As we all know, the kind of cover you put on your laptop says a lot about you; everything, in fact. It gives people exactly the kinds of deep insights into your personality that are normally reserved for years of close friendship or Twitter feeds. “Who are you, Mac user? What mysteries does your MacbookPro hold? What kind of screenplay are you tapping away at as you drink your dark mocha latte, soy, no whipped cream?” People are thinking this, I know.

I’m fairly certain there was a time when a single laptop bag was enough. But these days, laptops have become light enough that people are willing to carry them places they haven’t before, and they’re common enough to be used in classrooms, kitchens and restaurants. So, you not only need a case or bag to carry the laptop around, but you also need a protective case to keep it free from scratches and scuffs when in use. A good place to turn to take care of both is Speck.

Speck Products, developers of cases for numerous consumer electronics devices (including the iPod, iPhone and Apple laptops, of course), will introduce a new line of laptop cases at both Macworld Expo and CES in the coming week. The four new packs will launch in two distinct colors—Speakeasy Black Pinstripe with robin’s egg blue interior and Coffeehouse Brown Plaid with desert tan interior—and are “… aptly named for their unique form, function and styling.”

To look at the Racer-X laptop bag from WaterField, you wouldn’t think it would run upwards of $190. In fact, when I showed it to a colleague of mine, he said just that; “It’s not worth it.” But he doesn’t speak for all of us. First, he’s a PC user, and that’s a different mindset than those of us protecting the more expensive Apple laptops. Second, he made the comment based solely on the outward appearance of the Racer-X. And whereas it is sharp looking, it’s mostly canvas, not leather. It’s not a hard case. It doesn’t offer a locking mechanism. So, what does the Racer-X feature to justify the premium cost? Quite a bit, actually. Quite a bit.