T42 Sleeve from IBM JAPAN

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JHEM · #121 Post by **JHEM** » Thu May 11, 2006 5:24 pm

jaybert wrote: 6x Paid for and shipping tomorrow

I hope my two are included in that total.

Regards,

James

jaybert · #122 Post by **jaybert** » Thu May 11, 2006 5:41 pm

JHEM wrote:
jaybert wrote: 6x Paid for and shipping tomorrow
I hope my two are included in that total.

Regards,

James

yep, at that point, i had 2 people who wanted 2 each, and 2 people who wanted 1 each.

Just sold another so now there are 9 remaining with 3 or 4 people who still havent paid who I gave my paypal address to because they said they wanted one.

cmarti · #123 Post by **cmarti** » Thu May 11, 2006 9:15 pm

At that pace i think you will need to order some more.

Idea.

Why don't you check what else has to offer this source of yours?

Maybe there are more bussiness opportunities for you and for us to get some more nice stuff.

zzyss · #124 Post by **zzyss** » Sat May 13, 2006 10:31 am

Hmm... saw this waaaay too late. The auction has already been removed from the site. I don't suppose you'd happen to remember the username of the guy who's selling it?

bill bolton wrote:For the Zipper sleeve in Australia see here on eBay.... A$20.99

I bought one last September from this seller and it works fine with a T4x.

Cheers,

Bill

#125 Post by **bill bolton** » Sat May 13, 2006 11:54 pm

zzyss wrote:I don't suppose you'd happen to remember the username of the guy who's selling it?

The sellers's eBay ID is "qdduo", and he has an auction for one running at the moment.

Cheers,

Bill

hiyel · #126 Post by **hiyel** » Tue May 16, 2006 5:23 pm

I just received this sleeve I ordered:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 6878405577
Overall I'm satisfied, but I must say that it's nowhere near to deserve a "fits like a glove". I would say, it can even take a 15" with a tight stretch. Also note that this one has 2 zippers covering its 3 edges, unlike the only top loading one from Australia (see previous post).
pm me if you like more info

cmarti · #127 Post by **cmarti** » Tue May 16, 2006 8:04 pm

Question. Do you have a 6 or 9 cells battery?

Mine has a 9 cell and it does fit like a glove.

hiyel · #128 Post by **hiyel** » Wed May 17, 2006 10:17 am

Well, I have a 6-cell

cmarti · #129 Post by **cmarti** » Wed May 17, 2006 2:23 pm

hiyel wrote:Well, I have a 6-cell

There is the answer it is a little loose.

But really it fits right with a 9 cell.

cmarti · #130 Post by **cmarti** » Sat May 20, 2006 1:21 am

jaybert wrote:DUM DUM DUM...

the sleeves you all have been waiting for have arrived!

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?p=159586

The ones I have actually say IBM Thinkpad on them btw.

Thanks Jaybert!!

I receive today the sleeve it is perfect looks great and does fit right.

Has anyone that has buyed the sleeve from Jaybert received? Let us know your impressions.

jaybert · #131 Post by **jaybert** » Sat May 20, 2006 9:22 am

cmarti wrote:
jaybert wrote:DUM DUM DUM...

the sleeves you all have been waiting for have arrived!

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?p=159586

The ones I have actually say IBM Thinkpad on them btw.
Thanks Jaybert!!

I receive today the sleeve it is perfect looks great and does fit right.

Has anyone that has buyed the sleeve from Jaybert received? Let us know your impressions.

glad you got it..was a little worried when you PMed me and said the tracking # didnt work.

riverwater · #132 Post by **riverwater** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:53 am

If you still looking for this Japanese style Thinkpad sleeve, go here to find it
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=32164

agarza · #133 Post by **agarza** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:04 pm

Why not buy it from eBay:

IBM Thinkpad Laptop Sleeve Case 12.1" 14.1" 15.1" 15.4"

I'm considering buying one of those for my T41p

NathanA · #134 Post by **NathanA** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:11 pm

Well, this is all very interesting...

I saw and responded to this thread way back in February '05. I checked in every now and then to see if anyone had made any progress on being able to source some of these sleeves, but the bad news kept coming, and I figured (esp. since I could find no more information about them on teh intarweb than I could on this forum) that it was a lost cause.

So imagine my surprise to come back here after several months and see that a few people seem to have found ways to get this sleeve, and have been reselling them here on the forums! I was bummed when I saw that I had just missed jaybert's sale.

