The iPad 2 was always going to be faster, thinner and lighter. But one of the things that came out of the blue was the introduction of a clip on case, called the Smart Case. The Smart Case uses magnetic technology to automagically clip onto the iPad 2 and can then double up as stand. Pretty clever stuff.
We wondered what the reaction of iPad case sellers to the arrival of this Smart Case was? Will Apple entering the iPad 2 case area kill off the “independent” iPad 2 case market?
We talked to Keith Schilling from Protect The Pad and prodded him for his reaction to Apple entering the iPad case market and how it might change things up.
Keith isn’t too worried. See below…
What do you make of the new Smart Case for the iPad 2?
I like the integration of the magnets and immediately thought that it was a nice perk.
How do you think Apple introducing their own case will affect your business?
Slim to none. The cover is nice, but its not their focus. It also doesn’t protect the entire case. The back is still exposed and slippery. From the cases we’ve sold in the past customers have purchased something that protects all of the iPad, not just a portion. I think it definitely would be a different situation if they gave them away with the purchase of a new iPad. As it stands now, you’re still handing over your money on just a front cover and have one choice in style and texture. When the manufacturers ramp up, Otterbox, Incipio, Speck, the customer will have a large selection to choose from.
Will you be introducing iPad 2 cases that use the iPad’s magnets?
We only sell cases from manufacturers and don’t produce them. We’ve toyed with the idea in the past and still may create our own but right now our goal is to work with the top case manufacturers and let them do the grunt of the work. I think we’ll see another wide variety, some that create their own ‘Smart Cover’ case, we’ll see some create only a back cover and tell customers its designed to work in conjuction with a Smart Cover, and others that will completely dismiss the front cover altogether.
Big thanks to Keith for sharing this thoughts. But what do you think? Will you pay the extra €29 to €49 for a Polyurethane or Leather Smart Case? Or will you purchase an iPad 2 case from an independent producer?
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