[Review] PDAir Black Leather Book-Type Case for 11" Macbook Air [6 images]

[Over Achiever]

Finally, my leather book case from PDAir arrived in the mail.
http://www.pdair.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=31657

First impression: A nice leather case that allows you to carry around your MBA discretely as a portfolio.

For $99, it delivers what I expected, a leather case that disguises as a book, with a leather wrist pad. The fit as described above by another user is tight but not overly so. The white stitching is subdued. The leather has a stiff shape and provides some padding to the bottom and the top of the case while closed, but does not provide much side protection. The inside of the top lid contains four business card/credit card slots. The case folds shut with a magnetic latch.

Things that bother me a bit: The leather cut out fits the touchpad very closely, but clicking the touchpad takes a little adjusting. Also the leather is not particularly thin on the wrist rest, which affects when I hit the lower keys a bit, especially the arrow keys. However the laptop does close appropriately and goes to sleep when the lid is closed. Also, when closed with the buckle up like a book, the laptop is actually sitting upside down.

I am currently using the laptop for the past hour developing photos, uploading, and the temperature and fan has not increased excessively so. The case itself does not feel like it traps heat excessively.

Let me know if you have any questions!
OA

 

[EthanNixon]

My opinion, that is a very ugly case and compliments the MacBook Air in no way, shape, or form.

I am glad you like it though, it seems to do what you want it to do.

 

[aberrero]

My opinion, that is a very ugly case and ]

lol, I can't help but agree.

 

[hcho3]

That is not worth 99 dollars...

 

[T4R06]

what is the purpose of buying "MBA" if you are going to put it on sleeve?
ill tell you right now, it is much more ugly compare to the common netbook out there... sorry man..

 

[jeffg819]

I like leather and I like Macs. Looks pretty nice to me actually. One can always pull out the machine for the full Apple effect.

 

[OSMac]

Thanks for the pictures and review.

What keeps the leather attached to the back of the screen when the Air is in use?

 

[Over Achiever]

@OSMac: There doesn't appear to be anything that keeps the case attached to the back of the screen. I've tried folding the case backwards below the macbook which seems to work well, otherwise it just flops back behind the macbook. I've considered using double-sided tape but I noticed when I bend the screen back past 105 degrees, it would be difficult with the case securely attached to the back of the lid. So I'm just going to let it be for now.

@jeffg819: The MBA slides in and out of the case/sleeve fairly easily to achieve that effect. The leather could be thinner which is probably what Sena's LeatherSkin is more like. However Sena's is more expensive ($150) and isn't available for the 11" yet.

@hcho3: You're probably right, not sure it's worth $99. But it's the only thing available on the market that does what I wanted.

 

[aleni]

no offense, for $99, i'd rather have a real leather sleeve.

your leather case makes the macbook air looks thick and ugly.

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

Thank god you didn't go for the crocodile patterned cover or this crowd would've eaten you alive.

While I'm not sure I like this personally, thanks for sharing.

 

[Pipper99]

This looks kind of interesting: http://twelvesouth.com/products/bookbook/

I generally like Twelve South's products.

 

[Over Achiever]

@Pipper99 I actually have that case for my old 13" black Macbook, recieved many comments like "whoa, I didn't realize that was a computer". But it was bulky in conjunction with the macbook and also wasn't that great working within the case. But I liked it nevertheless! I was disappointed they didn't have 11" products announced yet (they emailed me saying they were working on 11" products)

-----

Well, some people buy Macs and want to show it off, personally i just want to enjoy it without drawing unnecessary attention. Oxymoron? Perhaps. Defeats the purpose of buying a Mac? Not necessarily. People forget that a computer is meant to be used, not just to show off and admire.

The end product MBA with the case is still thin and light thanks to the remarkable dimensions of the Macbook Air and leather looks professional to me. Sexy? Maybe not. In addition it provides some protection, especially in the wrist area. I've found that heavy use of my old Powerbook G4 caused erosion of the wrist areas, so I don't want that to happen as well. Honestly, I rather like the soft leather feel while typing.

