Written by DenisStanton | 21 February 2010
Posted in Other

I wanted to like the Proporta Classic Sleeve for MacBook Air. I carry a MacBook Air to and from work everyday in a tidy backpack but I know there are people that don't have the luxury of relaxed dress code. A casual backpack is probably not the right image for people who wear smart suits to the office. Proporta have come up with a smart-looking almost-leather sleeve for people who want to protect their MacBook Air from scratches but don't want the bulk or casual look of a backpack.

The proporta looks tidy, if minimal. It's made from a material that the manufacturers describe as 'a stylish alternative to leather' and is certainly very close to leather in look and feel. There is some sort of reinforcing between the coloured outer layer and the white lining, giving it a near rigid structure. The sleeve is sewn around three sides with the fourth open. I would have expected some sort of fold-over flap to provide protection on all edges. If you dropped this unit there is a fifty-fifty chance that it would land on a corner with no protection at all. There is a narrow strip of leather that wraps across the open side and tucks under a band. Neat enough when handled carefully, but not a robust guard against accidents.

My problem with the Classic Sleeve is it's just too tight to manage. I had to line it up carefully and push really hard to get the Air into the sleeve and once it was wedged in it was more than I could manage to pull it out again with one hand holding the sleeve and the other trying to get a grip on the MacBook. A few extra millimetres in width and length would have made all the difference but each time I have used it I have had to resort to grasping the sleeve by the corners and shaking the thing until the MacBook Air can be jolted out onto the desk. Not a good look if you are wanting to impress your colleagues with your stylish purchase.

The sleeve is not intended to provide space for any accessories so you are going to need to another bag for the power supply and any other cables you might need.

I think Proporta have made an error in the measurements for the MacBook Air. The sleeve is the right size for carrying a small sheaf of A4 pages and I thinks that's what I will be using it for. Perhaps they were mislead by Apple's advertising that the Air is the same size as a sheet of paper.

There is a bigger opportunity coming up. The iPad, at half the weight and three quarters the size of the Air, will need something to protect the screen from harm when you drop it into a briefcase or even a backpack. If Proporta can come up with a suitably soft lining material and get the dimensions right a Sleeve for the iPad could be a winner.

 

Tight fit - I couldn't pull the Air out of the sleeve

Need to pick it up and shake it