Lekiosk iPad anti-theft case disguises your tablet as a magazine
If you’re anything like me, before you leave for work in the morning you not only check you’ve got your keys, your wallet and your phone, but you’re also now checking that you’ve got your tablet too. My iPad’s become an essential part of both my working life and my leisure time. So it came as no surprise today when Lekiosk (purveyors of app-based digital magazine downloads) revealed the results of a poll of 2,000 tablet users that showed half expect to take their tablet on holiday with them.
What was a tad more surprising was just how paranoid they were about the slates being stolen, with 36% sounding like their holidays were ruined by having to “constantly” keep an eye on their belongings, while a further 29% “admitted to taking the precaution of hiding their valuables under clothes or in shoes”.
In the case of hiding the iPad, they must be some pretty big shoes. But the results got Lekiosk thinking, and they’ve now put together a prototype run of iPad cases, designed as anti-theft protection as much as a physical defence against bumps and scrapes, which disguise the tablet as an inexpensive magazine. Lekiosk show off designs that include Esquire and Marie Claire, to name just a few titles they’re considering to turn into cases.
“When it comes to providing entertainment, tablets like the iPad are extremely versatile – that’s why so many Brits have started taking the devices on holiday with them,” said Nathaniel Philippe, lekiosk’s Head of International Business Development.
“But there aren’t as many iTravellers as there might be – because people are worried that their precious slates will be targeted by sea- and pool-side thieves. And even the Brits who do take their tablets on holiday with them are resorting to watching them like hawks – or taking a risk and hiding them under piles of clothing. That’s why we’ve developed these very special anti-theft devices that let Brits hide their tablets in plain sight – and experience the kind of true relaxation that everyone goes on holiday to find.”
It’s a pretty smart idea – I’ve certainly never heard of anyone going out of their way to nick a magazine before. Having said that, having yesteryear’s flavour of the week on front of a magazine (as the cases begin to age) may become a bit of a giveaway as to what’s really hidden beneath the glossy cover.
Not quite ready for mass distribution, Lekiosk are gauging interest in the case designs before potentially moving onto production of a full line of the cases in time for summer 2014.
