Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Here are a few pictures I just took :)

iPad Air Smart Case - Brown
That looks beautiful insimbi, thanks. You know what just got back from the Apple store and ended up getting the black. I wanted the brown but was afraid of it turning dark, doubt it would though, as yours is no worse for the wear looks good. Here are my quick first impressions.

pros
Lightest smart case out there. Looks and feels good for the most part. Slim. Perfect cutouts.

cons
Smart Cover doesn't hold up great in any of the angles it'll collapse with movement. When holding the case in landscape with the front folded back if you aren't holding it with two hands it'll bulge out and slide down, not very comfortable and the magnets don't hold it up. I'll probably just cut the Smart Cover off if it keeps bothering me. Also is it just me or are the edges kinna sharp? Hopefully they break in with time and smooth out would have been better rounded.
 
Last edited:
That looks beautiful insimbi, thanks. You know what just got back from the Apple store and ended up getting the black. I wanted the brown but was afraid of it turning dark, doubt it would though, as yours is no worse for the wear looks good. Here are my quick first impressions.

pros
Lightest smart case out there. Looks and feels good for the most part. Slim. Perfect cutouts.

cons
Smart Cover doesn't hold up great in any of the angles it'll collapse with movement. When holding the case in landscape with the front folded back if you aren't holding it with two hands it'll bulge out and slide down, not very comfortable and the magnets don't hold it up. I'll probably just cut the Smart Cover off if it keeps bothering me. Also is it just me or are the edges kinna sharp? Hopefully they break in with time and smooth out would have been better rounded.

Yep worth the $80 :)
 
I haven't seen any cases, I mean any, that offer the level of coverage and thinness that the Apple iPad Air Smart Case offers. I've checked and haven't seen anything. None of the cases on Amazon offer that on any price point. Most cases have wide openings for buttons and for the entire bottom section. Apple is the only company that can afford to make precisely drilled holes for speaker and lightning port plus a slim border all in a leather package. Show me a case that offers that level of detail for a cheaper price with equal to or greater than materials? That's what so many people are missing. I paid $764 for my 64GB iPad Air wi-fi and after purchasing a Smart Cover I seek the complete coverage of the Smart Case. Add those factors and present your evidence please. Anybody.
 
Yes, I totally agree. Even if money is no object, there is no case out there as slim, with the perfect fit and attention to details like Apple's SmartCase.

How can one say a case is not worth $80 if there is no competition? If you don't like it then you shouldn't buy it, so "worth" doesn't apply. If you do, how can the answer be "no"?

I haven't seen any cases, I mean any, that offer the level of coverage and thinness that the Apple iPad Air Smart Case offers. I've checked and haven't seen anything. None of the cases on Amazon offer that on any price point. Most cases have wide openings for buttons and for the entire bottom section. Apple is the only company that can afford to make precisely drilled holes for speaker and lightning port plus a slim border all in a leather package. Show me a case that offers that level of detail for a cheaper price with equal to or greater than materials? That's what so many people are missing. I paid $764 for my 64GB iPad Air wi-fi and after purchasing a Smart Cover I seek the complete coverage of the Smart Case. Add those factors and present your evidence please. Anybody.
 
Probably not but I've bought one for my ipad mini anyway. It seems to be a lot better quality than the smart covers from last year. They did not hold up well and I couldn't find a back case that I was entirely happy with. I was not pleased that they did not have a pink smart case. I got the beige, I guess it will go with my gold 5S. I hope it holds up better than the smart covers. I do like the texture and the way it feels in my hand. I've got a neoprene slip case to put it into when it's in my bag and hopefully it will protect the case.

So I've had the case for nearly 2 months now and I can say its worth the price. It's held up really well. No discolouration. Nice feel in the hand.
 
I haven't seen any cases, I mean any, that offer the level of coverage and thinness that the Apple iPad Air Smart Case offers. I've checked and haven't seen anything. None of the cases on Amazon offer that on any price point. Most cases have wide openings for buttons and for the entire bottom section. Apple is the only company that can afford to make precisely drilled holes for speaker and lightning port plus a slim border all in a leather package. Show me a case that offers that level of detail for a cheaper price with equal to or greater than materials? That's what so many people are missing. I paid $764 for my 64GB iPad Air wi-fi and after purchasing a Smart Cover I seek the complete coverage of the Smart Case. Add those factors and present your evidence please. Anybody.

This: http://www.amazon.com/MoKo-Apple-iP...ref=sr_1_9?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1393524077&sr=1-9

I will add too that the RooCase Origami iPad Air case is actually more favorable to me. It has a smooth finish to it, not the fake leather like the MOKO case. I like it over even the Apple SmartCover because it can be stood up in portrait mode, a big deal when reading books and/or magazines! Only difference is that it has larger sections "open" like you complain about..where as the Moko case has better "openings" that surround the buttons and speaker grill.

Roocase:
http://www.amazon.com/rooCASE-Apple...4342&sr=1-1&keywords=roocase+origami+ipad+air
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Hi, Target has the Ipad Air Smart Case on sale for 50% off. Just got the blue for 39.50. My Target only had blue ones.
 
