Luxury Comes to the iPad: If Money’s No Object
If you’re sitting on an extra pile of cash, and want to do your part to contribute to the rebound of the luxury market you’re in luck! While you lounge in your $3000 t-shirt, you may cast an eye to your electronic toys and find they’re suddenly a bit plain.
If your gadget du jour is the Apple iPad, British company Stuart Hughes has just the thing for you. $190,000 (£129,995 actually – maybe you’ll get a break on the exchange rate) will make you the proud owner of 1 of only 10 solid gold, diamond encrusted iPads. {Consumerist} The top of the line 3G 64GB version, of course. If that’s not expensive enough for you, just wait a little while. The company hasn’t announced plans for other versions, but the website shows a platinum and diamond iPhone, so it’s possible the more precious metal will make its way onto the iPad soon.
When the Apple iPad was launched in stores across the United States last month, users immediately had one concern – the tablet’s exposed screen surface makes it very vulnerable to physical damage. {New York Times} While the solid gold case may protect you from lowering your profile with gadgets made from ordinary metals, you’ll still need something to protect your flashy pad.
In light of this, a protection sleeve has become an absolute necessity to keep the iPad cushioned and intact. Indeed, this is so much so that a simple search on Google will lead you to hundreds of search results (considering that it’s been exactly a month since the iPad was released, this is pretty impressive).
At left, the Louis Vuitton iPad sleeve in monochrome Damier Graphite. At right, the sleeve in the label's classic Monogram.
Just last week, Louis Vuitton announced its own plans for the iPad sleeve. The casing will be available in stores in 2011 and will come in the fashion house’s signature Monogram or the monochrome Damier Graphite. The two designs will set buyers back $360.{GQ} But what’s a few hundred to protect your investment in a gadget that costs as much as a home?
If you decide to stick with the regular case, the price of the LV sleeves are definitely much steeper than a number of other options out there. However if you are someone who is very particular about what your gadget casing should look like, then look no further. The Louis Vuitton iPad sleeve is clean and sleek, and your treasured tablet will be very secure in it. And now that you know what the real top end of the iPad spectrum is, perhaps even a bit of a bargain.
