Apple's freshest design might just be this puffy space-age carrying case

• The Apple Vision Pro travel case may be the tech giant's freshest look.
• Product reviewers say the puffy, wrinkled case priced at $200 looks futuristic and space-like.

Apple products appear to be sporting a new aesthetic with its case for the Vision Pro.

The Apple Vision Pro travel case is a white, bulbous pouch designed to protect the $3,500 mixed reality headset when carried on the go. The outer shell is made out of ripstop: a nylon material often used in outdoor gear to make products like tents durable and waterproof, according to Apple. It's an aspect of the case that, at first glance, makes it visually stand out from Apple's product line of cases for devices like the iPhone — and some appear to be taken aback by its design.

"I think it's the most un-Apple thing they've done for so long," Derrick Gee, a TikTok user, said in a video he posted on his thoughts about the Vision Pro case. "I think the design team had a lot of fun making it."

Apple didn't respond to Business Insider's request for comment when asked about the case.

Gee isn't the only tech reviewer noticing Apple's seemingly unusual product design. In a YouTube video review of the case, Faiz Aly described its look as "futuristic" and reminiscent of a NASA space suit. TechWeWant, a YouTube channel that reviews the latest tech products, said in its assessment that the bag looks and feels like a pillow and sleeping bag. Matt Gray said he could imagine himself resting his head on the puffy case during a flight.

"They want to evoke this feeling of not the recent future, but the future that we all think about, which is space travel or something from another world," Gee said in his TikTok video.

While some designers have taken notice of Apple's new, space-like product design, one argues that the case's aesthetic isn't that much different from the style of Apple's previous products.

Dr. Cliff Shin, an associate professor of industrial design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, says the product's overall shape is "simple" and displays "visual complexity" through its usage of soft materials that create crumples on the exterior.

The minimalist, nuanced look, the professor says, falls in line with Apple's typical design strategy that he believes the company has "excelled" at when crafting the visual language for devices like the iMac.

"I believe it is aligned with what Apple has consistently pursued thus far," Shin told BI. "While Apple has chosen a different material for the Vision Pro case—a departure from the norm—it is in line with their established design philosophy."

While the innovative appearance of the case is being lauded, people still have some qualms with it. Aly said in his video the bag is "hefty" and is unsure whether he likes the size. Similarly, TechWeWant said the case takes up most of the space in the reviewer's backpack. Gray noted its white color is "loud" and could make it "susceptible to damage and dirt."

Despite the concerns, reviewers agree that the case fits their Vision Pro headsets and accessories well. They also believe it's cushion-like surface will serve as a useful barrier to protect their expensive device.

But is the extra protection really worth the $200 price tag? Gray doesn't seem to think so — at least for its intended purpose.

"I just bought a $200 camping pillow to put my Vision Pro inside,"he said.