My colleague Annie Scott recently wrote about how Louis Vuitton custom makes one-of-a-kind cases for special clients who can afford the service. One of our favorite examples of Vuitton's bespoke art is the iPod carrying case trunk (above) the famed French firm made for Chanel kingpin Karl Lagerfeld. Made of black Taiga leather with brass fittings and a red microfiber interior, it contains an interior case which holds 20 iPods and a power charger. There are compartments for JBL iPod speakers and subwoofer, and Lagerfeld's initials are stamped in red near the handle. Vuitton will custom make a case for just about anything, provided that it is portable. The process of creating a bespoke case like this can take four to eight months and costs tens of thousands of dollars.
Perfect for any iPod device or iPhone, the DEOS diamond headphone covers add just a bit of bling to your earphone thing. Depending on the diamonds you choose the price can range from $4,500 in black and white to $60,000 when adding colorful diamonds of yellow and pink hues. If you're going to spend thousands to decorate your earbuds, especially more than $5,000, DEOS (Defining Expressions of Sound) is at least willing throw in a complimentary shuffle or iTouch.
The iPhone 3G is a beautiful accessory, yet to be properly attired...till now. Orbino Italy has designed three cases for your iPhone 3G, and each is lovelier than the last. Finally, you can protect and adorn your iPhone without cheap plastic or garish designs.
At right, you see the Strada: "The Orbino Strada Tre Case transforms your 3G iPhone into a premium Italian accessory with a case entirely stitched by hand in gorgeous Tuscan leather. The case features an open face for easy access and includes Orbino's patented spring-loaded removable combination belt clip and desk stand in polished palladium metal. Prices start at $99."
This is the limited Brown Crocodile edition, available here.
Click below to see the other two new 3G iPhone designs, as well as other elegant, Apple-specific cases from Orbino.
Gallery: Elegant Cases for Apple Products by Orbino Italy
Attention Beatles fans, Bloomingdale's has a music package tailor-made for you. The Beatles iPod Set includes a special limited edition 120 G black iPod (it's etched with the Beatles' logo on the front and Abbey Road on the back),13 original Beatles' CDs plus 2 masters and the "Love" cd, plus an engraved guitar pick.
The package isn't Apple's idea but Bloomingdale's, which means the music on all the included cds doesn't come pre-loaded on the iPod and isn't even all available on iTunes. Bizarre.
But even if you have to rip your own mp3s it's still a great package and there are only 2500 available, exclusively at Bloomingdale's, for $795 each.
As our friends at The Unofficial Apple Weblog have reported Apple unveiled their latest iPhone and iPod models which included the sexy new iPod touch and a drop in the prices of iPhones. Around the world the iPhone is big news even in the places that isn't supposed to be yet. An Associated Press article says that the iPhone can be bought in China although Apple isn't selling it there yet. Early adopters hungry for the latest technology are willing to pay 8,800 yuan ($1,170) for the iPhone even though the gadget doesn't function completely. The iPhone in China can make calls and send text messages, but it can't receive calls and you don't even get voicemail. The iPhone isn't set to launch in Asia until next year which at the current rate could be three or four versions from now.
iJag? Jaguar is turning over a new leaf thanks to Apple, who helped the automaker shake the big slab of wood out of the cockpit and back onto the tree. The Ford-owned premium brand, known for the stodgy wood accents in the interior, tapped the iPod maker's design team for help in redesigning the XF's interior for a more current look.
Ian Callum, Jaguar's design chief, told Car Magazine that Apple is contributing to the XF's control interfaces in what will hopefully be an improvement on infotainment interfaces everywhere -- BMW's control interface has been under fire for years, just as an example.
Callum says that cool blue lighting and big control dial will do the trick. Besides reportedly being more intuitive, the new control system takes up less space and introduces a range of infotainment options.
I don't quite get it, but we seem to be seeing the smallest of the iPods, the Shuffle, getting decked out more than any of the others. Now don't get me wrong, the Shuffle is cute as a button and the bling looks good on it, I just can't understand why people would bother to decorate a gadget that costs less than $100 and is the "lowest" member of its own family.
But if you're going to do it then do it all out, right? How about $40,000 worth of 'all out?' Because that's how much this pretty little diamond and gold coated iPod will run you. And for that price no detail is overlooked -- there's even diamonds and gold on the earbuds.
