Laptop cases: Cat walk Vs high street

Never mind tablet wars or Apple Vs Microsoft, a new battle is brewing and it’s all about laptop bags and the high street Vs the catwalk.

It’s not so long ago that laptop cases were uniform black canvas over-the-shoulder bags or backpacks that may or may not have had a company logo on it.

Now Burberry and Mulberry are competing with each other and the likes of Top Shop and Miss Selfridge in the laptop accessories market.

As laptops, netbooks, tablets and the like become more popular with consumers, the demand for bags that don’t look like they belong to a 45-year-old businessman has grown.

Top designers are leading the way with bags specifically designed to carry laptops with Burberry giving the staid bag a patent, shiny makeover. For £273 laptop owners can get a forest green embossed leather bag for their device.

Also, going for a patent theme is Mulberry with its range of electric blue or black shiny leather Bayswater laptop cases.

The cheapest is an iPad sleeve costing £255, a MacBook sleeve is £403 and a laptop bag is £868.

The brand says: “Mulberry has created a special collection of bags, modified for Apple products.

“Our iconic Bayswater is now ready for work with special features, including a padded laptop section.”

However, for those with an eye for fashion but a bank balance for the high street, there’s a host of more affordable bags.

These include floral print iPad cases costing £28 at Accessorize, Fiorelli patent leather laptop bags costing £64 on ASOS, a £76 Juicy Couture laptop bag featuring a pair of sequinned lips on it and an Ed Hardy-inspired laptop bag called Lucy from Paul’s Boutique that’s £46.

But the best bargain is for the brave – a leopard print laptop case from Miss Selfridge that costs just £16.

And for those on an even tighter budget – try to catch some sales. You can buy a leopard patterned bag with a metallic finish from New Look for less than £10 at the time of publishing this article.