iPad Fans Face New Dilemma With Tough-to-Tote Gadget
By YUKARI IWATANI KANE
Chuck Pretto couldn't figure out how to carry around his new iPad. So he decided to wear it.
After ordering Apple Inc.'s new multimedia tablet last month, the 52-year-old property manager realized it might weigh down his briefcase. He didn't have another bag or carrier to cradle the 9.7-inch, 1.5-pound device. For a time, Mr. Pretto considered getting a "man purse" for it. Then he learned about iPad-compatible vests on a blog and immediately bought one.
"People can't believe this darn thing will fit inside my pocket," says Mr. Pretto, who now wears the $100 vest every day. The San Diego resident has since bought other iPad-friendly apparel, including a second vest and a windbreaker from travel-clothing maker Scottevest Inc.
Mr. Pretto's carrying conundrum isn't unique. After Apple started selling its tablet in April, early adapters were stumped on how to easily hold and transport the glass-screen gadget.
IPad's unusual size—far bigger than a 3.5-inch iPhone but much smaller than most laptops—has ramped up opportunities for enterprising individuals and companies.
In Fairbanks, Alaska, stay-at-home mom Kate Clark created a white, feminine-hygiene-product-shaped iPad case called iMaxi as a play on the jokes that were made about the iPad name when it was first revealed in January. Orders flew in. Other companies are marketing backpacks shaped like Star Wars robot C-3PO as iPad bags, while still others are developing industrial-strength iron-on pockets to hold the gadget.
Ms. Clark, 33, the creator of the iMaxi, fashioned the $30 quilted cotton case with wings for a laugh and put it up on Etsy Inc.'s online handicraft marketplace in February. Then she started getting thousands of hits from curious buyers. The attention, she says, caused her "major anxiety" because she hadn't kept track of how she made the first one and couldn't duplicate it. She eventually figured it out.
Now "we're super crazy busy just by sewing," says Ms. Clark, who has sold more than 100 of the bags and is now looking for a production firm to help her keep up with orders. "We're trying to stay ahead of the wave."
One iMaxi customer is Matthew Crowley, a 25-year-old aspiring writer. The Dedham, Mass., resident bought the iMaxi in March because he says he was impressed by the care and attention that was put into making the bag—and he actually uses it. While his father is a fan of the bag, his fiancée isn't. Does he worry about gawkers? "I'm quite immune in fact."
Although Apple has largely ceded the market for accessories for its laptops and phones, the company does sell a $39 black iPad case that can be used to protect the device on the go and prop up it up on a tabletop. Still, the company says it is thrilled to see the bag industry that has popped up around the gadget. The marketplace for iPod and iPhone cases "has been a great opportunity for developers, and we're excited to see the same enthusiasm for the iPad," says an Apple spokeswoman.
In some instances, entrepreneurs are rebranding existing products to suit the iPad. In January, Scottevest, the travel-clothing maker, began touting some of its existing multi-pocketed travel vests that can hold magazines, water bottles and a myriad of gadgets as iPad compatible.
The Sun Valley, Idaho, company—which counts Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak as a member of its advisory board—markets iPad wear starting from $75, and has since hired additional employees and more than doubled production.
Scott Jordan, Scottevest's chief executive, says the company is now working on an iPad-compatible trench coat that can be wrapped into itself to become an overnight bag.
Luxury luggage brands are keen to land iPad's more stylish fans. Tumi Luggage Inc. and Liz Claiborne Inc.'s Jack Spade and Kate Spade accessory lines have iPad bags in the works. Gucci NV says it is also considering iPad-specific cases.
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA jumped on the concept early. "Louis Vuitton is all about nomadism—chic nomadism, explains Yves Carcelle, chief executive of the company's namesake brand. "As soon as we read about it [the iPad], we contacted Apple—to get the dimensions, not the functionalities."
It began selling two iPad-specific cases earlier this month, both with the iconic LV logo, for $320. "In a few weeks we'll have a crocodile version," says Mr. Carcelle. "I remember the surprise Steve [Jobs] had when he found out the crocodile case cost more than the iPad." The price to be stylishly exotic: $1,850.
MZ Services Inc. of Auburndale, Mass. developed a waterproof cover with a transparent surface that lets users operate the touchscreen so they could take their iPads to pools, beaches and even the bathroom. It comes with an adjustable strap so they can hang the iPad from their neck or shoulder. The company says its $26.99 cover, which it sells under the brand name TrendyDigital, is so popular that it has sold out on Amazon.com Inc.'s online store.
The interest in iPad-related carrying accessories is so high that even spoofs are taken seriously. Jordan Owen, member of a Chicago design collective, created a digital prototype of a pair of jeans with an iPad-sized pocket called iBap (iGotaBigAssPocket). Mr. Owen says he received as many as 50 emails from people wanting to buy a pair. Still, he doesn't intend to produce any.
—Christina Passariello contributed to this article.Write to Yukari Iwatani Kane at yukari.iwatani@wsj.com
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