It is always fun to be pleasantly surprised. When Happy Owl Studio sent me a free review unit of The Leather Shell, I wasn’t even sure if I would use it. I don’t like having a case on my iPhone, and while I use an Apple Smart Cover (black leather) with my iPad 2, I’ve never wanted to have a case for my original iPad or my iPad 2. But I tried it anyway just to see how it worked; I thought it was interesting to have a leather case for the back of the iPad that is completely compatible with the Apple Smart Cover on the front of the iPad. That was over a week ago and The Leather Shell has remained on my iPad 2 ever since. What a pleasant surprise.
The shell is simply a polycarbonate frame with a black leather exterior.
It takes me a good 10 seconds or so to get the frame snapped on the back of the iPad. The Shell has openings on the sides for all of the iPad 2’s ports, so it only connects to parts of the edge of the iPad 2. But it does so fairly easily. Once on, it stays on until you are ready to take it off, and it comes off in just a second without in any way damaging the iPad.
If you have the black leather Apple Smart Cover, you’ll think that it and the Shell were separated at birth. The black color is the same and the feel of the leather is the same.
The only markings on the Shell is the Happy Owl Studio logo at the bottom right. Because it is all black you don’t really see it that much, and I think it looks fine.
Happy Owl Studio advertises that the Shell protects the back of the iPad. It certainly does so, but for me that has never mattered much. So what if the back of my iPad gets a small scratch now and then? That just adds character. All I want to protect is the glass on the front of my iPad, and the Apple Smart Cover handles that.
But even though I don’t care much about adding protection to the back of the iPad, I love the Shell because it feels great in my hands. Just like the Apple Smart Cover, the leather on the Shell is soft and comfortable. It also adds just enough friction to help prevent the iPad from slipping out of your hand.
The black leather on the back of the iPad 2 looks great if you have the black leather Apple Smart Cover. My wife uses the red leather Apple Smart Cover on her iPad 2. I thought that the black and red might be a good contrast, but I’m not sure. Decide for yourself:
One reason that I have avoided using a case for my iPad is that I don’t want to add to the weight. The Leather Shell only weighs about 3.5 oz. The Apple Smart Cover weighs about 5 oz., so my iPad 2 (Wi-Fi only) with an Apple Smart Cover on it weighs 1 lb. 10 oz. The difference between 1 lb. 10 oz. and 1 lb. 13.5 oz is noticeable, but not very much. After about a day of using the Shell, I stopped noticing the slight extra weight. And because the Shell is so thin, it doesn’t add much to the overall size of the iPad. If your briefcase or purse currently has enough space for an iPad 2 with an Apple Smart Cover and it isn’t a ridiculously tight fit, then I’m sure that it will still fit with the Leather Shell added to it.
Because The Leather Shell is such an exact fit for the shape of the iPad 2, I doubt it will work with the new iPad that Apple is announcing next week, unless Apple keeps the exterior design exactly the same — much like Apple did with the iPhone 4 and 4S. [UPDATE 3/16/2012: As I suspected, it doesn’t work with the third generation iPad. The Leather Shell is just too perfectly sized for the iPad 2.] But if you own an iPad 2 and like to use the leather Apple Smart Cover, then I suspect that you will really love The Leather Shell. It’s a great addition to my iPad 2.
Click here to get The Leather Shell on Amazon ($39.99).
Click here to get The Leather Shell from Happy Owl Studio ($39.99).
FWIW, for almost a year, I’ve been using a case that includes a smart cover from the Joy Factory. Although the name is misplaced, the case is great to use and makes the ipad2 easier to handle. It is form fitting and adds very little weight to the unit.
Thanks for the iPad 3 update! I have been holding off to get this case until I knew for sure so I appreciate you taking the time to update your review.