So I ended up picking up one of the new Smart Covers Apple quietly introduced while at WWDC last month. Having used it since I can honestly say this is one of the few, if not only, Apple product that just does not live up to the high standards that Apple usually delivers on. What drew me to this new one was that unlike the original Smart Covers this once also protected the back with an all in one enclosure. While it sounds good in theory, in practice it just doesn’t deliver.

I love my original Smart Cover. It clicks on quickly and whether standing up right or at a slight tilt for typing it’s solid and sturdy. Not so much on this new one. Folding back the cover for standing or leaning proves to be flimsy at best. Standing upright barely works as it’s almost 90 degrees straight up and usually just falls forward. Leaning it back for typing the iPad is too far back and at quite an uncomfortable viewing angle.

I actually don’t mind it being only available in the polyurethane finish but unfortunately the iPad is just too lose when fitted inside. To make matters worse there’s a very thick border around the entire iPad as well now that just distracts from the minimal feel of a naked iPad.

To be honest if someone just handed this to me had I not known anything about it, I would have thought it was a cheap third party product. Disappointing 🙁