Those mad audiophile genius at Bowers & Wilkins are at it again, this time with a rather striking iPod speaker system. The Zeppelin is barely two feet wide and has a central docking station for your iPod. The tapered ends house the midrange and tweeter drivers, low frequencies are handled by a single five-inch "subwoofer" located in the center and the bass performance enhanced by the twin rear-firing ports. The stainless steel floating arm that holds the iPod allows for ease of use. It also comes with a mini remote and when docked, the iPod can accesses a special Zeppelin "Speaker" menu, with five-position bass EQ to tune response for system placement or individual preference. The Zeppelin will be available starting in September and sells for $599.
It's all about technology today, and everything needs a power cord or a battery pack -- except this beauty. It's the Phonofone II from Science + Sons, and it's designed to give you full and resonating modern sound but with a touch of nostalgic beauty. The Phonofone II works using only passive amplification techniques, which means no power source needed. All you have to do is connect the earbuds from your iPod or other mP3 player and you'll instantly get all the rich room-filling sound you could want. Handmade of white ceramic, $840.
I love the iPod shuffle -- there's no doubt it's the cutest member of the iPod family simply because it's the smallest, and it has that handy little clip on the back. And even though they come in a variety of colors Apple has yet to offer shuffles in a genuine 18 karat gold finish. So for that kind of bling you're going to have to seek out after-market help, and XEXOO is where you want to go.
In truth they'll golden-up any iPod, be it shuffle, nano, or the video versions. Other benefits, besides the style factor, are 24 hour support and what is basically an iPod insurance policy: they'll replace it for you if anything happens (i.e. you drop it in the pool or run over it with your car).
People are serious about their iPods, there's no doubt about that, but are they $800 serious? The FACTRON Re-Nano case is betting on it, made of pure titanium (titanium!) and ending up quite industrial-looking. Priced at just over $800, of all the iPod designs it will only fit the nano -- which doesn't make much sense to me. Either make a version for all the iPods, or if you only want to make one at least make it for the biggest and baddest of the iPods, not the younger brother version.
I love my nano, but believe you me I'm not spending five times more on the case than I did on the gadget itself! Not unless it's a heck of a lot cuter than this anyway.
As cute as iPods are, they can always get cuter with the right iPod case -- not to mention more personalized to your style. So take a look at Coach's Signature Stripe iPod Case, what do you think? It looks exactly how I would have pictured a Coach iPod case to look, and that's not a bad thing. The only complaints I have, and they're pretty minor, are that the case is so small the print is kinda "lost" and looks a little like camouflage to me. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of brown. But overall the design is awesome, and hopefully they'll decide to come out with some other color choices soon. $88.
Cute or cheesy? I'm on the fence about this one. Crosley Radio, which specializes in retro-styled electronics that utilize modern technology, has created the iJuke. The iJuke is 18 inches tall and has the look of the classic jukebox but is also a place to dock your iPod. It has a dynamic full range stereo speakers, neon lighting, percolating bubble tubes, external speaker outputs and comes with a small remote. It sells for $199.95.
Just this weekend I was chatting with my mate over the demise of my gold iPod Mini. He insists that I need a new iPod, one with a color screen at the very least and that my gold Mini is a dinosaur. True enough, but I really love the now discontinued gold color. And then this morning, lo and behold everyone is buzzing about the iPod which is plated in 24 karat gold. My first thought is that 24K gold is far too soft for a device that gets banged about so much, but the company Amosu says that the iPods are plated in "unique hardened mirror gold." The 30GB and 80GB iPod sell for $600 and $800 with a white or black face and the Nanos are also $600.
Fat Duck, one of the world's finest restaurants, has added a new layer to their tasting menu experience by adding an iPod to the proceedings. The Sound of the Sea is a seafood dish that is served with an iPod so that you can listen to the sea while you eat the food. Chef Heston Blumenthal has created the dish which includes shellfish juice made into a foam served along side a mixture of tapioca, fried breadcrumbs, crushed fried baby eels, cod liver oil and langoustine oil topped with abalone, razor clams, shrimps and oysters and three kinds of edible seaweed. The dish comes inside a glass-topped wooden box containing sand and seashells and is served with a glass of seaweed extraction and mirin. The 17-course meal also includes offerings such as a silver rose bush with edible petals and afterdinner whiskey gums.
The iPhone 3G is a beautiful accessory, yet to be properly attired...till now. Orbino Italy has designed three cases for your iPhone 3G, and each is lovelier than the last. Finally, you can protect and adorn your iPhone without cheap plastic or garish designs.
