Apple rolls out new Smart Covers for 2019 iPad Air & Mini models

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPad
Capitalizing on the launch of new iPad Air and Mini tablets, Apple on Monday released matching Smart Covers in varying colors and materials.

The 2019 leather iPad Air Smart Cover in (PRODUCT)RED.
The 2019 leather iPad Air Smart Cover in (PRODUCT)RED.


For the 2019 Air, the company has new leather and polyurethane cases. Both feature automatic wake/sleep functions, and their lids can be rolled back to prop an Air in two positions.

The standard polyurethane Smart Cover costs $49, and comes in white, papaya, charcoal gray, and pink sand colors. Leather versions are $69 and available in black, red, saddle brown, midnight blue, and (PRODUCT)RED, the last donating a portion of proceeds to the Global Fund, a charity fighting AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.

For the Mini Apple is only offering a polyurethane Cover, priced at $39. Color options are white, papaya, charcoal gray, and pink sand.

The 2019 iPad mini Smart Cover in papaya.
The 2019 iPad mini Smart Cover in papaya.


Most of the new case options are only shipping March 20, even expedited -- an exception is the leather Air Cover, which may ship today for people quick on the draw.

The 2019 Air and Mini are mostly spec upgrades, with A12 processors, True Tone displays, up to 256 gigabytes of storage, and first-generation Apple Pencil support. The Air additionally supports Smart Keyboards.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    petripetri Posts: 118member
    The new covers for the Air are also stated to be compatible with the 10.5” iPad Pro, unsurprisingly.
  • Reply 2 of 9
    gutengelgutengel Posts: 363member
    Still no leather option for the 2018 iPad Pros. I honestly dislike the current folio smart cover, makes the iPad twice as thick for the modest price on $100 on a piece of plastic (which deteriorates faster than previous iterations of the design).
    fastasleep
  • Reply 3 of 9
    iOS_Guy80iOS_Guy80 Posts: 813member
    gutengel said:
    Still no leather option for the 2018 iPad Pros. I honestly dislike the current folio smart cover, makes the iPad twice as thick for the modest price on $100 on a piece of plastic (which deteriorates faster than previous iterations of the design).
    The new 12.9” and the Smart Cover encompassing the back of the tablet adds uneeded weight. Why all of a sudden on the new 11” and 12.9” models does Apple want to help out users from scratching the back of the tablet? Why not offer protecting the back of the other tablet models? Are the Pro models more worthy of rear protection?
  • Reply 4 of 9
    mpw_amherstmpw_amherst Posts: 563member
    They've also dropped the Product(RED) cover for the Mini, which is a real shame.
  • Reply 5 of 9
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    gutengel said:
    Still no leather option for the 2018 iPad Pros. I honestly dislike the current folio smart cover, makes the iPad twice as thick for the modest price on $100 on a piece of plastic (which deteriorates faster than previous iterations of the design).
    I returned mine to Apple and got a $15 replacement on Amazon that I actually like better, and feels better in the hand. Not a fan of the Folio style but guessing Smart Covers aren’t possible with the magnet layout on these — all I want it for is the stand ability really. Bummer. But the Smart Folio is insulting at $80. 
  • Reply 6 of 9
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,358member
    I've got an Apple leather case for my mini 2 that I really like. It doesn't add much bulk to the m2. I doubt I'll ever find it's equivalent for the mini 5. Not a fan of the Folio.

    I wouldn't mind Apple deliberately obsoleting a prior Gen's case if they just make a similar offering for the latest and greatest. But no. All we get is a cover, and not a leather one at that. If only the m2 wasn't showing its performance age.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    gutengel said:
    Still no leather option for the 2018 iPad Pros. I honestly dislike the current folio smart cover, makes the iPad twice as thick for the modest price on $100 on a piece of plastic (which deteriorates faster than previous iterations of the design).
    Yeah, this looks like the same horrible design as the one I got for my 2018 iPad. It is a piece of junk compared to the one I had for my iPad 2. :( That thing was extremely well made, and I was quite disappointed with the new one.
  • Reply 8 of 9
    davidmalcolmdavidmalcolm Posts: 384member
    I buy all my cases and watch bands on eBay the Apple mark up is just insane. Love their products but Tim needs to realize that the solution isn't always to just squeeze more out of people just because they have taste. Seriously, I don't make that much money and just getting the best most future proof 13 inch MacBook Pro cost me four grand CND! I'm glad to see that they're starting to put their top end processors in the iPad every year (Sort of). I just wish the new mini had Face ID.
  • Reply 9 of 9
    cgWerkscgWerks Posts: 2,952member
    davidmalcolm said:
    I buy all my cases and watch bands on eBay the Apple mark up is just insane. Love their products but Tim needs to realize that the solution isn't always to just squeeze more out of people just because they have taste. Seriously, I don't make that much money and just getting the best most future proof 13 inch MacBook Pro cost me four grand CND! I'm glad to see that they're starting to put their top end processors in the iPad every year (Sort of). I just wish the new mini had Face ID.
    The problem is that the Smart Cover for my iPad 2 was superior to pretty much every 3rd party thing I ever ran across. That isn't the case with the current smart cover, and I unfortunately assumed, being Apple, they would make the replacement as good or possibly better. Poor assumption. :(

    While I'm happy with a number of moves Apple has made in the last 6 months to a year, this is yet another example of the impact of the new, more corporate Apple. Knowing a bit about design, it seems they tried to cheapen up the new version to increase that profit margin. As a consumer, I'd have rather they kept the previous quality and added $10, maybe $20 to the price. What they have done in doing this, is just undermine my appreciation of Apple. But, by the numbers, there are probably more people who'll buy the Smart Cover today, who never owned the previous version... so they win overall (which was probably part of the calculation, unfortunately).
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