Pearl iPhone 4/4S Cases in full-tilt production....

So about 4 months ago, we launched our first range of products designed Exclusively for Apple, called the Harlequin Collection.   The iPhone 4S Cases are made of luxury Italian leathers and comes in 2 form factors, Wallet Cases and Flip Cases, across 5 colours.  All 10 products in the Harlequin Collection were designed in collaboration with Apple Europe and are available at Apple Online and in 40+ retail stores across Europe.  We're really proud of the range, and we've had extremely positive feedback about the design, quality, leather and colours.

Since the launch of the Harlequin cases, however, quite a few people have been asking us some design questions so I thought I'd talk about the design a bit more, as so many people seem to be interested.

Firstly, I want to explain that I love Apple products.  Personally, I use at least 4 or 5 different Apple products daily (with our accessories) and above all else, I want to create products that are of a great quality, look nice and work well with the device the product is designed for.

A lot of the feedback on our Harlequin iPhone 4S cases is that they should have had a camera hole.  This is logical, of course, as making the case easy to take pictures in enhances the usability (after all, this is what our products aim to do!).  Alas, in the case of the Harlequin iPhone 4S flip cases, it simply wasn't possible.  Seems like an easy enough thing, though, so let me explain why.  Primarily it's down to the thickness of the rear portion of the case. At 3-4mm thick (a combination of leather and inner structural material), for the camera flash not to reflect back into the photo, the hole had to be over 1.2" wide.  Doing this severely downgraded the aesthetics of the case and it's ability to protect the camera from dust and grit.  Anything less than the giant camera hole didn't allow the camera full flash capability.

Quite rightly, Apple draw a clear line that any accessory product they sell must do what it says and work with the iPhone in the way it professes to - or they don't sell it. In this case, even a 1" hole cut in the back of the case didn't stop the flash from reflecting and degrading the quality of the photos with a somewhat ghost like haze.

So, we had to choose: launch the products without a camera hole (and make it easy to remove the iPhone) or don't release these luxurious leather iPhone accessories because taking a photo requires a slide out of the case.  Faced with these options, we launched them (knowing Apple had a full-returns policy and making the web store photography clear about the camera hole not being present.)

There's not always an easy decision to make.  However, to date, the Harlequin range is one of our best selling collections, and the customer response on the amazing colours and Italian leathers, not to mention the edge-less frame for easier typing and full access to iOS swipe notifications - has been hugely positive.  Savvy and stylish iPhone users have voted with their feet and resoundingly said "Yes!" to the luxury iPhone 4S cases.

The Harlequin iPhone Wallet cases also don't use a camera hole, and follow much the same logic as to why.  In recent designs we have modified the iPhone 4S wallet cases to be even easier to slide out so that photos are easier and quicker to snap if you're using a one of our Harlequin cases.

I know as a user myself, often design decisions seem incorrect or aren't obvious unless you the "before" and "after" versions. So, I wanted to explain the method to our madness as  we've had a lot of customer feedback asking questions about the range recently.

We are users of the products ourselves, and so our products evolve over time based on our own user experiences, ideas and what people love and what customers (/fellow users!) want.

So keep telling us what you love and keep the feedback coming, so we can keep making products that you love to use! Thanks again for your continued support and feedback!

CT

I read an inspiring article recently by Google, on all the things they had done over the years that didn't work out and they had to publicly retract their enthusiasm on. At the end of the day, this is what I think makes them pretty extraordinary and it reminded me that essentially what makes a company great is the process of trying, assessing and re-trying based on what works. Sometimes you have to figure out what doesn't work, but that's not always obvious initially, especially when you're trying to create something new and better than your competitors.

Just over 3 years ago, when Pipetto was still a 'hobby', there were no premium technology accessories in the market. No leather laptop sleeves, no material or colour choice on cheap or even luxury iPhone cases, and 'SmartCases' weren't even a twinkle in Apple's eye.

So we started where anyone starts, with an idea of what we thought people wanted (based on what we liked!) and we grew, tweaked, culled, redesigned, and kept making and tweaking products, with the proviso that whatever we did had to be classic, clever, well made and something we'd be proud to use.

So in honor of that, the new launch of our website and growing catalogue of evolving products that all aim to add value to your technology and make you proud to use them, here's a little visual history of where Pipetto has come from. I hope you'll continue the journey with us as we continue to evolve!

Chantal

Pipetto - Circa 2009

Pipetto - 2010 - June 2011

Pipetto - July 2011

A lot has been changing this week at Pipetto - first was our new office on Portobello road on Monday!

Having started the company a stone's throw away on a Market Stall on Portobello in Notting Hill 2 years ago, it was only fitting that our new offices stay local - after all, it's the community here that's provided the support to build our brand!

Now moving on up, we've relaunched a sparkly new website this week as well, which we hope will be a lot more user friendly and informative! ... Please send through any feedback you think would help improve it, as inevitably it'll be an evolutionary process!

Thanks again for your support in allowing both these things to be possible!

Chantal