Mac Booq

Since becoming an Apple Campus Rep, I’ve been fortunate to have the new Unibody MacBook at my disposal. As much as I love my (previous generation) MacBook Pro, sometimes carrying it around got to be a problem depending on how many other books I needed to carry. The MacBook was smaller, and sturdier (thanks to the unibody construction of course). The MacBook is a pleasure to carry around, I can hardly tell it’s in my backpack. However the thought of it being bumping around in my backpack all day was disheartening. I already owned the Neoprene Incase sleeve for my MBP, and it just the extra padding I was looking for to protect the my new MacBook.

I didn’t want to get the same exact case for the MacBook however. As nice as the Incase sleeves are, they’re pretty pricey at $35. I looked around the web and came across Booq Bags. Booq manufactures a number of different bags, and sleeves for laptops and other devices. I quickly found the Taipan Skin for the MacBook. It certainly looked stylish enough for my Mac (always an important consideration). Also, looking at the dimensions, it fit the unibody MacBook exactly. This was the key factor in my purchasing decision as I have read elsewhere that the Incase sleeves are too large unibody MacBooks. This was also the case for my MacBook Pro; there is about an 1.5 inches of extra space at the top of the sleeve when the MBP is inserted into the sleeve.Taipan Skin. Satisfied with what I saw, I purchased a Taipan sleeve for my own. After a long journey from California, the Taipan arrived at my apartment. The exterior feels exactly the same as the Incase sleeves, however it is not as thick. The construction is solid, with the zipper going around two sides of the case (instead of just one for the Incase sleeve) providing a large point of entry/exit for the computer. While the actual case is thinner, It still provides adequate padding from the other books and objects in my backpack. In fact, the thinness actually means less space is wasted in my backpack. Ultimately, the Taipan offers a edgier, unique style over the ubiquitous Incase sleeve while offering the same amount of protection for a lower price. If you’re looking to protect your MacBook and hate the hard shell cases as much as I do, give the Booq sleeves a look.

The Taipan is also available at one of my favorite online shops, Koyono.