This caused me, however, to try doing some more research (read: Google / eBay). In the process, I think I may have learned a few things, including the possible identity of the company that manufactures the One True Sleeve for IBM/Lenovo.

First, in addition to the original URL posted by the OP of this thread...

http://www-06.ibm.com/jp/pc/goods/inner ... index.html

...there is another page on IBM Japan's site that indicates they have continued this sleeve "promotion" in Japan for the T60s and X60s (though they are using the same photos from their X3x and T4x promotional page):

http://www-06.ibm.com/jp/shop/innercase.html

People with an attention to detail will have noticed, though, that the "IBM ThinkPad" logo in the lower-right corner has been airbrushed out of the photo on this new web page, and nothing else, not even a "plain" ThinkPad logo sans IBM, has replaced it. Hmmm...

On Google, I can find nothing more when looking for "thinkpad sleeve", but on eBay, there are listings a-plenty, including MANY from this guy:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0044749648

The photos look exactly like the ones taken by dmar and riverwater, with the exception that the original colorful "IBM ThinkPad" logo is intact. He also claims that there are four separate sizes that one can buy: 12", 14", 15", and 15.4" (wide). This guy also sells Sony VAIO sleeves, though, which look suspiciously similar to these IBM sleeves.

There's another seller loose on eBay selling "authentic" IBM sleeves, which look identical to the first seller's:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0040306000

I admit it is hard to see detail in photos this small and which have already undergone lossy (JPEG) compression, but to my eyes, in both of these cases, the level of quality of materials and construction seem to be on-par with what we saw on the IBM website. However, there are some small differences that I've noticed, just in the way these sleeves are laid out. First, notice how in both cases, the IBM ThinkPad logo isn't *quite* as "slanted" as I normally expect to see it (close to 45-degrees), and as it is normally displayed on the ThinkPads themselves as well as on IBM's own photography of this sleeve on their Japanese web site. The other thing that always seemed fishy to me is that, when compared to IBM's photos, both the sellers on eBay that I've pointed to as well as dmar and riverwater's sleeves have the strap in the front of the sleeve up higher than IBM's does. IBM's strap is closer to the center, where these other sleeves have the strap closer to about 1/3rd of the way down from the top. Also, when the flap is opened, on IBM's sleeve, some text can be seen between the top of the front of the sleeve and the strap, and this area is blank in every single other example of this sleeve that we have seen thus far.

I suppose it is possible that the sleeve design has evolved over the period of time it has been available. But just when I was about to place an order for one of the eBay sleeves, I found THIS:

http://www.ideastyle.net/

They are a manufacturer of laptop carrying cases, sleeves, and iPod accessories. On their Partners page, they claim that major OEMs, including IBM and Apple, do business with them directly. Their site has pictures of cases and backpacks that IBM has for sale on their own site, and they claim that they designed and manufactured them for IBM. Furthermore, on their page, go to Designs, and then go to Laptop Accessories and then Sleeve Cases. On the botton row of thumbnail images, the first two are of our beloved ThinkPad sleeve, complete with slanted IBM logo, strap halfway down, and text (although looking slightly different than the photo on IBM's site) between the top of the sleeve and the strap.

Another interesting difference is that, while these other resellers of "the" sleeve have many different sizes available, IdeaStyle claims to only make two sizes: a 12" and a 15" (which does double-duty as a sleeve for 14" laptops), and no "widescreen"/15.4" version is mentioned on their web site.

I have a larger image of that shot with the extra text, and it says: "IBM" on the top row, and "ThinkVantage" underneath. Below that, in smaller print, is a URL that begins with "www.ibm.com/" but the image I have is still too small to see what the rest of the URL is after that. I'm guessing that the text in the photo on IBM's site is simply the URL by itself but in bigger type.

I'm pretty sure that this is the company that IBM had design the original sleeve and which manufactures the "real" sleeves that have been all the rage in Japan. I can't say for certain, but given the small differences and the consistency of these differences, I would bet that the other sleeves that have been cropping up on eBay and for sale here are knockoffs made by somebody else, though seemingly well-made high quality knockoffs from the looks of it (and from people's satisfaction with them expressed on these forums)!

