Launches & Releases: Checkpoint-Friendly Laptop Cases

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

A non-Checkpoint friendly Targus laptop case; in contrast, the new cases will separate cords and adapters from the body of the laptop and have little to no hardware; Targus is "the largest maker of cases for laptops and notebook computers."

Besides taking off the shoes, taking the laptop out of its case through airport security is one of the most annoying, time-losing activities in the post-9/11 world. This is going to change this fall. Per the New York Times, The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) "has given the go-ahead for passengers to use newly designed carry-on bags that will let them pass through security without having to take their laptops out for the X-ray inspection." Luggage companies Pathfinder and Targus are leading the charge, trying to get the new cases in circulation by late September or early October.

To get past the usual mess of cords that obstruct security X-ray equipment: "The new cases include either a fold-down section in a bigger briefcase or a stand-alone protective sleeve that contains no extra clutter and can be readily viewed through the scanner." Pathfinder is working on a briefcase "in which the attached laptop holder is exposed when the case is unzipped" ($100-$150) and a wheeled carry-on with removable laptop case ($150-$200). Targus is making a backpack—a basic version ($39) and a corporate series version ($100). The bags will likely have some sort of "checkpoint friendly" indicator on it.

"More than a half-dozen luggage manufacturers...have submitted prototypes for testing at checkpoints at three airports: Dulles, outside Washington; Austin-Bergstrom in Texas; and Ontario, near Los Angeles."
· Bag Helps Laptop Pass Air Security [NYT]