cards. And now you can share thousands of pictures of your kids or pets vs the six plastic coated versions in your previous leather wallet.

“Taking pictures is just as easy,” said Andrew Green, Creative Director of Twelve South. “You simply pull the top red tab out, push the iPhone up and snap a shot. You can always count on the highest performance from your iPhone camera when the camera is fully exposed.”

In addition to handsome looks, BookBook cleverly disguises iPhone and your activities inside. While you may be texting a friend on your iPhone, from the outside it looks like you are studying the classic works of Shakespeare. Are you memorizing a short poem, or playing a quick game of Angry Birds? This stealthy security of BookBook lets you access iPhone in many places a regular iPhone case could not.

Killian Bell, a contributing writer for Cult of Mac said, “The BookBook is the best wallet case there is for iPhone.” Josh Wright of Macgasm added, “I am in love with BookBook for iPhone. It really has helped me reduce my pocket clutter, and I like the idea of keeping my phone and wallet in one case.”

Both the new Vintage Brown and Classic Black BookBooks are hand-distressed so no two are exactly alike. Since it looks like a mini book, BookBook disguises your wallet and iPhone, while protecting you from looking like everyone else. Streamline your life by trading your traditional wallet and iPhone case for a BookBook for iPhone. With a BookBook in your pocket you’ll never forget your wallet, or phone, again. Order today at twelvesouth.com.

Click here to read the original release.

We have to admit, when we saw the subject line “Alaska Political Insider” we did a double-take and thought: Sarah Palin! And while the email we opened wasn’t from Sarah P, or Bristol (reality show), or her husband (soon to be on a military-style Survivor reality show), it was from Dorene Lorenz, the host of the ABC show “Alaska Political Insider” so we are sure she’s had her fair share of interviews and discussions related to the (in)famous Family P!

Here’s what they’re saying about BookBook on the show:

“Hi, my name is Dorene Lorenz, and I am the host of ABC’s “Alaska Political Insider” — which airs live weekdays from 4-5pm statewide.

I am one of your first customers, and I wanted to let you know how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE your product.

Our show is audience interactive, so while I am interviewing politicians, resource development CEOs, baby musk ox, and the Unibomber’s brother and sister-in-law, I am fielding questions and comments from our viewers via text, e-mail, Facebook and Twitter.

Your product allows me to do so in a professional, visually attractive, and — I thought — discreet manner.

Turns out it is anything but discreet.  Every day I field compliments on my BookBook, and inquiries on where to buy them.

Everyone in the newsroom who has an iPhone has one, all of our Macs are clad in them, and those poor unfortunate wretches who opted to use something other than Apple rue the day they made such a poor choice.

Wanted to thank you for making such a great product, offer words of encouragement, and ask that you offer more colors or at least engraving so it is easier for us to tell them apart.”

Sounds like a very active newsroom — we hope those BookBooks have kept your gear safe from all the baby musk oxen around there! (Kidding.) Thanks so much for the feedback — we’ll do our best to keep making products you — and your viewers — will love.

We are blushing. In a recent piece for Forbes titled “These Two Companies Increase Apple’s New Worth,” writer Ed Zitron makes the case that Twelve South, along with friendly competitor Mophie, are the only two premium Apple accessory makers worthy of buying from, calling us the “Chanel clutch and Burberry bracelet to your little black iDress.”

Here’s a peek at the post from Forbes.com:

“These companies lie as polar opposites with the same goal – Mophie creates a stream of new products each year, while Twelve South keeps predictably low-key and ponderous, creating only that which it thinks is absolutely necessary to bring to market.

This is well-evidenced in their latest releases – Twelve South’s reiterations of its BookBook series cry homage to the very leather tomes that the iPad and its ilk have metaphorically burned – the difference being that these real-leather cases actually protect and secure your iPad better than most cases. In the last year, Twelve South has only really released two or three new products, one in particular being the amazing PlugBug, a clip-on iPhone and iPad charger that fits perfectly on top of your Macbook charger to charge both an iPad and a Macbook Air at the same time. The HoverBar is a giant metal arm that juts out from your desk, your computer or anywhere that the clip fastens itself, grasping your iPad like an angry Sasquatch and throwing it in your face. With the churn of iDevice accessories in the market, Twelve South’s minimalism (and resulting quality) is a refreshing break from the norm.”

You can read the entire Forbes piece here, and if you’d like to read it on your iPad while in bed, may we recommend a HoverBar?

While most press coverage is about our products, every now and then, a journalist will call up and ask a few questions about Twelve South: How do you come up with your products? What’s your greatest inspiration? Or “C’mon! Are there really only 12 of you people there?”

We weren’t really sure what to expect when Engadget managing editor Darren Murph emailed to inquire about getting a closer look at Twelve South. But after a few hours together, getting a feel for how and why we do what we do, Darren apparently had what he needed. The result is a terrific piece in Engadget’s Distro publication called “Opening the (Book)Book on Twelve South: Between the Covers of a Mac-Exclusive Accessory Maker,” which captures Twelve South the Company better than anything we’ve read so far.

So if you’re curious about how an “intentionally small” company in South Carolina — of only 12 people, truly — makes BookBooks, BookArcs, and other Apple-only products and has found its niche by staying small on purpose, you’ll want to read this.