Microsoft busts out its own rolling laptop case?

Here's an intriguing one. While casually browsing the always spontaneous pages of Costco's website, a rather interestingly-badged rolling laptop case managed to appear, but the Microsoft branding induced a bit of head scratching. 'Course, Microsoft's no stranger to the peripheral market in general, but we can't say we've ever known Redmond to take on the laptop case biz before. Hey, you'll need something to shove that multi-touch machine (or Oracle's newfangled ultraportable) in, right? Click on for a few more shots of the $99.99 accessory.

[Thanks, Phil]

[Richard @ Jul 8th 2007 12:10PM]

link is dead...

[Lareeth @ Jul 8th 2007 12:12PM]

Correct Link

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11226792

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 8th 2007 12:15PM]

-so they know which one to steal!

[Bennett @ Jul 8th 2007 12:36PM]

So do you have to validate ownership on this thing with a product key?

[Argot @ Jul 8th 2007 1:22PM]

No. You'll have to activate it via a telephone call. It only takes around 72 hours if you are lucky. But until your activation trickles through you can still use it. Well, you can play with the "open case" button, that's it. But when it is activated you'll be able to use almost 40% of the space inside. But don't worry, I'm sure that MS will release updates in a year or two that will enable us to use the rest of the space as well. In fact, they say that when this laptop case hits europe it will already have the 80% space effiency update installed. But that's only a rumor.

[ssuk @ Jul 8th 2007 1:51PM]

You two are as funny as a drowning toddler.

[Jonathan Keim @ Jul 8th 2007 2:20PM]

How did a blog on Microsoft bring up this subject?

[Jeff P. @ Jul 8th 2007 5:31PM]

Well, of course you have to validate it. Otherwise, you can use it for 30 days and then it will refuse to open.

[Stan Winstone @ Jul 8th 2007 12:39PM]

If it crashes into something does it turn blue?

[AJ @ Jul 8th 2007 4:19PM]

As soon as I saw this post I couldn't wait to find a "clever" BSOD comment. Congrats at being so original.

[Simba @ Jul 8th 2007 12:53PM]

As a MSFT employee, this is the standard gear they give us for free. Looks like the 3rd party manufacturer might have made too many and so MSFT let them release to the wholesale-retail market.

Actually the news ones look better, with the logo embossed in the leather. This one looks like the one I got back in 05.

[Z @ Jul 8th 2007 2:01PM]

I'd be curious, then, to see what the new bag looks like... but why is it that Microsoft doesn't allow visitors to enter and buy from their product store located upstairs from the little museum they have at their main campus in Washington? The last time we were there, they said only employees were allowed to enter the store and make purchases.

That makes no sense to me. Quite frankly, I think it's incredibly stupid not to allow visitors to do so - it really shatters a person's interest in having visited there in the first place.

So apart from that, where can we see the newest version of this bag? Or can we?

[Neal @ Jul 9th 2007 10:07AM]

Because it's not a public store, it's the Employee Store, where software is typically 10% of retail. Wouldn't be good for business if you could swing by one specific store and buy things that cheap would it?

[Z @ Jul 10th 2007 3:57PM]

@Neal:

It would be EXCELLENT for business - my business!

But all kidding aside, I didn't know it was discounted - they should've said something - I thought they were just being snobs.

But a company like Microsoft should have a store for the public. Since Microsoft's museum/new technology display is open to the public, it would make more sense to have the store that's upstairs accessible to the public, not for employees. They could place the employee store in a multitude of other locations on their campus, since the employees have access to more of the buildings to begin with.

So a customer could get a bit of Microsoft history, look at the new technologies, then go upstairs and buy a few things. THAT would make sense. When you look around, and then go upstairs and are denied access to a store that carries the very products you were just looking at, that's not only a strange experience for someone visiting, but an INCREDIBLY odd way of doing things, and a completely ineffective way of building interest and excitement in what your company is trying to create.

[ScOObyDoo @ Jul 8th 2007 12:59PM]

My local Costco has carried this one, and a messenger style bag for a few months. They didn't look too impressive.

[Ghen @ Jul 8th 2007 1:06PM]

I don't know about you.. but making it look like rolling luggage is a feature to avoid theft IMO. Putting the microsoft name on it screams "Steal me!" just as well as any regular sized laptop case would.

[Mike @ Jul 8th 2007 8:49PM]

Putting the Microsoft name should also mean "this computer may crash". Don't bring it on a plane!

Ok I know that joke sucked.

[Josh H. @ Jul 8th 2007 1:09PM]

why would somebody want to steal a windows pc? so they can spend endless hours tryin to get it to work?

josh at mntdev.com

[Le Master @ Jul 8th 2007 1:18PM]

Your wit needs to be significantly better than that to get a chuckle here at Engadget.

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 8th 2007 2:56PM]

Indeed.

[Zeus the God @ Jul 8th 2007 3:47PM]

Not to mention Windows is the only complete OS that can be transferred to systems BETTER than any Mac.

Windows has flexibility... Flexibility that OS X and Linux don't have.

[paloooz @ Jul 8th 2007 6:08PM]

What are you talking about? Transferring Windows from one computer to another is a pain in the ass for no reason. You have to reactivate, that is, if it still works. On Mac OS X, you can just mirror the drive over (as long as it's Intel to Intel or PPC to PPC) and it works perfectly. In Linux, you can just mirror the drive to the next computer and it works perfectly (as long as its x86 to x86, etc, you get the idea).

But to say that Windows is at all flexible compared to Linux is just straight up ignorant. I really don't have anything else to say about that.

[HyperHacker @ Jul 8th 2007 9:07PM]

Well it's not like they'd have to keep Windows on it, if they even decided to keep it at all.

