Following the iPad 2 release this month are dozens of skins, covers and cases that mimic the Apple’s Smart Cover in functionality, but differ in form.
Miniot BV of the Netherlands added the Miniot Cover for iPad 2 to its collection of wooden iPhone cases last week. Four styles are available – cherry, oak, padouk and walnut – in a temporary eBay store while the company updates its website for ordering the new items. Here’s a video demonstration.
The cost with shipping is $91.94, and more elaborate models utilizing two wood types in one cover are displayed on Miniot’s website, suggesting they will become available at the same time the site is updated, though it is not specified and no availability date is given.
Like the Smart Cover, the Miniot Cover attaches to the iPad 2 with magnets. It offers the same positions for typing and as an easel-back as the Smart Cover. One difference is the Miniot Cover curls into a cylinder instead of a triangle like the Smart Cover, with a design reminiscent of a roll-top desk.
For those already planning to purchase a leather Smart Cover for $69.00, the Miniot Cover might be worth consideration. If you love the look and feel of wood, the Miniot Cover may be a good choice.
However, if more protection is desired, the Miniot Cover does not appear to have any additional safeguard compared to the Smart Cover. Functionality appears similar, so the differences are style and cost.
In my opinion Miniot Covers are for iPad 2 owners that really want to spoil themselves, and have the disposable income to do it. My only hope is after-market covers for the iPad 2 don’t follow a trend similar to the glut of iPod cases made available, which, in my view, turned ridiculous with rhinestones, glow-in-the-dark, stuffed animals and something called a “Pink Poodle.”
