iLounge

CorePack, or, How Speck Brought Classy Fabrics to MacBook Bags

There were dozens of new computer bags on display at this year’s Macworld Expo, ranging from exceptionally generic to absolutely low-class in design. Early on, we spotted a set of new Speck cases that wound up really standing out from the crowd, and featured them in our Other 20 Sights Worth Caring About article. One of them, CorePack ($90), is here for testing, and while we’re doing that, we wanted to show you what was so compelling about these bags.

Last year, Speck came up with an iPhone 3G case that really stood out from its peers: the Fitted Case managed to blend truly a truly classy fabric exterior with a hard plastic shell, giving the iPhone’s glossy body the equivalent of a black pinstripe suit, a black and white plaid, or a brown houndstooth pattern to wear. For Speck, a company that has been playing with fabric cases for years—notably, in Converse shoe-inspired iPod cases, then in a number of leatherette and leather designs—it was like moving on from grade school to high school, college, and then professional attire. CorePack and several other Speck designs continue the professional angle, wrapping your MacBook or MacBook Pro (15” only) in a shoulder bag that’s dressed for success.

Rather than getting into all the details at this point, we’ll leave you with a bunch of pictures and a few quick notes. CorePack comes in this black pinstripe and a new brown plaid version, both fabrics forming the front flap and a top portion, but not continuing through the sides or back. There’s a highly padded mesh rear, and lots of zippers: one in the top to convert the bag into a handled briefcase, one on the side to expose a mesh pocket, one above the padded rear for a fleece-lined MacBook pocket, and a couple inside, both leading to multi-compartment pockets. A sign of Speck’s playful design is the interior color, which is bright blue on the pinstripe version and green on the plaid; it’s the only hint that you’re not all business. There are other models called AftPack and PortPack, as well as a small sleeve called TuckPack, which we’re hoping to check out as well. Additional photos of CorePack can be seen by clicking on this article’s title or Read More below; we’ll add more thoughts in the near future.