1 Response » to “Incipio Kickstand for Apple iPad – Black/Black Reviews”

1. Curtis J. Katinas says:

   July 22, 2010 at 11:02 am

   Call me picky, but I really disliked the official Apple Case for iPad. It looked great back in January in photos and still looks pretty spiffy on the box, but that illusion ends as soon as it’s removed from the packaging. If you’ve ever held an iPad, the material is noticeable. It feels expensive. That’s why the rubbery case was so easily disliked; it clashed with the device itself rather than complementing it. The fact that it was markedly unstable in two of the three stand configurations didn’t help matters.

   So I started looking for a new case. I’ve used Incipio hard cases for iPhones and my Nexus One in the past, so I was pleased to see them with an iPad offering. Cases that function as stands are not as common as I think they should be, and many are just as if not more expensive than the one from Apple. Incipio, as usual, notches in about $10 or so less.

   The first thing you notice about the Incipio Kickstand for iPad, before removing the plastic wrapping, is the thickness. Apple’s case is very thin adding only couple of millimeters of depth. The Kickstand doubles that easily, making the iPad even less portable, enough to make it a tight squeeze in my carrying case. The nylon is, in my opinion, a step up from the rubber synthetic I had been using, but the strength of the bands holding the three flaps together are disappointingly weak. In nearly any configuration, the iPad bobs around when walking and droops off-angle when not.

   Rather than a flap that tucks into a pre-cut groove, the Kickstand uses a pair of magnets in the front cover and at the corners of the section holding the iPad. These keep the cover closed a little more securely and allow for the case to function as a stand. Despite my initial inclination to keep the corner with the magnetic supports pointing upward, that corner MUST be at the base of the triangle (on the table). This is the only orientation that the case allows. I would have liked more viewing angles (Apple’s case provides three), but at least the one here is fairly comfortable.

   There is no extra flap that holds the iPad in place (the edge where it slides in is facing up when used as a stand, though) but I haven’t had issues with it falling out so far. Still, it doesn’t sit as well in its window as I’ve seen on other cases. Controls and ports, less the SIM slot, are uncovered and accessible. The volume rocker and orienation lock are on top in stand mode so they can still be used easily enough. Since even the relatively thin Apple case was too thick for the iPad Dock, it should be no surprise that this case doesn’t provide any magical workaround.

   I don’t necessarily hate the Incipio Kickstand, but it really isn’t a great case. The bottom line is that it’s too thick, too flimsy, and too loose around the iPad itself. It does offer protection and does work, in some capacity, as a stand, but the build quality just isn’t there. I cannot recommend buying one, but then again, I haven’t seen any really solid cases for the iPad yet. Apple’s case is in short supply and isn’t a huge upgrade over this one, so you might consider it as something to use while finding something better.

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