【英语科技】酷酷iPad何处安放

Chuck Pretto couldn't figure out how to carry around his new iPad. So he decided to wear it.

After ordering Apple Inc.'s new multimedia tablet last month, the 52-year-old property manager realized it might weigh down his briefcase. He didn't have another bag or carrier to cradle the 9.7-inch, 1.5-pound device. For a time, Mr. Pretto considered getting a 'man purse' for it. Then he learned about iPad-compatible vests on a blog and immediately bought one.

'People can't believe this darn thing will fit inside my pocket,' says Mr. Pretto, who now wears the $100 vest every day. The San Diego resident has since bought other iPad-friendly apparel, including a second vest and a windbreaker from travel-clothing maker Scottevest Inc.

Mr. Pretto's carrying conundrum isn't unique. After Apple started selling its tablet in April, early adopters were stumped on how to easily hold and transport the glass-screen gadget.

IPad's unusual size -- far bigger than a 3.5-inch iPhone but much smaller than most laptops -- has ramped up opportunities for enterprising individuals and companies.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, stay-at-home mom Kate Clark created a white, feminine-hygiene-product-shaped iPad case called iMaxi as a play on the jokes that were made about the iPad name when it was first revealed in January. Orders flew in. Other companies are marketing backpacks shaped like Star Wars robot C-3PO as iPad bags, while still others are developing industrial-strength iron-on pockets to hold the gadget.

Ms. Clark, 33, the creator of the iMaxi, fashioned the $30 quilted cotton case with wings for a laugh and put it up on Etsy Inc.'s online handicraft marketplace in February. Then she started getting thousands of hits from curious buyers. The attention, she says, caused her 'major anxiety' because she hadn't kept track of how she made the first one and couldn't duplicate it. She eventually figured it out.

Now 'we're super crazy busy just by sewing,' says Ms. Clark, who has sold more than 100 of the bags and is now looking for a production firm to help her keep up with orders. 'We're trying to stay ahead of the wave.'

One iMaxi customer is Matthew Crowley, a 25-year-old aspiring writer. The Dedham, Mass., resident bought the iMaxi in March because he says he was impressed by the care and attention that was put into making the bag -- and he actually uses it. While his father is a fan of the bag, his fiancee isn't. Does he worry about gawkers? 'I'm quite immune in fact.'

Although Apple has largely ceded the market for accessories for its laptops and phones, the company does sell a $39 black iPad case that can be used to protect the device on the go and prop up it up on a tabletop. Still, the company says it is thrilled to see the bag industry that has popped up around the gadget. The marketplace for iPod and iPhone cases 'has been a great opportunity for developers, and we're excited to see the same enthusiasm for the iPad,' says an Apple spokeswoman.

In some instances, entrepreneurs are rebranding existing products to suit the iPad. In January, Scottevest, the travel-clothing maker, began touting some of its existing multi-pocketed travel vests that can hold magazines, water bottles and a myriad of gadgets as iPad compatible.

The Sun Valley, Idaho, company -- which counts Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak as a member of its advisory board -- markets iPad wear starting from $75, and has since hired additional employees and more than doubled production.

Scott Jordan, Scottevest's chief executive, says the company is now working on an iPad-compatible trench coat that can be wrapped into itself to become an overnight bag.

Luxury luggage brands are keen to land iPad's more stylish fans. Tumi Luggage Inc. and Liz Claiborne Inc.'s Jack Spade and Kate Spade accessory lines have iPad bags in the works. Gucci NV says it is also considering iPad-specific cases.

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA jumped on the concept early. 'Louis Vuitton is all about nomadism -- chic nomadism, explains Yves Carcelle, chief executive of the company's namesake brand. 'As soon as we read about it [the iPad], we contacted Apple -- to get the dimensions, not the functionalities.'

It began selling two iPad-specific cases earlier this month, both with the iconic LV logo, for $320. 'In a few weeks we'll have a crocodile version,' says Mr. Carcelle. 'I remember the surprise Steve [Jobs] had when he found out the crocodile case cost more than the iPad.' The price to be stylishly exotic: $1,850.

MZ Services Inc. of Auburndale, Mass. developed a waterproof cover with a transparent surface that lets users operate the touchscreen so they could take their iPads to pools, beaches and even the bathroom. It comes with an adjustable strap so they can hang the iPad from their neck or shoulder. The company says its $26.99 cover, which it sells under the brand name TrendyDigital, is so popular that it has sold out on Amazon.com Inc.'s online store.

The interest in iPad-related carrying accessories is so high that even spoofs are taken seriously. Jordan Owen, member of a Chicago design collective, created a digital prototype of a pair of jeans with an iPad-sized pocket called iBap (iGotaBigAssPocket). Mr. Owen says he received as many as 50 emails from people wanting to buy a pair. Still, he doesn't intend to produce any.

