I recently purchased the BookBook case for iPad from Twelve South, and in my opinion it was worth if for sheer looks alone. Here it is with my BookBook iPhone case on top:
The outside is sturdy, tough leather with the look and feel of a real leather-bound book. In person it's really nice-looking. On the inside is plush, microfiber material that provides very good protection from scratches.
The iPad is secured on the bottom corners by leather straps, and the top fits underneath an elastic band.
The protection provided by the BookBook Case is very good. Two zippers (with plastic teeth) zip and meet to fully enclose the iPad and protect it from falls, bangs and scratches.
Typing on the iPad while in the case is easy. You can fully open the cover, or just fold it back completely.
Those were the pros. Now for the cons.
Quick access to volume and mute switch is not very easy, as the zipper covers these.
To access the camera, you can slide the iPad up until the camera lens is clear from the case, but you run the risk of scratching the back of the iPad with the zipper.
You can position the cover of the case to prop the iPad for landscape viewing, but it's not as quick and easy as it is with other folio-type cases.
You have to unravel the leather string from around it's soft, leather holder, slip the elastic band at the top off, tilt the iPad up slightly and slide the string behind the iPad.
Then, bend back the cover to the desired position and wrap the leather string around it's holder to secure it in place.
The dock connector can be accessed for charging with the cover closed and almost entirely zipped.
One important thing to note: Do not carry the BookBook case while its entirely unzipped. If you hold it upside down, the iPad will slip right out onto the floor, as there are no leather straps to hold the upper corners, and the elastic strap is not very tight. It happened to me, but luckily the iPad fell onto the carpet.
There you have it. All drawbacks aside, I really like this case, and the limited access to volume/mute was not a deal-breaker for me.
Oh yes, this case will run you $70.00 if you order directly from Twelve South.
Pros:
Beautiful case
Very good protection
Adjustable cover for landscape viewing
Cons:
Not-so-easy access to volume/mute switch/camera
Zipper may scratch back of iPad
Adjusting for landscape viewing is slightly cumbersome
iPad is not very secure when holding case upside down and unzipped
$70.00 price tag
The outside is sturdy, tough leather with the look and feel of a real leather-bound book. In person it's really nice-looking. On the inside is plush, microfiber material that provides very good protection from scratches.
The iPad is secured on the bottom corners by leather straps, and the top fits underneath an elastic band.
The protection provided by the BookBook Case is very good. Two zippers (with plastic teeth) zip and meet to fully enclose the iPad and protect it from falls, bangs and scratches.
Typing on the iPad while in the case is easy. You can fully open the cover, or just fold it back completely.
Those were the pros. Now for the cons.
Quick access to volume and mute switch is not very easy, as the zipper covers these.
To access the camera, you can slide the iPad up until the camera lens is clear from the case, but you run the risk of scratching the back of the iPad with the zipper.
You can position the cover of the case to prop the iPad for landscape viewing, but it's not as quick and easy as it is with other folio-type cases.
You have to unravel the leather string from around it's soft, leather holder, slip the elastic band at the top off, tilt the iPad up slightly and slide the string behind the iPad.
Then, bend back the cover to the desired position and wrap the leather string around it's holder to secure it in place.
The dock connector can be accessed for charging with the cover closed and almost entirely zipped.
One important thing to note: Do not carry the BookBook case while its entirely unzipped. If you hold it upside down, the iPad will slip right out onto the floor, as there are no leather straps to hold the upper corners, and the elastic strap is not very tight. It happened to me, but luckily the iPad fell onto the carpet.
There you have it. All drawbacks aside, I really like this case, and the limited access to volume/mute was not a deal-breaker for me.
Oh yes, this case will run you $70.00 if you order directly from Twelve South.
Pros:
Beautiful case
Very good protection
Adjustable cover for landscape viewing
Cons:
Not-so-easy access to volume/mute switch/camera
Zipper may scratch back of iPad
Adjusting for landscape viewing is slightly cumbersome
iPad is not very secure when holding case upside down and unzipped
$70.00 price tag