Even though my last days on campus at the University of Georgia were as recent as 2008, a lot has changed, technologically speaking, in those intervening five years. My little flip phone, which was by far the preferred cell technology of college students at the time, had a battery life that my current iPhone can only dream of and so much exterior plastic that a case would have been redundant. Most of my classmates, who received their laptops at the beginning of their college careers in 2003 or 2004, couldn’t bear to lug those eight-pound behemoths around campus and settled for pen and paper, thus we required no laptop cases. An iPad wasn’t even a thing yet, not by a long shot. Going to college or grad school now requires a whole host of tech accessories, though, so we’ve stepped up to help 2013’s new and returning students with a guide to the season’s best tech accessories.
Below, we’ve assembled a group of ten products that will do everything from protect your laptop to keep your iPhone charged, and then some. If you want to use some of these pieces for non-school reasons, well, we can’t blame you. iPad cases are remarkably similar to clutches in some ways. In that spirit, we’ve tried to include attractive, well-made items that can be used beyond the classroom – after all, isn’t that a good way to get some bang for your accessories buck?
Prada Saffiano Travel Computer Case
$550 via Neiman Marcus
Marc by Marc Jacobs Neoprene Debossed Stars Laptop Case
$62 via Bloomingdale’s
Petunia Pickle Bottoms Carried Away Laptop Case
$52 via Nordstrom
Boostcase Hybrid iPhone 5 Case and Battery
$80 via Nordstrom
Jonathan Adler Stepped Diamonds iPhone and iPad Charger
$28 via Nordstrom
Gucci GG Supreme iPad Sleeve
$325 via Net-a-Porter
Proenza Schouler PS1 iPad Case
$685 via Net-a-Porter
MM6 Maison Martin Margiela Velvet iPad Clutch
$395 via ShopBop
Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD Headphones
$180 via Microsoft
Swarovski USB Flash Drive
$60 via Macy’s
i don’t know any college student who could afford those prices ….
I assume this is a joke? I am a 36 year old lawyer and although I suppose I could afford these things, I would consider most of them pretty decadent. I wouldn’t suggest many of these for students, who need to learn the value of a dollar, regardless of whether mommy and daddy are paying…
I am a 20-year-old college student, and although I couldn’t afford most of these, they are nice to look at for inspiration. (As are most of the designer bags posted on this site).