[MRKisThatKid @ Jul 8th 2007 1:12PM]

From the size of that thing, I take it that microsoft use a lot of dells?

[charlie @ Jul 8th 2007 1:21PM]

i've had the messenger bag for a few months, its not bad at all.

[toper @ Jul 8th 2007 1:58PM]

This would make a great case for my Macbook!

[Mike @ Jul 8th 2007 8:49PM]

Stealthy..


(Notice no /sarcasm)

[ricosuave @ Jul 8th 2007 11:32PM]

This is where MicroSucks belongs...

Carrying Apple laptops!!!!

[Esquare @ Jul 8th 2007 2:08PM]

Well, at least they're unlikely to f*ck up this piece of hardware!

[Ricardo @ Jul 8th 2007 3:39PM]

Very good size... if you want to carry 5 notebooks that is.

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if a desktop computer fits.

[Woolly Mittens @ Jul 8th 2007 4:02PM]

It looks as big and clumsy as any other Microsoft Product. Sure gives a new meaning to the word "portable", you could fit a desktop in there.

[zed @ Jul 8th 2007 5:49PM]

Perfect for my EEE PC (When i buy one)199(EEE)+99(BAG)=298

[paloooz @ Jul 8th 2007 6:04PM]

Roller? Is that because PC laptops are so bulky and heavy compared to MacBooks?

[Simba @ Jul 9th 2007 5:22PM]

No its because for those of us in the real and high productive world...we tend to travel a lot and have a lot peripherals, portfolios, harddrives etc. The business world which powers this planet runs partly on Microsoft's shoulders.

If I used mac(a toy) then all I would need is a power adapter and quick lobotomy so I can be part of the Apple 'Lifestyle and Experience' and be completely irrelevant to Computing.

[murray @ Jul 8th 2007 8:40PM]

Left-overs from Tech Ed or some other trade show, is my guess. They give bags like these away at Tech Ed, albeit covered in vendor badges.

[Tordre @ Jul 8th 2007 9:31PM]

Hey.. nice that they are selling this, but i had it first, my dad went to a conference and got me a nice Microsoft laptop bag, it is nothing fancy but it did bear that mark of pride for fanboys,

it featured floppy disk pockets, cd pockets, pen holders, 3 full compartments, keyring, and a pocket that was properly sized for an external hard drive.

it was a little bloated with feature, i should have had the 12 inch edition because it was far too big, but with a little over clocking i have once ran it at 110% effectiveness,

[Stephen @ Jul 8th 2007 10:55PM]

Bloated with features - were they fully functional features or just "lite" versions? Could you actually hang your keys on the keyring? Was the pocket short-stitched to only hold a flash drive?
Did every "feature" come with a tag that said "Trial Version Only. To purchase the full version visit website.com"?

[monkeyboy.dsg @ Jul 9th 2007 10:03PM]

No these were full features, except for that key ring, it could not easily detach, making any keys attached effectively unusable. I have been told this is a problem with my key manufacturer, they didn't support the detachable key standard.

And i said nothing about flash drive, it was the right size for a 3.5 inch external hard drive. But the floppy disk slots could be used to hold the flash drive if you wish to break your EULA.

[Raj @ Jul 8th 2007 9:35PM]

This has to be a new low for MSFT...While Apple is launching iPhone, Blackberry impresses with 8300...what does Microsoft do? A brand new laptop case....applause !!! Focus anyone?

[Zach @ Jul 8th 2007 9:52PM]

Laptops are portable computers. That's the whole idea behind them. So why would you need wheels? My laptop is of average weight (around 6 pounds), and I am completely fine without wheels. This seems impractical.

[james yee @ Jul 8th 2007 11:57PM]

geez, are we going to see microsoft getting into the condom business also? Is there anything they are not planning to get their hands into the cookie jar?

[Mike Klein @ Jul 9th 2007 1:00AM]

This bag would only be worthwhile if you didn't have to stoop over like grandma to lug the thing around.

Who wants to bet that the handle only telescopes upwards enough for a small-ish midget?

[Steve @ Jul 9th 2007 2:16AM]

I picked up one of these two months ago to lug my Alienware notebook around. The notebook fits (just) but the bag is not as rigid as my old Samsonite roller, and the amount of play makes me worry about cracking the notebook screen. That would certainly be penny wise pound foolish in this this case :(

[Mark @ Jul 9th 2007 7:56AM]

WOW! Hot time in the consumer technology industry these days. First Apple with the iPhone and now Microsoft with a new bag on wheels. Even thought Gates is gone, Jobs better keep looking over his shoulder. Not! :-)

[SupaCB @ Jul 9th 2007 9:48AM]

This bag looks like one that Kenneth Cole makes dimensions and slots are about the same, holds my Toshiba Tecra snugly. I got one at Marshalls for $99 a few weeks back. The size makes it very cumbersome to use as a daily bag on the NYC subways, during rush hours. Not to mention you get stopped very frequently by the police for searches. If this is anything like the Kenneth Cole one; it wouldn't work well for a NYC commuter.

[GU @ Jul 9th 2007 11:25AM]

actually, these come from a company named Samsill that has a licsense agreement with Microsoft to use their name on notebooks. Microsoft also has a licsense agreement with a company to product MS branded photo paper. None of these products are produced by Microsoft or distributed by them, they just grant a licsense to use their name and get a rolyalty fee.

[Mark @ Jul 29th 2007 10:54AM]

The bag looks good, wont it be an overhead if I just have a laptop to carry without any document.
I have been using one from Maxwell Scott, it is just as big as required and is quite convenient, I hope Microsoft comes up with various versions of the bag.