Expert's Rating
Pros
- Light, yet solid construction
- Super slim bag just for iPad and bare essentials
Cons
- Can’t fit documents or even magazines
Our Verdict
The STM Micro Shoulder Bag is designed to carry the iPad and bare essentials, and it succeeds at this simple goal. It’s thin, light, and built well. You can’t go wrong if this is all you need.
STM is a household name for Apple accessories, whereby “household” I mean “there’s usually an STM bag or two in your local Apple store.” In my experience, STM makes quality bags, and the $45 Micro Extra Small iPad Shoulder Bag (Micro XS, for short) is no exception.
The Micro XS is a vertical-messenger-style bag with a detachable padded strap and a carrying handle on top. The main, fleece-lined compartment fits an iPad snug and feels like it protects pretty well, and the front accessory area has a detachable key fob, pockets for your iPhone and pens, and plenty of room for trinkets and cables. There’s even an slot for commuters who need easy access to their ID or a transit pass.
A thin pocket on the back of the bag offers convenient access for stashing things such as your plane tickets. But since the Micro XS is designed to be just large enough—in terms of width and height—to fit an iPad, none of the bag’s pockets will accommodate slightly larger items such as magazines or Apple’s wireless keyboard (at least not reasonably—the keyboard, for example, can fit in the back pocket, but not securely and not without sticking out about a half-inch).
If you’re going full digital, though, and don’t need a keyboard or extra storage, this is a great case with good construction, and it’s nice to see a manufacturer embrace the iPad’s minimalism. For only $45, you can’t go wrong.