In today’s iPad entrenched world the first thing most individuals think after they get their iPad is, I need a case. Since the iPad’s release in March, there has been a flood of cases that have been available in the market and today, we are going to showcase one from Griffin to see if it is something you could want and how it holds up.
Design
First look of this case, it is a very slim case that provides an easy way to prop up your iPad to use it sitting on a table, or to prop up to watch a movie. The case is made of black dull textured plastic in the back and has a shiny plastic bezel around the front. The plastic feels cheap when you pull it out of the box and we do not prefer it, but after using the case a while our opinion was changed somewhat.
The iPad sits down very snug in the back of the case housing and then the front bezel clips with small tabs over the top of the iPad. When snapped on the fit is amazing, there is not any play and it feels really solid when holding it. We were worried about small dust and dirt getting inside the case to scratch it, like some cases do, but it fits very snug and the iPad does not move when clipped in. However, the inside of the case is completely plastic and we wish they would have added some felt or rubber to help with shock absorption.
One of our biggest complaints about this case is removing it. Putting the case on, you have to push down pretty hard to get the front bezel to snap down into the back housing. When it is time to remove it you are in for a tough treat. The outside bezel is thin and very, I repeat, very, hard to get off. We actually had to get a screw driver to crack it back loose to get it off without breaking it. So if you are a case switcher, this is not the case for you. Like we said before though, snapped in it fits amazingly good.
Usability
The stand part of the case clips into the back housing and unclips with ease. It has little support clips that fall out and clip in the back housing to hold the stand open when using it to prop up the iPad. This was another aspect we were not a huge fan of. It does prop the iPad up really nicely, but the support clips are kind of tricky to get out and get clipped. You have to turn the case upside down to get them to come out being that they are not spring loaded.
Overall the iPad propped up on the stand is perfect for viewing slide shows or watching movies. If you want to sit the iPad down to do a bunch of typing you might want to think about getting another case that gives you the angle for typing. All the ports and switches on the iPad are easily accessible and are not an issue to use, however you can throw your Apple Dock Connector away with this case, it will not fit down in the dock with the case on and as we said before, you are not going to want to take it off.
Durability
If you like to throw your iPad around a lot, this is a very durable case being that it has thick plastic all the way around, keep in mind though something can still damage your screen if a sharp object strikes it. Your kid could hold your iPad and if it gets dropped it will hold up to the fall pretty good, although we do not recommend that you try this any time or anyway, accidents do happen though.
Conclusion
In conclusion this case is plastic and if you do not like plastic it is out, but for holding the iPad it has good grip with the textures on the case, it props up beautifully if you mainly use your iPad for media and it will handle a good amount of beating. We would recommend this case if you fall under those categories for use. Coming in at $49.99 it is a little pricey, but the case is built well and is worth it if you are looking for this style of case.