I have ordered one of the 15-inchers (IdeaStyle part #CSIBABYJ15) directly from IdeaStyle (believe it or not, through an eBay listing posted by IdeaStyle themselves!!) for my T42p KXU 15". It cost me close to $35 shipped directly from Taiwan. They say it will take about two weeks to get to me, but when it arrives, I will post my observations regarding this case, and let you know if it is any different from the ones that others have gotten so far. Who knows: maybe the sleeve HAS changed and IdeaStyle's own photos have not been updated!

Regardless of what arrives, I think we can conclusively say that IdeaStyle's offering is the Real Thing (their eBay listing even mentioned that the sleeve being offered by them is a "Japanese limited-edition slip case that is not sold anywhere else").

I can't wait to get my sleeve!

-- Nathan

NathanA · #135 Post by **NathanA** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:14 pm

benottomex,

You may want to either use a shorter eBay URL or use the "URL" BBCode to "hide" the URL in your post as the length of the one in your post is giving me horizontal scrollbars on this page of the thread.

-- Nathan

agarza · #136 Post by **agarza** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:15 pm

Sorry for posting the long URL.

BTW, I ordered this sleeve:
Authentic IBM Thinkpad Sleeve Case 13.3'' 14'' Laptop

Anyone could post his/her thoughts on the product above

christopher_wolf · #137 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:21 pm

That's a nice sleeve, for sure.

I really have to grab one of those when I get the chance and some more funds to do so.

KirstyMcK · #138 Post by **KirstyMcK** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:01 pm

I've have one of these for my T42 which I found on Ebay (UK) a while back, a seller had a load of them for sale, think it cost me about £10.

Whether its official or not, I couldn't tell you, but the stitching of some of it was absolutely terrible. Currently looking for something to replace it!

NathanA · #139 Post by **NathanA** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:29 pm

KirstyMcK wrote:Whether its official or not, I couldn't tell you, but the stitching of some of it was absolutely terrible. Currently looking for something to replace it!

Oh? Is it actually coming apart or does it just look bad?

And what markings does your version of this bag have on it (logos, other text, etc.)?

Thanks!

-- Nathan

NathanA · #140 Post by **NathanA** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:23 am

Heh, well, it looks like you can find this sleeve (or a clone of it) with an interior in bright blue now instead of red.

-- Nathan

pcsmart24 · #141 Post by **pcsmart24** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 4:21 pm

i havent read through all 5 pages but i have one of these sleeves and i got mine through ebay. It is from IBM Japan (and takes about a week and a half to get to you)

Just search ebay for IBM Sleeve

agarza · #142 Post by **agarza** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:43 pm

This look like a more original Thinkpad sleeve:
NEW 14" IBM ThinkPad Laptop Anti-Shock Sleeve Case Belt

Could the sleeve I ordered be just as good as the genuine product (I don't want to regret, before even getting what I paid for)

cmarti · #143 Post by **cmarti** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:02 am

benottomex wrote:Th
Could the sleeve I ordered be just as good as the genuine product (I don't want to regret, before even getting what I paid for)

I have the same sleeve for six months and i very please with it, I know it's not original IBM but sure does it work.

P.D.

I paid $34.00 shipped from hong kong.

dmar · #144 Post by **dmar** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:49 am

wow, this particular thread has found a new life. Nathan -- that's some terrific research you did there, and that payoff with ideastylenet seems to have made it all worthwhile.

One thing I wanted to add to the discussion -- don't go overboard on what you'll pay. I'd say mid 30's including shipping should be the maximum limit. I paid USD $10.00 in China, and I'm sure they go for half that price to locals. But I guess, as long as everyone is happy with their purchases, the price shouldn't matter.

Hope everyone's happy with whatever sleeve they've purchased

NathanA · #145 Post by **NathanA** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:33 am

benottomex wrote:This look like a more original Thinkpad sleeve:

Yeah; if you take a close look at who the seller is, you will see that the group behind the eBay userID 'ideastylenet' is IdeaStyle themselves, the company which (I suspect) actually manufactures the product for IBM Japan (read my previous large-ish post

).

As I said before, eBay is how I acquired my sleeve from IdeaStyle. It was a listing identical to the one you linked to. Sadly (for me; GREAT news for everyone else!), it looks like they've dropped their eBay price by $5! I paid $25 + $9 S/H, but they only want ~$20 now, bringing the total price to $28.99 shipped. Grrr...

