Anybody else cursing Apple for all the secrecy? Sure it makes for a splashy product launch. But all the accessory partners have to wait until the retail device starts selling TO BEGIN DESIGNING new companion products. So there’s nothing for months as we have to wait for the whole process including manufacturing and getting the product to retail.
So here I am with this great new iPad3 (yes I know the deal with the name, think of it as an alias). I don’t want to touch it, or take it anywhere, because of the lack of case. I’m bound to either drop it, or spill caustic sauce of some kind on it.
Things are worse this cycle, because the outer dimension changes were miniscule. That means that many of the ipad2 accessories almost fit. I ruined an iPad2 screen protector trying to get an iPad2 case on the iPad3.
In fact I tried several iPad2 cases, and the difference makes a difference. So buyer beware. I’ve been holding out buying any more cases until the iPad3 cases come out, until last night. I had a chance to actually go to Best Buy http://www.bestbuy.com where I could “touch before I buy”. All the iPad2 cases are labeled “works with New iPad”. It’s literally a sticker that they slapped on them.
But I found a case that meets my needs. The specific quality that’s important to me and hard to find, is a case that protects the sides completely, all the way up onto the screen, without messing up the screen protector or adding a ton of bulk and weight. The trend lately seems to be to protect the back and just barely come up around the corners. I had such a case for my iPad2, and the iPad got dented when it dropped on a corner.
The case I found is the Griffin Elan Folio Slim http://store.griffintechnology.com/elan-folio-slim . It’s a folio (cover folds around like a book). The magnetic off, in fact, does not work, but that is not important to me. It has serious side protection and even protects the face by being raised on the edge of the face, plus there’s an actual tuck-in tab where the iPad is inserted, which most do not have. Yet it does not make the iPad feel appreciably heavier or bigger. The case looks like leather, with a microsuede interior, but according to the documentation it’s polyurethane. It has a built in landscape stand.
I’m actually pairing this case with a Amazon sleeve bag http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Netbook-10-Inch-Netbooks-Touchpad/dp/B002VPE1Q6 for even more protection, as I plan to carry it with me a lot. Besides protection this adds a handle and an accessory compartment.
One piece of advice I could add is to check prices before you buy.
- http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Elan-Folio-Black-GB03440/dp/B005G2QXTY/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1333996679&sr=1-2
- http://www.amazon.com/Elan-Folio-Slim-iPad-Blk/dp/B005G2R4IS/ref=sr_1_20?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1333996679&sr=1-20
- http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Elan-Folio-Black-GB02446/dp/B004RE282I/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1333996679&sr=1-1
- http://www.amazon.com/GRIFFIN-GB02446-IPAD-ELAN-FOLIO/dp/B004VFG9BY/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1333996679&sr=1-4