布莱托(Chuck Pretto)想不出应该如何随身携带他新买的iPad，于是决定把它穿在身上。

在阿拉斯加州的Fairbanks，全职妈妈克拉克(Kate Clark)设计出一款白色、外型像女用卫生护垫一样的iPad保护套，名叫iMaxi。2010年1月iPad刚公布时，人们戏称这个名字让人联想起女用卫生护垫，iMaxi的设计则是对这一戏称的进一步演绎。产品刚一推出，订单就蜂拥而至。一些公司正在推出外型像电影《星球大战》(Star Wars)里C-3PO机器人的iPad背包，另一些则在研发工业级强度的裤袋用于携带iPad。

33岁的克拉克设计的iMaxi是一款缝制的棉制保护袋，两旁有护翼，本意是博人一笑，她在2010年2月把它放到Etsy Inc.的手工上，售价30美元，很快就得到数千个来自好奇买家的点击。克拉克说，这种关注让她“束手无措”，因为她没有记录下制作第一个iMaxi的流程，因此无法量产。最后，她终于把流程给搞清楚了。

现在，“我们忙得要命，光是缝补这道工序都快把我们逼疯了。”克拉克说。她已经卖出100个这样的保护巾，现在正在找一家代工厂帮她应付订单。“我们想努力赶在订单前头生产。”

Jordan Owen概念型牛仔裤iBap，这款裤子后有个能装下整个iPad的裤兜一位购买iMaxi的顾客名叫克劳雷(Matthew Crowley)，今年25岁，是个住在马萨诸塞州Dedham的励志作家。他在三月份买了iMaxi，因为他觉得这个产品在做的时候用了很多心思，而且他也确实要用到它。虽然克劳雷的父亲也喜欢这个袋子，但他未婚妻对此并不热衷。他本人是否担心带着这样一个保护巾出去会引起路人的围观呢？“事实上，我根本就不在乎。” 克劳雷说道。

虽然苹果公司已在很大程度上将其笔记本电脑和iPhone手机的配件市场让给了其他公司，但苹果自己也销售一款黑色的iPad保护套，价格为39美元。这款产品不仅能在出行时起到保护iPad的作用，还可以让iPad在桌面上支起来。不过苹果公司表示，围绕iPad应运而生的保护套行业如此兴盛，令他们感到非常激动。iPod和iPhone的保护套市场“已经为开发者提供了巨大的商机，我们很高兴地看到，iPad也在引发同样的热潮。”苹果公司一位发言人说道。

一些企业正在调整自己的品牌宣传，以适应iPad的推出。2010年1月，户外服饰公司Scottevest开始宣传自己的一些多口袋户外背心不但能装下杂志、水瓶和各种电子设备，也能装得下iPad。

Scottevest公司位于爱达荷州的Sun Valley，苹果公司的创始人之一沃兹尼亚克(Steve Wozniak)是该公司咨询委员会的成员。Scottevest推出的能携带iPad的服装起价75美元，自从产品发售后，公司增加了一名雇员，产量也翻了一倍多。

Scottevest的首席执行长乔丹(Scott Jordan)说，公司正在着手设计一款能携带iPad的风衣，并能将风衣折起来，变成一个小旅行包。

箱包奢侈品牌则把目光投向iPad用户中更注重时尚的人群。Tumi箱包公司(Tumi Luggage Inc.)以及美国丽资克莱本公司(Liz Claiborne Inc.)旗下的Jack Spade和Kate Spade品牌饰品都在设计iPad的专用收纳包。Gucci公司表示，它也在考虑推出专为iPad打造的保护套。

酩悦轩尼诗－路易威登集团(LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA)早就有这方面的想法。“路易威登崇尚的就是一种游牧生活──时尚的游牧生活。” 路易威登品牌首席执行长卡斯利(Yves Carcelle)说，“我们一听到iPad推出的消息，就马上跟苹果公司联系，目的是了解iPad的规格尺寸，而不是具体的功能。”

2010年5月初，路易威登开始推出两款iPad专用保护套，上面都带有LV标志，售价320美元。“再过几个星期，我们会推出经典鳄鱼皮款式的iPad保护套。” 卡斯利说，“我还记得当乔布斯听说这款iPad保护套卖得比iPad本身还贵时，脸上的那种惊讶表情。”这款时髦保护套的价格是：1,850美元。

位于马萨诸塞州的MZ Services Inc.公司研发了一款透明防水的保护套，可以透过保护膜操作iPad的触摸屏；这样一来，人们就能带着iPad去游泳池、沙滩甚至是浴室玩了。这款保护套还有一个可调节长度的挂绳，可以把iPad挂在脖子或者肩膀上。该公司表示，这款产品以TrendyDigital的品牌进行销售，价格为26.99美元，产品供不应求，以至于亚马逊公司(Amazon.com Inc.)的网上商店都断货了。

人们对iPad相关的携带配饰很有兴趣，甚至对一些恶搞和玩笑都信以为真。芝加哥一个设计共同体的成员欧文(Jordan Owen)在电脑上设计了一款概念型牛仔裤，裤子背后有个能装下整个iPad的裤兜，名叫iBap（iGotaBigAssPocket的简称，即“我屁股后面有个大裤兜”）。欧文说他已经收到50封有购买意向的电子邮件。不过，他并不打算真的生产这种裤子。