There has always been plenty of ThinkPad paraphernalia available in the form of cases and backpacks, but other more “modern” carrying accessories have been absent. David Hill, Lenovo’s VP of Corporate Identity & Design and blogger at Design Matters, unveiled the company’s new protective sleeves.

The sleeves are currently available in 12-inch and 15-inch sizes, presumably to fit the ThinkPad X200, T500, R500, SL500 and W500 series. You know now as much as we do.

No word on the type of material used or how the sleeves handle the numerous extended battery options available on ThinkPad models. What about the most popular form factor Lenovo sells, 14-inch widescreens?

This was a missed opportunity for Lenovo. ThinkPads are a unique product with a unique following. The opportunity here with a sleeve was to produce something tailored for the ThinkPad. Give it a finish similar to the soft rubber found on premium ThinkPads like the X301 and T400s. Do something innovative with the zippers. Include a small pouch for TrackPoint caps – hell, include a spare set of TrackPoint caps. Include a microfiber screen cloth. Tie something in to carry the AC adapter. If I came up with that in five seconds, I’m sure there are even cooler ideas out there.

Oh, and how about offer one for everything ThinkPad size sold now? 12-inch and 15-inch, are you kidding? What about the bread & butter 14-inch, and the  prized 13-inch X300 series?

Being innovative with case sleeves would certainly cost money, more than it cost them to buy and label these from a generic company. I know that is a difficult thing to justify in this economy. But being just like everyone else isn’t how you succeed in the first place, especially in this economy.

What would you want in a ThinkPad sleeve?

Update

David Hill is reading my mind. Stop it David. Seriously though, 2 minutes ago David posted another picture to the blog. Check it out below and hit the post for other tidbits.