Smart Case: update your smart cover?

Walking around the internet after WWDC-2012, I found several different reviews about the new iPad case. And if, with the MBP Retina, OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6 presented at the conference itself, in principle, everything is clear, the new corporate case (the second in the company's history) was not particularly shown. It is called the Smart Case and is an improvement on the acclaimed Smart Cover. Reviews on the Internet are so contradictory that I decided to take such a case and check and test everything with my own hands. Test results and personal impressions present to your judgment.

Appearance

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Apple's new accessory looks very similar to the Smart Cover, but with protection for the back of the tablet. The concept of Smart Cover was more interesting: the protection clips to the screen with magnets, it can be unhooked at any time, in general, it is convenient. Smart Case looks no less beautiful and elegant, but quickly remove it will not work. The dies for closing the screen remained the same, but the metal mount was replaced with a “rag” attached to the back cover.



Smart Case is available in 6 colors, however, they are all made of polyurethane, leather is not. True, it may be. As for the price, in Russia it now costs 3,000 rubles. Smart Cover, by the way, costs about the same, only in the case of Case you get full tablet protection.



Here is a comparison of two covers from Apple. By the way, Smart Cover (on the right) a year ago was the same color as the Smart Case. They get dirty quickly, but you can clean it with the help of chemical. means.



Behind the cover there is nothing, only the faded Apple logo in the same place where it is located on the tablet. There is a slight discrepancy between the holes for the camera and the 3.5 mm port, but this is probably due to the fact that the case is designed for a new iPad, and I checked it on the iPad 2. The fact is that the new iPad is slightly thicker, which is why I think the iPad 2 is a bit mobile inside the case, but not a fraction of a millimeter in use.



The case is soft, tough, it has only a frame. Despite this, it completely protects the iPad from scratches, but the blow with something heavy may not withstand. I tried to throw the iPad on the floor - no defects were found, and this is very good. A little later I will tell you what I used to protect the iPad and how it did not help.



It became more convenient to hold the tablet in the hands, it now does not slip, because rubberized material and very pleasant to the touch. In this sense, I like the Smart Case much more than the Cover, because there is a cellocy.



Naturally, corresponding holes have been made for all functional elements. Here, for example, for the speaker.



And here is the case on top. As you can see, not a hole was made for the button, but on the contrary, a bulge. It is convenient to press on it, while pressing the button, there are no false positives, which is very cool.





It is a pity that for the shift lever (turns on the sound or turns on the screen) did not come up with anything interesting and just made a hole.



Well, on the left of the tablet there are no elements, so there is just a soft and smooth surface.



Along the edge of the Smart Case is a rigid frame, so when you insert an iPad into it, it will slightly increase in size, but not very much. I will tell you about the conveniences of this frame a bit later.





Inside the Smart Case is made of soft velor, it was on the surface of the Smart Cover, which touched the screen so as not to scratch it and wipe it. So, when you decide to pull the iPad out of the case, it will be in its original form, unlike plastic cases that notably scratch the case. Inside there is still information about what kind of cover and where it is made.

Functional

You can argue about the functionality of this accessory endlessly. Yes, it is somewhat different than Smart Cover, but it is not worse or better, just different. If you need protection for the screen, which can be removed and hold in hands a pristine-free tablet without covers, then the Smart Cover is almost perfect. If you need a more reliable tablet protection and you are ready to accept that you will not hold aluminum, but a soft case with polyurethane screen protection.







In principle, the functions of the new case did not increase. It is the same as Cover protects the screen, however, Case also protects the back. In addition, the screen protection can be minimized and it turns into a stand. You can set both horizontally and vertically, although the case is not specifically designed for the vertical position, as well as Smart Cover.



I have had an iPad for about a year now and from the very first day I realized that the back cover had to be somehow protected. On the first day, I bought a plastic case on the back cover that is compatible with the Smart Cover. A week later, one corner fell off, when the iPad very gently hit the table. After that, I, about once a month, bought new pads on the back. All of them either broke, or scratched so quickly, that walking with them was not respectable. In the photo, my latest purchase is a translucent black overlay. True, it doesn’t fit a bit, the upper right corner moves away, so I think that I’ll soon switch to the Smart Case altogether. But a similar leather case cracked me. Either I’m not lucky, or the quality of the products is too low, and the price is not too small, by the way.





On many English-language sites, I met reviews that it is inconvenient to type on the keyboard in a horizontal position. Naturally, I checked it. I do not know what Americans have with their hands, all within the framework of comfort. Yes, the frame is thin, but from this iPad it is no less comfortable to hold. Yes, it is wide and therefore you have to reach for the letters a little further. But all this is not the level of the problem to talk about it. In general, I usually type the text with one hand while holding the tablet with the other.

Advantages and disadvantages

pros

Well protects the tablet
Convenient to use
Low price
No need to buy protection on the back.
Different colors

Minuses

The tablet inside is a little loose
Less stable upright than Smart Cover

To summarize, I can say for sure that if I were now offered a choice of Smart Cover or Smart Case, I would immediately choose the Smart Case. After tormenting the year with the periodic purchase of rear covers, I am very pleased that Apple has made a branded case. It is strange why they did not do it before. So, if you want a Smart Cover, then know that the back end will inevitably scratch, and the plastic protection often breaks. If there is no need for convenient protection of the screen, which can be turned into a stand, then you can take any other case. I, however, having tried several products returned to the Smart Cover, I did not find it more convenient, and now, accordingly, I will switch to the Smart Case. But, as they say, the taste and color of all the markers are different comrades, so you decide.

For the case provided for the trial, I thank the well-known company ru_macsale and personally @ AppleJesus . (By the way, if you fold him, he gives a discount)