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OCTOBER 2004

Product Review:
The MacCase MackPack Combo
by Mitchell Levine

The largest deployment of education technology resources in the history of our school system will occur when the New York City Department of Education completes its stated goal of finally reaching the “one-to-one computing standard” in the hopefully near future. That lofty ambition will involve outfitting each student, teacher, and administrator in the five boroughs with access to some type of mobile technology. One major one is the issue of transport. The students who most need access to technology, because they’re least likely to have available in the home, are the ones that live in areas most likely to create a security risk for a child taking even an inexpensive laptop home with them, both to the child and the laptop.

But for the standard-bearers of education technology, the Apple Powerbook and iBook, no case has been specifically designed to accommodate these units, popular with teachers and students everywhere. That is, until Mac-Case’s MacPack Combo Backpack. Less obtrusive than a hardshell case, yet more protective than a simple nylon tote, the MacPack provides convenient travel aid for 12”, 15”, and 17” Powerbooks and 12” and 14” iBooks, many of which are currently used in the New York schools. Made from tough ripstop fabrics, the MacPack shell is practical, convenient, and affordable, and with its 809 square inches of space, it can easily swallow a 17” Apple notebook.

But fitting into the interior is Mac-Case’s state of the art MacCase Sleeve, filled with tough, dense foam surrounded by the company’s Pure Silver nylon, more than strong enough to protect a portable from a shoulder height drop and more. The shoulder straps are anchored into solid foam fitting over the rear panel, ensuring that the entire structure carries the weight of the bag, and not just the seams of the straps. Plus the bottom of the bag is foamed as well, providing shock absorption for accessories and books as well.

The backpacks also feature auxiliary compartments good for carrying CDs, floppies, and ZIP disks, as well as room for folders, texts, and notebooks. For under $90 dollars retail – without applying potential discounts for institutional volume purchases – it’s difficult to see how a technology buyer planning for fall laptop usage could go wrong. For more information, or online purchases, log on to the manufacturer’s site at www.Mac-Case.com#

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