Hacker News Reader

Comment by achompas | Hacker News Reader

For me, the most exciting announcement has to be the line of Smart Covers.

iPad covers aren't new, but this cover looks like it could solve the ergonomic problem of typing on your iPad or watching a movie/TV show while you're not sitting on a couch. It also protects your iPad's screen without adding bulk.

EDIT: @marcoarment: "The Smart Cover might be the best feature of the iPad 2. I can't possibly express how much I hate every iPad 1 case for some reason."

[0] http://www.apple.com/ipad/smart-cover/

View on HN

I think Apple will make more profit on their Smart Covers than Motorola, HP and RIM will on their tablets.

http://twitter.com/#!/kawika/status/43024891062124545

These are the new "iPhone bumpers:" accessories with low cost of production and incredible margins. Apple is very, very good at doing this.

really? with 15 millions units sold in 9 months and 90% market I wonder if editors still think that tablets can be a lucrative platform

EDIT: I'm not being sarcastic, but my opinion is not related to the technology. I'm talking about the potentials of tablets as a new media+ads distribution platform and that number doesn't seem so impressive to me, so far.

Wait, is this sarcastic or serious? 15 million units is a lot for something that did not exist before it was released.

"this cover looks like it could solve the ergonomic problem of typing on your iPad or watching a movie/TV show while you're not sitting on a couch."

This is just another way of saying that tablets are a horrible form factor.

This is just another way of saying that tablets are a horrible form factor.

For some uses, certainly (hence the reason why my TC1100 spends 95% of it's life in laptop mode) but for other uses they're perfect. I see the stand as a way of saying "use a tablet for what it's good for and here's an option for being able to use it for less-than-optimal situations that still beats lugging another device around."

I see it as "iterative improvement." Apple released the iPad, watched the public's response, and fixed a major problem with a high-margin accessory.

A bit greedy? Yes. A step forward for tablets? Absolutely. You'd better believe Apple's competition will copy this idea in no time.

Their case for the first iPad is very cludgy. Harsh edges, always looks tatty, the least impressive solution to an ergonomic dictate that Apple have produced (except for their mice) and yet I'd never remove it.

It's great for what it does. Provides a scratch free case and a tactile surface and 3D gripping 'column' that's needed to casually use the device in a wide variety of general use situations (plus the pocket to store the screen wipe for the inevitable smudges).

That they've made redundant the market for scratch-protective cases, while improving on the other two must-have ergonomic features is a bit funny.

Anyone notice at the end of the video on Apple's site the disclaimer about the colors potentially wearing off on the leather versions? Still love the concept and I'd just go with a poly one anyway. Definitely agree with the ergonomics aspect as well. I think the Smart Cover is pretty brilliant in its simplicity.

Does anyone have a coloured leather case for an existing device here?

Is this something to be expected when working with dyed leather? Are Apple just being cautious by preempting 'leather-gate' or something similar wherever they can with this product launch?

Ars Technica reported the demo units as already looking scuffed.

Lots of dyed leathers have a tendency to take scratches, scuffs, etc., and generally weather over time. A lot of folks love this effect, especially on furniture, shoes, jackets, and other items made of leather. Other folks either don't care for the effect, or simply haven't owned leather items long enough for the distressing to kick in. My guess is that Apple is preparing that latter set of consumers for some sort of weathering/distressing over time.

Nothing a little good polish can't take care of.

Perhaps progress is overrated, when 'smart covers' are the most exciting feature.

I think when folks are saying the most exciting feature is the 'smart covers' they are using hyperbole. They haven't gotten a chance to touch and use the iPad 2 to determine speed improvements or OS improvements. If they already have an iPhone 4, they've already experienced the excited with the cameras, FaceTime, and even how thin it is.

For everyone who is comparing this against the previous iPad and not the iPhone 4, the most exciting features are probably 1) cameras 2) A5 chip or 2) HDMI out.

It's slightly obscene that a tablet that's so similar is being released so soon, obsoleting the first generation and encouraging a fair few people to upgrade for the sake of it.

Apple isn't forcing anyone to upgrade, original iPads aren't going to become useless on March 11.

But they sure are trying their hardest to encourage people to ... ;)

EDIT: Sorry for the spelling mistake, downvoter - it's now corrected :)

Device hardware doesn't matter if the device is hard to use. Smart Covers could solve the iPad's ergonomic problems, and that's far more important to users than two cameras or HDMI out.

What do you do if you have an original iPad? How do you solve the iPad's ergonomic problems then .. ?

Non-sequitur. We're talking about features about the iPad 2 and suddenly you're asking about iPad 1 users? Improving a device every generation is common in tech. Everyone knows this.

I guess iPad 1 users will have to buy an iPad 2 if they want the ergonomic problem fixing then ...

Sure, just like any other user needs to upgrade if they want new features. That's the entire tech industry--not just Apple.

But personally, I think promotion of a new version - because it's compatible with an accessory which fixes ergonomic issues - is a bit a wrong. The iPad 2 is faster and slimmer .. and has some web-cams built in - but this constant pursuit of 'progress' is a bit worrying. Especially when an iteration provides such (arguably) small gains.

This is exactly what I was thinking. I wasn't realistically expecting anymore than what was presented, but I got sucked into the hype machine last minute.

As a result, the case truly stood out to me. Apple improved on ideas that have been implemented by some other standout companies before. Any hardcore BlackBerry user knows the magnets in the BlackBerrys and their holster makes the holster/phone combo an integral part of the BlackBerry experience. Then, you get the folding stand which was most notably (to me) done by InCase.

I'm truly impressed at the SmartCover. Very well executed, both on the marketing side and the (technical) design side.

I agree with this; I often carry my iPad naked or in a simple sleeve because every protective case that I've seen or used just makes it slightly-more-just-enough-to-be-annoying difficult to hold and use.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com