The DOS Guru
I'm a retro-computing/vintage-gaming loving, mobile software coding, fast car driving, gadget-obsessed, bicycle riding, self professed geek living in Southern California.
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Hate the new iPad2 smart cover? So do I. It’s pretty, it’s gimmicky, it leaves the back of your device unprotected. My first impulse was to stuff my new iPad2 into the 1st gen Apple case (the MC361ZM/B) from my original iPad. Much to my chagrin, it didn’t fit. Well, technically it fits, but the controls don’t line up.
The first generation case was svelte. Felt good in your hands. Understated. You take it into a meeting and people think you’re carrying a notepad, not a tablet. They won’t give it a second look or give you a smirk for showing off your new toy.
I for one am not a big fan of leather, plexiglass, or big flashy hipster look-at-me cases, so I loved it. So when the new iPad came out, I spent two months looking far and wide for a suitable replacement. While some new cases were somewhat similar, it just wasn’t the same. Apparently, some other people seemed to agree.
A few weeks ago, a quick search for “microfiber ipad2” on eBay turned up a whole series of cases for the iPad2 that looked remarkably like the original. It seems as if some enterprising individual in China made some modifications to the orignal design and started cranking out some new non-sanctioned Apple cases.
A click of the buy-it-now button and within a few days, i was pretty impressed with what arrived. The packaging even looks Apple, though with Chinese characters.
Included was a cleaning cloth. Once I got it out of the packaging, I confirmed that the case was, in fact, identical to the original as far as look, feel, and construction (except for the differences that make it fit the new iPad2 of course).
Here are some pictures of the actual fitment. All the ports and switches lined up just fine. Folding the front lid backward lets you tuck it into a flap in the back to prop up the tablet for viewing, as did the original. As a nice bonus, there is a magnet inside the front lid to wake the device when the lid is opened.
This case would be perfect if it wasn’t for that fact that the original was designed for an iPad with straight edges, not curved ones and as a result the material would bunch up around the seams. A bit annoying, but not a deal breaker. I think I can live with it.
