Reimagine Bags for iPad with Magic Keyboard

Our newly-released FlipBook Case for iPad has attracted quite a lot of attention since its debut at our ecosystem live event in June. 

We kind of saw that coming, if we're being honest. At first glance, our product will make you ask, “What is that?” (literally the first thing I said when I saw it).

After I figured out how it works, the next question popped into my head: where does this great idea come from?

Identifying Problems in Life

One of our design concepts is always staying one step ahead of our customers. In plain words, we should identify problems people tend to ignore or don’t realize and regard them as problems because no one has ever pointed that out. 

Identifying real problems is easier said than done. We need to pay attention to every bit of our life and think a lot.

One of our designers uses an iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard for office work. He carried his iPad Pro bare-hand between his home and the office. He never carried a bag. But sometimes, he had to carry the Magic Keyboard too, and that caused a problem. The keyboard is heavy, and there isn’t a way to hold the hefty pair comfortably with just two hands. What can he do? Use a bag so he can stuff the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard. 

“But I don’t want to carry a bag. That’s truly a burden. It’s not for people who like to travel light like me.”

So, he brought up the idea, and our team took up the challenge.

Not Just Any Minimalist iPad Carry Bag

The bag has to be light and slim. Is that all?

We soon found that almost every iPad bag we looked up on the internet works in a similar way: unzip or unbuckle the bag, tuck in the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard, and close it. Then, when arriving at the office or café, unzip the bag, take the devices out, put the bag aside, and open the Magic Keyboard. The entire process is annoying, and it could take minutes.  

So we created a minimalist bag that fully integrates with the Magic Keyboard. Once installed, everything works as one piece. When you open the bag, your Magic Keyboard opens. You don’t need another second to set up your workstation. When you close the bag, everything folds, so you don’t need to waste time packing and zipping; just hit the road. We can’t stress more how precious time is. 

We also put a small pocket on the side of the bag. Everyone could use a pocket for their everyday items, such as glasses, keys, wallets, etc. 

That’s how the PITAKA iPad bag works. But it’s more than what it looks. There are so many details, and we think they’re worth mentioning in case you missed any of them.

Details Make the Design

1. Magnetic handles

At the beginning, the handles were equipped with magnetic buckles, allowing them to be separated from the body. But soon, the idea was turned down since we found that people may lose the handles. So the handles were made part of the bag. 

Instead, we inserted magnets inside the handles. When handles are put close, they will magnetically attach to snap close to secure your device. Those handles have passed shock testing 3000 times, so hold them as much as you like. 

2. A magnetic camera pad

The Magic Keyboard has a rear camera cutout that allows you to use the camera even when your iPad Pro is attached to the keyboard. That still works even when you have the Magic Keyboard attached to the FlipBook Case for iPad. 

On the back of our bag, there’s a magnetic pad to protect your camera. When you want to use your iPad’s camera, flip open the pad and have it attached and fixed to the side, so it will not bounce to get in the way when you’re taking pictures. 

3. Carbitex OmniFlex carbon fiber

The pocket is crafted from Carbitex OmniFlex carbon fiber, a material that offers a 3D-touch texture. We asked Carbitex to twill weave their unique carbon fiber at a 45-degree angle to save waste as much as possible and give the bag a unique style. 

And it doesn’t block cell phone signals in case you’re interested.

4. The accordion pocket

Have you ever noticed that some pockets bulge even when there’s nothing inside? That’s an accordion pocket, a pocket type that expands, similarly to a bellows. It’s designed that way to store up as much stuff as possible. But its expanding doesn’t make the bag look good. 

Our accordion pocket is sewn meticulously in a different way than the average accordion pockets, so it doesn’t bulge when it’s empty but still has space to hold your items.

5. The anti-slip silicone pad

Before we nailed down the final design, we used the bag in everyday life to determine what else could be done to perfect it. And we did find one problem.

When we were working with the bag on the desk, it moved a little, especially if it was on a smooth surface. That’s why we added a pad at the bottom. After testing various materials, we chose silicone. However, there are three hardness scales when it comes to measuring silicone. Too hard, it’s prone to break; too soft, it might hang loose. After another round of tests, we finally found the proper hardness. 

To further steady the bag while people are typing on the Magic Keyboard, we added grains at each side of the pad.

6. Matt and water-proof leather

Polycarbonate sheets were wrapped in matt and water-proof leather with a fine texture to make the product look sleek. And you don’t need to worry about spilling a drink or walking through the rain with the bag. 

7. The orange element

Colors have a tremendous influence on us, sometimes without our noticing. Red and orange represent energy, warmth, and enthusiasm. And we want to see that in our iPad bag and in our customers. 

We added an orange line between the black carbon fiber and leather, which hopefully you would find intriguing and reminds you of something exciting, such as the Ferrari sports cars.

On top of that, the stitches along the orange rim are neat. Every edge of the bag is painted to be smooth and comfortable to touch. The zipper head is electroplated to match the classic black leather and carbon fiber. The gel pads on the FlipBook Case for iPad can be reused 100 times, so you do not do a great job sticking the first time, you can try a second time. 

The list goes on.

Let the Work Flow

The FlipBook Case for iPad is designed for Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 2018, 2020, 2021 and iPad Air 4th-gen and comes in black and white to go with your black or white Magic Keyboard.

The main difference between the black and white bags is that the pocket on the white one uses polyester instead of carbon fiber.

Our minimalist iPad bag is highly recommended if you use iPad Pro or iPad Air and Magic Keyboard. It definitely makes carrying and working easier and makes heads turn when you swing it on the go or open it in the office.