Not a lot of options to carry your iPad were available ‘day one’. The Apple thin jacket and the zipper case from Incase. Within a week, the folks that had ordered the Incase jacket started getting their orders. This is where we need to start looking what a person is trying to do with their iPads.
There are the folks that are replacing their big paper day planner…. the Incase Jacket is a winner for them. It makes the iPad feel just like what they are used to. The same feeling leather and the size matches up.
For the ‘on the go’ user that expects to run from meeting to meeting though it might not be a perfect fit. To be mobile, the need to be able to protect your investment needs to live within accessibility. A zipper sleeve will give great padded protection against the bumps in the hallways but a risk of scratches as the iPad goes in/out can make most folks nervous.
Then, there is what else do you need to carry with your iPad. Do you use the iPad all by it’s self all day? The battery can support that. Do you need to carry an additional cable for presentations? Do you carry the iPad with other things like a notebook? Do you need the jacket to double as a stand (both the Apple and Incase do have this feature)?
Many of the first-to-market jackets appear that the manufactures did not know the finished size of the iPad. They are either over thick with padding or adjustable corners. We hate to see anything ruin the art level back of the iPad, but some form of indents to hook into would have been nice. Allowing for hooks rather than the variety of corner elastics or edge wraps everyone is having to use. Many of the options in the ‘coming soon’ group appear they will lower the slate impact of what make the iPad memorable. Some have a nice splash of color though that might just take the iPad user in a different direction. M-Edge below has great colors but cheap looking corner holders… tough choice…
In case your wondering what is popular here. The larger iPad cases are quickly going into the stack on the shelf, maybe to return when a meeting or audience demands them. The Apple thin jacket is winning out mostly due to not adding a lot to the size of the iPad. Thicker cases might start getting used again if they did something more than contain padding… room for papers given to us at a meeting, a pen, a cable, maybe even the small Bluetooth keyboard.
Most of the MacBook carrying team members use the Incase thin 13″ notebook bag. They allow for the Macbook, a few cables, USB sticks… with only two pockets you stay with the ‘travel light’. An iPad in the Apple jacket will slide right into the padded notebook slot with the notebook for traveling without adding much thickness at all. This set up is keeping us very mobile…
