The modern laptop is more sleek, stylish and ultra light than its bulky cousin that first emerged in the 1980s. But the evolution has not only been restricted to these lifestyle devices; the carriers are also becoming trendy!

The first models of made-for-laptop bags were bulky, suitcase-type leather carriers with wheels and an iron pull-handle. Now, that has changed, says Stacy Ann Randle, manager of Watts New - a store in the corporate area that sells a variety of the new bags.
"There are bags to fit every lifestyle," she shares, adding that the cost ranges from around JA$2,000 to $5,000. Randle, who owns a Hewlett-Packard (HP) Tech notebook computer, says she prefers to carry the laptop bags that look like anything but.

"I don't like the ones that look like laptop bags," she shares, "I love the slim, feminine types...they look like handbags and eliminate bulk and weight while offering the same protection." She further tells Thursday Life that its stylish design may easily trick thieves into thinking that, "it's just a handbag instead of a computer case".
Dr Marion Bullock-Ducasse, director of emergency, disaster management and special services in the Ministry of Health, is also a fan of the handbag variety. Strapped on her shoulders each day is a luxury leather Louis Vuitton notebook carrier.

"I use the line because it's sturdy, suits my work style and it's also fashionable," she shares, adding that, she also sports a matching LV handbag. Bullock-Ducasse says she also enjoys the various compartments that make for easy storage and better organisation.
"My laptop is a function of my work and the bag does a great job of protecting it, especially when I travel," she adds.

Marlon Johnson, sales representative at Innovative Systems, tells Thursday Life that laptop carriers come in three brand classifications - Cargos, APC and Fellows. The first, he describes as "the most basic, relatively cheaper cloth-based styles" that come in a variety of colours. The APC and Fellows are the business-type bags that come in leather or other leather-looking material and are usually more sturdy for greater protection.

"A bag is necessary because it's easy to carry around and it protects against scratching," Johnson adds. He notes too that the store has been seeing an uptake in the purchase of sleeves - a rectangular carrier, usually made from lycra that tightly fits the notebook - especially among university students. Laptops bags sold inside Innovative Systems, Johnson says, range from $3,349 to $8,000 plus GCT.

But while some mobile computer owners believe that their carriers must be an extension of their personality, lifestyle or both, others simply don't care, as long as it's a bag!
Bartlett Morgan, web technician at the University of the West Indies-based Mona Information Technology Services Limited, is one such.

"I have a standard one that came with the work-issued laptop...I'm really not into the fashion," he shares. But despite his aversion, or at least nonchalance, to the 'trendy-carrier craze' he believes that the laptop-carrier market is headed for change.

"I imagine that like cellphones and iPods, the trend will catch on...as laptops get more popular in Jamaica, I suspect more and more people will want to express themselves [by way of their carriers]".

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