I have searched the web for a case for my 11.6" Macbook Air and found very few options. I was pleased however to find the my MBA fits nicely into one of my leather / leather match conference note pad holders that is zippered with an 11 1/2" paper pad and a pocket as well as some card pockets. Most people have received and carried these pad holders to meetings for years. So if you have one of the zippered ones, you may find it will work at least temporarily until some additional covers or sleeves become available.
Amazon has a Macbook Air 11.6 sized memory foam sleeve, the LA robe Allure, available for pre-order from Be.ez: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BDOGKW This material appears similar to the Elecom ZeroShock cases but with a vertical format. High-resistance polyurethane materials give better shock protection than conventional foams of the same thickness.
I received the Be.ez LA robe Alure slipcase from Amazon yesterday. It is a perfect fit for the Macbook Air 11.6 adding only 0.25 inch of Low Resilience Polyurethane foam for little added bulk and good protection. I'm very pleased with the quality of the product, it compares well with the Elecom Zeroshock LRPu slipcases (however Elecom is a bit slow in getting out sizes for new Apple products so there is no choice for the new air with them yet). It should be a comfortable fit in the new Tom Brihn Ristretto messenger bag for the 11" air when I'm on my bike.
I just picked up my 11" Air at Microcenter in Cambridge MA yesterday. If you've ever been in one of their stores, you'll never forget it, as it's a crazy, semi-trashed flea-market of an electronics superstore. For every product, there are 10 more things that could go with it.
After trying to find something that would fit the Air reasonably well on the first four 30" walls of cases (and failing,) I hit one last aisle of sleeves. I picked 3 that looked like they might work and headed to the counter where I was to pick up the Air I'd pre-ordered. One look at the laptop in the flesh and I knew which one would work: The STM sleeve (they only had it in black, but I like black.)
Nice neoprene, good quality and it even has an inner lip that flips over the edge of the computer and saves it from the potential gnash of the zipper. It was $30 and, as I later found out, is in fact made specifically for the 11" Air.
One would think that since this is the only case in the joint - and possibly on the eastern seaboard - made for the thing, a store might place it near the product it was designed to tote, but the search was fun anyway (not so much for the wife and son, but they sure were glad when the 20 minute quest was over.)
Anyway, $30, it works great, it looks pretty good, seems well-built. It's no re-invention of the wheel or the most stylish thing in the world, but I'll take it.
So glad to see that this finally came out. It's the real solution if you don't want to "bulk up" the beauty of the Air with the usual "I'm at an airport and I wear a tie" kinds of cases. 🙂
I just ordered this case in addition to my full body invisibleshield for my Macbook Air. I havent received it yet but it looks like it was created with great precision, and it houses the air in a very travel friendly case.
I called a few Apple stores immediately after they hit the shelves and with some luck I was able to find a nearby store that had maybe six in stock. The fact that it is a fold, not a zipper, is a point of contention for some. However, I find the case to be adequate, just like the Incase zipper sleeves for my 13" Unibody. Incase makes nice sleeves that provide ample cushioning and softness.
Just wondering about others thoughts of why a sleeve or bag is better than a hard shell such as Speck's? Seems like once you take it out of sleeve you have another item to worry about, where the hard shell just becomes another part of the computer. Thanks!
I only put it in the Encase sleeve when I'm done working or to protect it when I put it in a larger bag traveling. Why add bulk to something you purchased for portability?