I bought the red one and have had it a few months. It's basically turning black on the backside and edges. You can see where it is held and used at. It just looks real dirty. I liked the case itself but I won't be buying another to replace the dingy one.
 
Can we see some pictures? Anybody care to post one after they've broken their case in a bit?


Launch week purchase. Heavily travelled. I occasionally use in garage for factory service manual reference, e.g. Dropped tranny last month to do a clutch.

Its darkened and developed a well used sort of patina that I like.
 

Attachments

  • ImageUploadedByTapatalk1394126827.152613.jpg
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1394126827.152613.jpg
    239.4 KB · Views: 274
  • ImageUploadedByTapatalk1394126842.400528.jpg
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1394126842.400528.jpg
    231.7 KB · Views: 298
I bought the brown case too. I put the ipad into the case in the store before i even powered it up. I love this thing. My only complaint is i wish it didn't have the huge Apple logo on it.

The edges are beginning to darken some and I am hoping the leather will eventually look like a well-used old baseball glove or a nicely worn saddle. I have been thinking of using shoe polish on it to darken it a bit more. Has anyone tried that yet?
 
I'm using it right now as I'm typing this response and it feels great in my hand and when it's closed it protects my entire device.
 
I have a black smart case and never use it. Then again, I never take my iPad outside.
 
I bought the brown case too. I put the ipad into the case in the store before i even powered it up. I love this thing. My only complaint is i wish it didn't have the huge Apple logo on it.

The edges are beginning to darken some and I am hoping the leather will eventually look like a well-used old baseball glove or a nicely worn saddle. I have been thinking of using shoe polish on it to darken it a bit more. Has anyone tried that yet?

Mink oil nicely darkened the old red leather smart cover from my iPad 2 back in the day.

Mink oil didn't even phase my brown smart case when I got it. Maybe it's got more protectorants of some sort on the surface.
 
for a "case" , it is overpriced...
for a LEATHER case, it's worth it !

beautiful , perfect fit and functionality ... the soft feel of fine leather in your hand is ... the best.
 
Quick tip for any other UKers, Amazon seem to be occasionally selling off "damaged packaging" Smart Cases via their Warehouse arm. Most seem to be about £50, but I just lucked out and ordered a tan one for £36. It's a product that's coming from Amazon themselves, so I feel reasonably confident that if it's in bad shape or turns out to be a fake that I can return it.

To be honest, if it's just that the box is scuffed around or torn, I can deal with that for nearly £30 off the price. Frankly, I can deal with a lot for that kind of reduction - I've got leather polish I can use on the case if need be.
 
Quick tip for any other UKers, Amazon seem to be occasionally selling off "damaged packaging" Smart Cases via their Warehouse arm. Most seem to be about £50, but I just lucked out and ordered a tan one for £36. It's a product that's coming from Amazon themselves, so I feel reasonably confident that if it's in bad shape or turns out to be a fake that I can return it.



To be honest, if it's just that the box is scuffed around or torn, I can deal with that for nearly £30 off the price. Frankly, I can deal with a lot for that kind of reduction - I've got leather polish I can use on the case if need be.


As an addendum to this, the "Used - Very Good" case needed plenty of restoration with leather polish and is still a little marked, even slightly stained in some places. I've registered feedback with Amazon to say that the description was thorougly wrong - "Item has no cosmetic damage" is not applicable to an item covered in scratches. As it is, I've ended up with a decent enough case with a reasonable look to it after a fair bit of clean-up work, so I'm not going to return it, but buyer beware!
 
Just bought a brown one for my rMini and it looks and feels great. It's much more sturdier than the Smart Cover alone. I bought it on eBay for $19 and for that price it's worth it.
 
I bought brown smart case about six months ago when they were released. It has worn out very well. Now it looks pretty good but when I bought it was a little bit too bright.

I highly recommend the case because it has worked so well for me. It protects the iPad very well and looks pretty cool now. I carry my iPad with me almost everyday to school.
 
This: http://www.amazon.com/MoKo-Apple-iP...ref=sr_1_9?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1393524077&sr=1-9

I will add too that the RooCase Origami iPad Air case is actually more favorable to me. It has a smooth finish to it, not the fake leather like the MOKO case. I like it over even the Apple SmartCover because it can be stood up in portrait mode, a big deal when reading books and/or magazines! Only difference is that it has larger sections "open" like you complain about..where as the Moko case has better "openings" that surround the buttons and speaker grill.

Roocase:
http://www.amazon.com/rooCASE-Apple...4342&sr=1-1&keywords=roocase+origami+ipad+air

I have the roocase origami and find the smooth back too slippery to hold up vertically. It's ok if you hold at at less than a 45 degree angle but any more than that and it slides slowly out of your hand. The other problem I find with the roocase is that there is no good position for typing on your lap. I've taken it to a few conferences and the trifold is not secure, it keeps unraveling. Thankfully I only paid $5 for it.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.