Unfortunately I unsubscribed from the FREITAG newsletter quite a while ago, so I missed these great news: FREITAG finally manufactures laptop/notebook bags! :) Officially, they’re only for iBooks and PowerBooks, but they obviously also fit other devices, e.g. a Toshiba Portégé TabletPC :)
Quoting an earlier entry by yours truly:
Why don’t Freitag produce any notebook cases? I’d happily be the first customer :) IMHO, this would well fit their business as their bags are a prime example of very successful mass-customization, too :) Uhm.. I think I will suggest it to them. They could also produce iBook, PowerBook, iPOD cases and such.
Somehow I forgot to mention it to them, but obviously they found it out all by themselves (that’s even better – I don’t like to care for everything myself ;) No doubt this will be a huge success as here, "form follows function" (FREITAG) meets "form follows function" (Apple). FREITAG iPOD cases would have even a greater potential (I don’t think we’ll have to wait for long ;)
Now.. I’m somewhat notorious for having a “difficult” taste in regard to design and functionality ;) So let me state that I’m a bit disappointed about FREITAG using zippers for these laptop bags. I understand that they want to make their bags water-proof, but for me, this is not necessary. I’ve never been a fan of zippers and when it comes to laptop bags I downright hate them. Zippers just aren’t handy (I bet you can imagine many situations where velcro fastenings would have been much handier than zippers, too ;)
Again, here’s what I expect from a good notebook case:
* fits well and tight (I don’t want it too add much to
thickness, weight or size). Basically, it should just add another
protective layer and fit into other bags. Don’t add any handles and
such, just the wrap, that’s it.
* is lightweight (among others, I bought the M200 for its moderate weight)
* is durable and provides sufficient protection. It shall not be
armored though, as this would make it too heavy and too thick and isn’t
necessary at all as I always carry it either in my Freitag “DRAGNET” messenger bag or – seldom – in my yellow/transparent/gray 600 Series Hardlite executive case.
* has Velcro fastening, so it can be opened and closed quickly.
* has an exciting/modern/urban design (don’t we all hate these boring
0815 laptop cases? Yet they are produced “en masse” – I don’t get it).
Likewise, I don’t want any case made of leather (too “classic” –
boring)
That’s the point where I should add, that owning both a Toshiba Portégé M200 TabletPC and an Apple Aluminium PowerBook 15″ I really didn’t find any suitable cases/bags for either of them (note that there weren’t any FREITAG laptop bags at that time yet). The most convincing bags (for my purpose) I found were the foofbag bags. However, whilst the foofbag design is unique and brave and functionality is great, it looks a bit too feminine for my taste. What could I do? I did what I always do in such situations (except when desperately lacking time): I decided to give it a try myself :) So I went to a handful of textiles shops in Zurich and asked whether they sell neoprene fabric. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any that did(!). I found one shop however that sold a fabric similar to neoprene (they use it to manufacture trousers for snowboarding), but I first wanted to check whether I could order some neoprene fabrics in other cities or countries perhaps. Hence I didn’t buy any to date. And well.. now there finally are FREITAG laptop bags! I don’t know whether I should still continue with my endeavour to create my very own, custom-made laptop bags :) For the curious, here’s one of the quick’n’dirty sketches I made (note that the colors are just examples, I would have rather chosen a silvery upper for my own bags):
Hello Daniel,
I find your idea great. I have been thinking of creating something similar for quite a while. Would you please drop me a mail? Thanks: bery_ary@hotmail.com
In a nutshell, I am into designing my own laptop bag and looking for people with whom I could create any.
meanwhile i’ve finished my laptop bag already! nonetheless i congratulate you for your plans! designing and creating a laptop bag is great fun and a very joyful work indeed, you’ll see :) note that the difficulty heavily depends on the complexity of your designs. i had to simplify mines for various technical reasons (more on that later). my first bag however fully satifies all my expectations and needs (e.g. velcro instead of zippers, leightweight, nice fit etc.) perhaps, i’ll design and create another bag to test some other designs too.
i will post some designs and pics of the first bag soon!