DISCLAIMER: You will have to physically modify your dock and case for this to work. This will most certainly void your dock/case warranty, but IMO its totally worth it.
I, like many other iPad dock/case owners were very unhappy to find that you cannot dock your iPad that is in the Apple case.
I debated returning one or the other and just could not decide. I really like both of them at different times. I like using the dock when I'm hanging around at home, but the case is great for taking the iPad out and about. So I decided to try and make them both work together.
I remembered an old youtube video of a guy modifying his old iPhone 2G dock so that it would work with the 3G and 3GS. All that was necessary was a tiny bit of sanding to make it work. This is what inspired me.
Now I will warn you, its not the most elegant of solutions, but I haven't found any other solutions out there yet. Also, I did this in about 5 minutes with my Dremel with a nice sanding bit and a sharp knife (for the case modification). You probably can't do this with regular sand paper as the plastic on the dock is quite strong. And if your super conscious of how your dock/case looks, this isn't for you. I prefer utility over looks.
So here's what I did. If you look at the dock, there is a raised gray surface that runs in line with the dock connector. This in combination with the "lips" all round the Apple iPad case, prevents the connection from being made.
I taped off the dock connecter so that no plastic residue would get inside and then sanded down the raised section on my dock connector so it looked like this...
(It's not perfect as you can see, but again, I don't really mind how it looks. Plus, when the iPad is docked, you don't see any of the modifications. I'm sure many of you out there can do this neater than it appears in my picture)
Then I placed the iPad with its case on the dock. I marked off where the "lips" were conflicting with the dock, and sliced them off with a very sharp knife. Here is a picture of the iPad in the Apple Case, charging on the dock. (Sorry that its flipped sideways, can't figure out how to change that)
So again, if you really want these 2 accessories to co-exist go for it, it works, its quick and easy. I know many of you out there would never dare modify an Apple product, but I know many of you would love for these to work together.
Now I never need to take the iPad out of its case (which is a major pain) just to dock it.
I, like many other iPad dock/case owners were very unhappy to find that you cannot dock your iPad that is in the Apple case.
I debated returning one or the other and just could not decide. I really like both of them at different times. I like using the dock when I'm hanging around at home, but the case is great for taking the iPad out and about. So I decided to try and make them both work together.
I remembered an old youtube video of a guy modifying his old iPhone 2G dock so that it would work with the 3G and 3GS. All that was necessary was a tiny bit of sanding to make it work. This is what inspired me.
Now I will warn you, its not the most elegant of solutions, but I haven't found any other solutions out there yet. Also, I did this in about 5 minutes with my Dremel with a nice sanding bit and a sharp knife (for the case modification). You probably can't do this with regular sand paper as the plastic on the dock is quite strong. And if your super conscious of how your dock/case looks, this isn't for you. I prefer utility over looks.
So here's what I did. If you look at the dock, there is a raised gray surface that runs in line with the dock connector. This in combination with the "lips" all round the Apple iPad case, prevents the connection from being made.
I taped off the dock connecter so that no plastic residue would get inside and then sanded down the raised section on my dock connector so it looked like this...
(It's not perfect as you can see, but again, I don't really mind how it looks. Plus, when the iPad is docked, you don't see any of the modifications. I'm sure many of you out there can do this neater than it appears in my picture)
Then I placed the iPad with its case on the dock. I marked off where the "lips" were conflicting with the dock, and sliced them off with a very sharp knife. Here is a picture of the iPad in the Apple Case, charging on the dock. (Sorry that its flipped sideways, can't figure out how to change that)
So again, if you really want these 2 accessories to co-exist go for it, it works, its quick and easy. I know many of you out there would never dare modify an Apple product, but I know many of you would love for these to work together.
Now I never need to take the iPad out of its case (which is a major pain) just to dock it.