Could the sleeve I ordered be just as good as the genuine product (I don't want to regret, before even getting what I paid for)

If you don't want to regret it, then simply don't regret it! Wait until your product arrives to judge it. Frankly, you should be encouraged by the number of positive reports surrounding most of the sleeves that people on these forums have purchased, and I suspect that the majority of these so far are "counterfeit." If people are satisfied, then that means the counterfeiters must have done a good job.

Really, though, the fact is that until my sleeve from IdeaStyle arrives and I have a chance to inspect it and compare against the others people have, or someone else here who has either purchased a sleeve directly from IBM Japan or from IdeaStyle themselves pipes in to the discussion, no one will really have a definitive answer about the "authenticity" of some of the other sleeves that have shown up here or there. And even then, we may not be able to reach a conclusion; it might be worth seeing if IdeaStyle would be willing to comment. At this point, for all we know,

1) IdeaStyle has produced several variations of the sleeve, and all of the ones for sale have been manufactured by them. There are no "counterfeiters."

1a) Maybe as a result I will receive a sleeve that looks identical to the pictures seen of other sleeves, and which does not match the pictures on IdeaStyle's website, posted auction page, or IBM Japan's site.

1b) Maybe Lenovo has ordered sleeves from IdeaStyle that do not use the IBM logo anymore, and IdeaStyle had a surplus of the "older" style and is trying to rid themselves of them through eBay. This might explain why a product that is supposed to be sold exclusively in the Japanese market by IBM Japan is being sold by the manufacturers themselves on an auction site...

- or -

2) The theory that there are cheaper "knock-offs" being made is true.

- or -

3) There are multiple vendors that IBM/Lenovo has called on to manufacture the sleeve (after all, they do this for parts within their own computers! more than one keyboard manufacturer, more than one LCD manufacturer, etc.), and as a result, slight differences will be inevitable, as will availability of a certain "variant" by a specific vendor, simply due to the fact that it is supposed to be a product for an exclusive market.

I could probably come up with more. The point is that, at this time, it's really anyone's guess...

What *I* want to know is why IBM/Lenovo is only supposedly having this sleeve produced for a specific market and for a specific, limited time. It's obvious that these would sell like gangbusters here in the U.S., and probably in other markets as well. A lot of this could have been avoided if there were an "official" channel available to us outside of Japan that we could purchase the sleeve through.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

-- Nathan

NathanA · #146 Post by **NathanA** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:39 am

cmarti wrote:I have the same sleeve for six months and i very please with it, I know it's not original IBM but sure does it work.

Given the discussion about "authentic" vs. unauthentic versions of this sleeve, I am curious (and hope you will indulge me!): How did you come to the conclusion that yours is not "original IBM"? What gave it away to you, and/or did you know that it wasn't "original" when you purchased it?

-- Nathan

christopher_wolf · #147 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:40 am

Same reason they sold the S Series, the PC110, and certain Thinkpads in Japan only. They thought they only had a specialized "niche" market there and held to it.

ipark · #148 Post by **ipark** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:44 am

I just purchased the IBM sleeve off of ebay from ideastyle thanks to Nathan. All I care for is that it fits my t42, the stitching doesn't come undone, and that the sleeve really does what it says - in terms of the Polyurethane cells deform under a load, compress and spread their air pressure to adjoining cells, thus reducing pressure points. Thanks again Nathan.

#149 Post by **gator** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 2:21 pm

I have also ordered a new sleeve from IdeaStyle, thanks to Nathan. I contacted these guys over phone and specificallay asked to talk to a higher up. I spoke wwith a senior manager who confirmed that the sleeves they manufacture are officially endorsed by IBM. So people, rest assured - IdeaStyle is genuine.

Nathan did a great job discovering IdeaStyle - thanks Nathan!

KirstyMcK · #150 Post by **KirstyMcK** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 6:34 pm

Oh? Is it actually coming apart or does it just look bad?

And what markings does your version of this bag have on it (logos, other text, etc.)?

Thanks!

-- Nathan

Hi Nathan!

The stitching in general was pretty bad, i.e it wasn't very "tight" to the material, so it was easy to catch it on things. So far the stiching on the front band that keeps the lid secure has completely come off.

In terms of design and markings, I could not see any difference to the sleeves on page 1. The only marking is the slanted IBM Thinkpad logo on the bottom left of the front cover, and it has a red interior.

I will try to take a picture of the stitching to show you,

Kirst x

T42 Sleeve from IBM JAPAN

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