With the holiday season quickly approaching, consumers are keeping their eyes open for strong solutions to protect their fragile electronic investments. Bursting onto the scene is the Macessity BookCase Pro laptop case. Priced competitively at $24.99 (+$5.00 for the 17” size), the BookCase Pro has sizes to fit Apple’s MacBook, and each MacBook Pro model (13”, 15.4”, and 17” respectively).

The look and feel

The BookCase is a trendy black with thin white piping along the edges and the triangular Macessity logo on the top half. When zipped up around my MacBook Pro, the BookCase Pro produces a good, snug fit. The case itself is very lightweight and thin, preserving my laptop’s small form factor and ultra-portability. Sorry folks, there are no iPod compartments or other pockets whatsoever to be found on this case. It does not even have a carrying handle. I found it very convenient that you may leave the zipper open enough to plug in the MacBook/PowerBook’s power cord, or to plug in an external monitor while the laptop is closed and protected. It is also possible to leave the last bit of the zipper done up in order to keep the back of the laptop’s screen covered, though Macessity advises against doing this for extended periods on their website. I think this would be due to heat issues with covering up ventilation on these already hot-running laptops.

Mattress-like foam

The most innovative feature of the case is its shock resistant polyurethane protective padding. The texture of the filling is like those high-end mattresses we see all the time on TV commercials. When pressed on, the material leaves an imprint where your hand once was, and shortly after release, returns to its previous rigid form.

Don't do the smash test

The polyurethane layering on the top and bottom halves of the clamshell-like case is very thin, approximately half an inch in depth. While this substance may be shock-absorbing and may do well in protecting the laptop against nicks and scratches, it is my conclusion that the protection the BookCase Pro offers won’t be up to snuff in the incident of a good hard drop or rough jolt. Where some cases offer thick pillow-like interior padding which offer some give in the case of a hard tumble, such as my Fusion MB from Brenthaven, the BookCase Pro offers no such thing. As stated on the site, it protects against bumps, scratches, dents, and dust; not from being dropped or tossed.

While the BookCase Pro is offered at a low price, I would pair this cover with another bag, so cough up the extra cash and get one of the bags we have reviewed on MacNN too. The BookCase Pro’s protective standards exceed that of most laptop sleeves, but do not meet the comprehensiveness of a protective case. That said, for the exceptionally careful and fashion-inclined, the BookCase Pro might just do the job. If it was marketed as a sleeve instead of a case, I'd cheerfully give it a higher star rating.

Edited by Ilene Hoffman, Reviews Editor

by Alexander Munro