Twelve South

If you’re anything like Charlie White of Mashable, you don’t exactly want to shout, “Look at me! I have a MacBook!” when you’re out and about. It’s not that you’re at all unhappy to have that fantastic MacBook Pro with Retina display…it’s that you don’t want would-be thieves to be overly excited to see the glow of the backlit Apple logo as they plot their next move. And that’s where a certain “dignified old tome” comes into play.

The BookBook exudes quality, with high-end zippers and a thin layer of soft padding inside. You can still access all of the MacBook’s ports, even as the laptop sits in the case.

I’m fond of the irony of mixing up the old and the new with products like Twelve South’s “book” series. It’ll give you the individuality, protection and stealth you need, and its quality handcrafted leather construction gives it the looks of a classic.”

Check out this image (courtesy of Charlie White/Mashable) of our BookBook for MacBook Pro with Retina display…it fits right in with any book collection! Add one to yours. Ships free in the U.S.A.

This just in from the user email bag:

“Sorry to break the news, but my son is using one of your covers for his Toshiba ultrabook. It has an almost identical footprint to the 13.3″ MacBook Air, and I ordered your cover to protect his computer in his backpack as he lugs it around campus all day. It is hopefully rigid enough to prevent undue screen stressing packed in with textbooks, and the mistaken identity of just another textbook will hopefully help it remain in his possession much longer.  He has a regular MacBook from several years ago while still in high school, but he needed something even more portable (and the screen is dying on his MacBook), and his engineering program uses a lot of Windows-based software.  He loves the new cover, so thanks, and no one will know that it is only designed for an Apple! – Dave”

Thanks for sharing your story, Dave. Glad you like BookBook — it does indeed make a terrific Back to School accessory! But on a Toshiba?! Oh well…get your own designed-to-fit MacBook Air BookBook here. (And how you use it is purely your business.)

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.

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.

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.

This is the kind of thing we like to wake up to. Designer, producer, video director and virtual NYC “it” girl Va$htie is a fan of Twelve South, and was kind enough to feature several of our products on her recent segment on VH1′s Big Morning Buzz, hosted by Carrie Keagan. She talked mainly about her love of BookBook — how family members pick hers up, thinking it’s a “photo album or something” only to discover it’s her laptop — but supporting the BookBook on display was our own Compass stand (in Candy Apple Red). Here’s how it looked. (VH1 doesn’t let us show the video, though.)

Get your own “Big Morning Buzz” on with BookBook — for iPhone, iPad, MacBook, or MacBook Air — and Compass now.

While of course we do not know Gwyneth Paltrow personally, we like her work and  appreciate that she’s always reaching, always trying new things. Like embracing life in Nashville while making a movie, and getting to know our hands-down favorite neighborhood there — incidentally called Twelve South. Or starting GOOP. Her own personal discoveries in food, drink, travel, clothing, objects, inspiration…have been successfully turned into a highly readable and nicely-designed newsletter, website, and app.

So it was a special treat to open GP’s latest email, authored by connoisseur of all nice things Yale Breslin. It’s a fantastic gift guide for men of all ages, and right smack dab in the middle of it, for Guys in their 30s, is our BookBook for MacBook Air.

If you don’t already have your own BookBook for Air, iPad, iPhone, or MacBook Pro (or haven’t yet bought one for that amazing guy whose birthday is coming up, or whose fatherhood you wish to celebrate)….you’re going to want to run out and get one quickly. Because the thing about GOOP, while not-yet-quite-Oprah-large, is that her readers move fast, whether it’s a fresh find from the Paris pharmacie, or taking up her plan to kick the sugar habit, or getting that birds-eye-view-of-the-chef special table at that restaurant she mentioned. So here: Get your BookBook now.

Every now and then we get an email from a Twelve South user that we’ve just *got* to share. This one came in just last night — and while we’re very sorry to hear that a MacBook Pro was stolen, we’re happy to hear that our BookBook kept a new iPad safe and sound!

Here’s the email:

“I just thought I’d drop you a line concerning your iPad case. I purchased the new iPad and immediately ordered your “book book” case for it because I thought it looked cool. Yesterday I had to run into an office for a few minutes, so I left my laptop bag and my iPad in the back of my car. When I returned to my car I was horrified to see my window had been smashed and my laptop was no where to be found, but sitting right where I left it was my new iPad!! I read the marketing telling about how my new case would deter theft, but I thought that was just marketing BS. So, I guess I have you to thank that I still at least have my iPad to stay connected. It’s a good thing most thieves aren’t big readers. Thanks. — Finn J.     Sent from my iPad”

Get your own super-Lo-Jac-non-reading-thief-deterrent BookBook for iPad (or your laptop, for that matter, provided it’s a Mac) today. It’s ready to go for your new iPad, and ships free in the US — and for a low flat rate most everywhere else.

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.