Hands on with iPad Cases

I’ve posted a couple of times in the last week or two about iPad cases, but when our shiny new iPad arrived this morning, I couldn’t resist the chance to get my hands on it and try some of these cases for myself.

As everyone in the team was keen to have a play with the iPad I thought I’d make the most of it and get several opinions on each of the cases. We tested several different iPad cases – everything from the ridiculously named foofbag, right through to well known brands such as Speck and Hard Candy.

Everyone looks for something different in a case, so it was no surprise that each case got a different response from each person in the team, but the overall opinion on them was the pretty similar.

All of the iPad cases listed here are available from our sister site GearZap.com, so don’t be surprised when the website changes after you click on a link.

Of all of the cases that we tried out these are our favourite 5 iPad cases – and just in case you’re wondering, the stand that we’re using isn’t included with any of the cases listed below – it’s the one that’s included with the SwitchEasy Nude iPad Case.

1. Speck Candy Shell for iPad

We love this case! Of all the ones we tried, we all agreed that this did a great job of looking after the iPad. It’s made in two parts – a solid plastic outer shell and a soft, impact absorbing rubber lining. Instead of having cut outs for the volume and sleep buttons, the Candy Shell has ‘press through’ buttons built in. This makes them much easier to use. The only exception is the orientation lock switch, which has to be left exposed in order to use it.

The plastic back cover isn’t as slippery as some of the other cases which makes it a little easier to hold and reduces the chance of it slipping through your fingers. The rubber lining is visible around the edges of your screen and tends to sit where your thumbs are which again helps to keep the device in your hand.

If you use a dock with your iPad, you’ll love the fact that you can still use it, even with the case fitted. It has a flap on the rear that is wide enough to accommodate most docks, including both the standard and keyboard docks from Apple.

2. Macally MetroL Pad for iPad

The Macally MetroL-Pad is a similar style case to the Speck Candy Shell, but is different in a couple of ways. What we all liked about this case is that it doesn’t detract from the original look of the iPad as it has a clear back cover, but the edges are in a black rubber so as to absorb bumps and cover up any scuffs.

The one feature with this case that stood out was the four plastic ‘feet’ that are moulded into the cover. It’s a really simple idea, but these feet lift the iPad off your desk or table just enough for it to not get scratched when you’re moving it about. It’s a shame that other cases don’t have them built in, particularly the Chrome Shell, as it would keep them looking better for longer.

3. Hard Candy Bubble Sleeve

The Hard Candy Bubble Sleeve is a protective case for iPad, but in a completely different way to the two above. It’s designed to be used to transport your iPad, rather than provide protection while you’re using it. The case is tough, really tough. It can withstand some pretty heavy knocks and drops and has plenty of padding to protect the screen making it perfect for anyone carries their iPad around in their bag or backpack.

Your iPad is secured by 4 rubber corners that are held in place using velcro. When I first saw that they were removable, I was a bit puzzled as to why, but then I realised that it’s so that you can adjust the case to hold your iPad even if you’ve fitted a case like the Macally or Speck.

4. Macally MetroM-Pad Chrome iPad Case

This cover received mixed reviews, some love it, some hated it. It’s a decorative cover that clips on to the corners of your iPad, which makes fitting it really easy, but at the same time it makes it quite fragile – drop your iPad on one of the corners and they’re likely to break off.

Once it’s on though, it looks great – apart from the fingerprints! If you’ve already got an iPad, you’ll know from using it that it’s really bad for fingerprints on the screen. This case makes the back cover just as bad, so a cleaning cloth and an anti-glare iPad screen protector is a must!

Despite the couple of niggles, the cover looks great. It only really protects the back of your iPad against scratches though, so it’s probably worth looking at getting another case to carry it around in – a Foof maybe?

5. Leather Stand Case for iPad

When Apple revealed the iPad back in January, they also unveiled a range of accessories for it. The most interesting was a leather folio case that doubled up as a stand for watching videos and photo slideshows and could also be used to position the iPad for more comfortable typing.

Well, 6 months on and Apple are still struggling to supply them, but that doesn’t mean you have to go with out. This case is styled in a similar way to the Apple case. It has a compartment for you to zip your iPad into and can be used in two positions, just like the Apple one.

The home button is still accessible, but all other ports are covered by the zips, but as it’s a twin zip system you can just unzip it in the one corner if you need access to the volume keys, headphone port or sleep switch. The insides of the case are microfibre lined so as to keep your device clean and fingerprint free. Oh, and the best news is, it’s half the price of the Apple case.

Special Mention: foofbag

I tried to not include it, but I just can’t resist it! We’ve had such a laugh this afternoon playing with a Foof Bag that it just had to be included in this post. Innuendo aside, the Foof is a Corduroy carry pouch for the iPad. It’s fleece lined and heavily padded, so if you carry your iPad around in your bag and want to protect it, this is a good option – especially if you’re using a cover like the Macally Chrome cover as it will wipe away fingerprints when you insert and remove the iPad.

It’s a bit different, and I’m sure you’ll be keen to show off your new foof to all your friends. Here’s a photo of my foof.

There we go then, that’s 5 of our favourite iPad cases. If you want us to go hands on with a case that’s not listed here let us know using the comments form at the bottom of this post.