That said, I'm going to see how much I like using the case this weekend, I'm flying to San Diego, driving a few hundred miles, flying to San Francisco, and back to Ohio. As an aside, also testing out a 3M privacy screen but I'm finding I may not get used to the moire and loss in screen brightness.

 

[PeopleTheseDays]

Well, some people buy Macs and want to show it off, personally i just want to enjoy it without drawing unnecessary attention. Oxymoron? Perhaps. Defeats the purpose of buying a Mac? Not necessarily. People forget that a computer is meant to be used, not just to show off and admire.

True that, but you know people's egos However, that case is definitely not my cup of tea.

 

[Scott6666]

Does it block the venting and/or cause it to run hotter or the fans to run louder?

 

[Over Achiever]

@Scott6666 It does not have holes for venting as the model for the previous generation MBA. As the case is not directly attached to the lid, there really not much difference from when the case is not attached, the rear is not obstructed. The bottom of the case on my lap does not feel warm.

Monitoring temperatures, it does not appear to cause the MBA to run hotter or increase fan speed (still sitting at 2000 rpm) with normal usage. However I have not stressed the machine much with Lightroom, and I can't tell you if it runs hotter with the case on or not in that situation. My suspicion is that it does run hotter but not significantly so.

@PeopleTheseDays To be honest, I do wish the case was much thinner and sleeker. But at least it's real leather!

 

[Bluemeanie1976]

2nd picture put me right off. The corner doesn't look protected, which defeats the object, does it not?

 

[edoras]

How does the back cover hold the MBA display/lid when its open?

 

[Mr. Savage]

My opinion, that is a very ugly case and compliments the MacBook Air in no way, shape, or form.

I was scrolling down through the pictures with a mouthful of cereal and rolled up on this here post and my keyboard came dangerously close to being covered in Raisin Bran and 2%. I don't know if it was intended to be funny but it was far and away the biggest laugh I've had in days.

No, go ahead, EthanNixon, tell us what you really think. Hilarious!

(No offence intended to the OP. Everyone has their own tastes.)

 

[Over Achiever]

(No offence intended to the OP. Everyone has their own tastes.)

Haha, not offended at all, everyone is entitled to their own opinions!

@edoras The back cover does not attach to the lid as far as I can tell.

@Bluemeanie1976 Good point. I hadn't noticed that previously, not sure why they designed it that way. The MBA stays within the corner so it's not completely exposed, the case has to give way a little before it dents the MBA. Still, I'm rather curious now there is a gap now.

 

[FAsnakes]

I personally like it - My issue is this is an ANZ based company and i don't know if i want to deal with shipping to the US. .

 

[Over Achiever]

I personally like it - My issue is this is an ANZ based company and i don't know if i want to deal with shipping to the US. .

My case shipped from Hong Kong, took 5 days to ship to Ohio via free global express shipping (through USPS)

 

[FAsnakes]

My case shipped from Hong Kong, took 5 days to ship to Ohio via free global express shipping (through USPS)

That's great to hear.. If you don't mind, i'm going check back with you in 4 or 5 days to get some additional usability perspective - before i place the order..

Thanks,

 

[Over Achiever]

That's great to hear.. If you don't mind, i'm going check back with you in 4 or 5 days to get some additional usability perspective - before i place the order..

Thanks,

No problem, I'm not sure how much I'll like this case or if it's worth the $99 right now. Heat doesn't seem like a problem so far (I ripped a bunch of CDs for the plane ride)

 

[FAsnakes]

No problem, I'm not sure how much I'll like this case or if it's worth the $99 right now. Heat doesn't seem like a problem so far (I ripped a bunch of CDs for the plane ride)

Yea, that's exactly what i want - real world use testimony & and value for price after using it for a week..

 

[centymeat]

This makes you appreciate the size of the MBA 11 incher!

Not long ago, you couldn't get this power at that size.

Even EEEpcs were way thick! and wouldn't be comparable to a notebook