Piel Frama case unboxing (lots of photos)

[mike808ec]

Mini review...

Sorry, I don't have a digital camera for pics....

Got this case last Friday as a gift - smooth black leather. It's a nice case, and I'm thankful, but for what it is, I think it's overpriced. Would not have paid that much with my money.

That being said, for the business environment it's very professional looking. Looks great in the briefcase, and pulling out in meetings. I've seen a friend's apple case, and this case definitely has that beat in the "executive" look and feel. The inside pocket is great for receipts.

There is no "closing flap" holding it in like the apple case. Doesn't seem to be an issue for me so far. It seems to stay in when needed, and pulls out easily when I want the iPad to go "naked". Will have to see what it's like after it gets broken in.

The case does make the iPad thicker!!! It doesn't bother me the way I use it, but I can see where others wouldn't like it.

My only real complaint is that it's useless trying to type on the ipad in this case. The "hinge" isn't supported well, and there is no "stop" on the back like there is on the apple case. The spacer is smaller, so the angle of incline isn't as high, and it keeps collapsing. Not a huge issue for me yet, as I haven't done much typing, but the pictures I've seen of touting this feature are very misleading.

For me it's a great case... Compliments the look of my iPad, it provides some protection when I'm out and about. iPad is very useable inside the case. Easy removal around the house.

Definitely not for everyone.

 

[schulzmc]

Just got mine today (black exterior) and I love it. I prefer the leather to the Mac case material. I was worried it would be too thick, but it's not for me.

 

[arcangel6]

Just received mine in the mail today from Amazon.com. I picked up the smooth black leather case with magnetic closure. What a wonderful case. I had been using a cheaper magnetic closure leather case that I picked up from eBay. Piel Frama's site lists the case for ~$150 USD, I got this one from Amazon for $99.

 

[iserian]

A face only a mother could .... Just not loving the glossy gator look.

The iPad lets you get in touch with your sexuality. It's one of the few compensations for lack of Flash.

 

[srl7741]

I've been arguing with myself about getting one of these cases. Soon I will see which side of me wins

I like the case but it's expensive and I'm tired of case surfing. It does look great tho and the magnetic closure is exactly what I'm looking for.
I have the PDair magnetic closure now and love it. The Piel case just seems to be the same but a better quality leather.

Sigh.....

 

[Cartaphilus]

I received my Piel Frama smooth tan iPad case today, and I'm really very, very pleased with it. The quality is outstanding, and to my eye, the styling is attractive and suitable for just about anything from attending a board meeting to surfing on a park bench on a Sunday afternoon. In contrast to a previous poster I personally found the typing angle very useful, and I was about 80% as fast and accurate as i would be on a MBP. I didn't feel at all as if the support for the iPad was going to collapse, and it never did. (I do agree with some comments on other threads; with practice you can learn to type pretty well on the softboard. I'm already a lot faster than on the iPhone. I just have to remember I can't rest my fingers or anything else on the iPad, and that I have to aim a bit lower to hit the space bar instead of a letter on the bottom rank.)

The case stands very well in landscape mode on a table or nightstand, and the leather provides more friction to avoid slippage than I would have guessed.

The covers, top and bottom are cushioned a bit, which adds to the thickness, but also to the protection. I certainly don't think the thickness of the case is at all bothersome, and from the photos the black leather alligator model looks thicker than the smooth tan model is. Hard to be sure, though.

The leather so far seems to be resistant to skin oils, but it looks as if it might water spot. I would appreciate someone else providing the experimental data, though.

The magnetic closure is a nicer feature than I supposed. It keeps the case nice an neat, but it takes little effort to open the pad when you want to.

I ordered mine online directly from the company on May 13, and it arrived today, May 28, despite the website quoting shipment in ten days. To be fair, though, I received an email the day after I placed the order telling me they were backed up and promising shipment by today, with another couple of days after that for delivery. So although it took 13 business days from order to receipt, they actually delivered the case a couple of days earlier than their revised estimate. And the notes from Angelica, their customer service rep, were so solicitous that my usual ill-tempered impatience with delay was kept in check.

Of course, each of us has to make a personal decision about whether it's worth it to us to spend over $100 on an iPad case, but as guilty as I felt placing the order, I am now really happy I did.

And a word of thanks to the OP for making me aware of this option since I doubt I would have ever heard of them otherwise.

 

[lachyg]

Case looks very quality. Not sure about the look though. How do you find it works for typing?

 

[Hankle]

Got mine last night...

ABSOLUTELY love it! As a performing musician, the ONLY reason I considered purchasing the iPad was for one of the music-reader apps. The Apple Case, while functional, felt absolutely awful to me...and I found the front flap to be quite flimsy. This case, however, not only feels terrific but also looks ultra-professional. It felt great going into rehearsal last night and 'whipping this puppy out' and not having to worry about the 20 lb. notebook full of music.

And at performances, I no longer have to worry about having a page turner assist me on stage. So far, I've been able to scan/import over 300 pieces of music (3-10+ pages each) and still have about 9gb free space....and that's with audio and video occupying some of the space, too.

 

[colmaclean]

The case certainly divides opinion!

My girl thinks it looks gay, but I don't listen to her anyway.

Having used it in action for a couple of days (UK release latecomer), my biggest concern is that I treat the front cover like a laptop lid - when I close it, I subcontiously seem to think the 'pad goes into standby.

 

[iserian]

Lmao -- I think for a woman the glossy gator is pull off able.

The case certainly divides opinion!

My girl thinks it looks gay, but I don't listen to her anyway.

Having used it in action for a couple of days (UK release latecomer), my biggest concern is that I treat the front cover like a laptop lid - when I close it, I subcontiously seem to think the 'pad goes into standby.