Twelve South

The whole Twelve South team got the new iPhone 4 yesterday. Like many others, we noticed that if your hands or fingers touch the antennas on the iPhone, it reduces signal strength and reception. Being the innovative team that we are, we found a solution right in front of us.

We took our SurfacePad for Mac leather cover and cut 2 strips out of the very top strip of the SurfacePad. We then trimmed 2 strips to 125mm and 80mm and attached them to the sides of the iPhone.

First off – it looked awesome. The colors from the SurfacePads added a nice splash of color to the iPhone (like the plastic Apple Bumpers – but in leather). The different colors also let us tell our iPhones apart from each other.

Here’s the real shocker – our homebrew SurfacePad bumpers actually improved signal strength on the iPhone! No kidding. Something about not touching the side antennas with your hands increased reception by at least two bars! We quickly cut out colored ‘bumpers’ for everyone in the office and they just work great!

We just wanted to share this awesome hack to all of our Mac friends. This might be just the trick that let’s you use your new iPhone to its fullest potential.

http://www.twelvesouth.com/products/surfacepad_colors/

http://www.twelvesouth.com/products/surfacepad/

The Twelve South SurfacePad is one of those products that you don’t realise you want until you have it…

After reviewing the Twelve South BookArc for MacUser magazine, Twelve South asked if I’d also be interesting in taking a look at their ‘SurfacePad’ product: a cover for the palm-rest area 13 or 15″ MacBook Pro.

Having checked out the Twelve South website (by the way, I piggin’ love their logo – only just figured out the arrow is a ‘12′ on its side!) there didn’t seem like there was anything to get particularly excited about. It’s just a cover, right?

So it arrived and I installed it and… I wouldn’t be without it!

Read the Full Review: Twelve South SurfacePad « benfrain.com

Learn more about SurfacePads here

Charleston, SC, December 16, 2009 – Twelve South introduces SurfacePad, a super soft, ultra-thin layer of luxury leather that dresses up and protects the keyboard deck/wrist rest area of MacBook Pro from scratches, dirt and discoloration. SurfacePad is available now in Smooth and Pattern styles for the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro. The retail price is $39.99 for both sizes, and the product is available immediately. More info and images can be found at http://twelvesouth.com.

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Here’s an actual email, word-for-word, from Customer Service today.

I think the BassJump could be a big hit for PC-laptop users as well.
I have not seen any products like this before, for PC-laptops. Have you?
Will you develop this product for that market as well?

Thank you
[pc]

Hi [pc],

Sorry, but Twelve South is committed to making accessories exclusively for Macs. Thanks for your interest and question. If you ever get a Mac, we have some wonderful accessories for you.

Thanks,
Twelve South Support Team

We get this question several times a week. It is so fun to tell them no But that’s Twelve South – not just Mac ‘friendly’ – we’re Mac only. Really. We wish there were more ‘Mac Only’ companies around. Then again, we’re just fine being one of the only ones too.

Check out the Mac Only BassJump here.

Ahh, Christmas Shopping! I’ve never been on the other side like we are this year. We are so excited that so many BackPacks, BookArcs and BassJumps are going to be under so many Christmas trees. We love our retail partners around the world like Apple Store and Best Buy, but I have to tell you we hold a special place in our heart for our customers that trust us enough to order directly from twelvesouth.com.

Guy Kawasaki said in his awesome book “Reality Check” that “God invented e-Commerce” for bootstrappers and its so true. Your support is so appreciated and helpful. Thank you and Happy Holidays.

Holiday 2009 Shipping Schedule
Happy Holidays! Here are the very last dates & times you can order from Twelve South and receive your order in time for Christmas. Please note the times listed are Eastern Standard Time.

Free Ground Shipping in the Continental US
Orders must be placed by 2:00PM EST, Wednesday, December 16th

International Shipping outside the US (including the North Pole)
Orders must be placed by 2:00PM EST, Thursday, December 17th

2nd Day Air Shipping in the Continental US
Orders must be placed by 2:00PM EST, Tuesday, December 22nd

Overnight Shipping in the Continental US
Orders must be placed by 2:00PM EST, Wednesday, December 23rd

When we saw the new MacBooks, we thought the keyboard looked familiar. Sure enough, it’s size and layout happen to be almost identical to the 13-inch MacBook Pro except of course, for color. That means our SurfacePad leather cover originally designed for the 13-inch MacBook Pro now also fits the new white unibody MacBook just fine. It does a good job protecting that super shiny MacBook surface from watches, rings and skin oil stains (eauw). It looks pretty cool too – like a tuxedo!

Take a look at a SurfacePad on a new white MacBook here.

Excerpt from the review:

“I never had any complaints about the feel of the aluminum before, but I’m quite happy to have the SurfacePad on now because of how it makes me feel about the whole machine. It’s an extra layer of customization that is mine alone, and it just makes me feel as though the black leather accent makes my computer stand out amongst the other brushed aluminum bodies out there. I see the SurfacePad as another way to make the MacBook Pro classier, and the flowery textures along the bottom aren’t emasculating – but awesomeating instead. I’m going to just leave you with that fake word and move on to the next paragraph.”

read the entire review with more pictures at Review: TwelveSouth’s SurfacePad for the 13″ MacBook Pro | Just Another Mobile Monday.

Here’s a nice detailed review of the SurfacePad. We’ve known all along that the pattern on the SurfacePad would not be for everyone. But for those who dig it – they would go crazy over it. This is one of those times. Glad our favorite little leather cover has found such an appreciative audience.

A little review: Twelve South SurfacePad for 13″ MBP – www.hardwarezone.com.sg.

Twelve South is thrilled to announce we are now available in Apple Stores throughout Europe – both in Retail and Online. Apple Store Europe now joins Apple Store US in bringing Twelve South goodness to a store near you. Below you’ll find just a few of the Apple Store Europe online links where the BookArc Stand  and BackPack Shelf are available now. When visiting an Apple Retail Store in Europe, just ask for Twelve South and the super-friendly staff will be glad to help you out.

Cheers!

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We need to change that to [up to] 12 new products a year : ) The point is, we don’t want to manage hundreds of SKUs. We want to produce a handful of unique products that that adds something new to the Mac platform. Can we do 12 great new ideas a year? Stay in touch and see how we do.