- Infinite viewing angles for iPad
- Sleek and compact
- Animal friendly exterior
- Strong velcro design allows for heavy typing without iPad slipping out
- Perfect for watching movies or working on reports
UPDATE: After a couple of weeks of additional use... The best word to describe this case is "floppy." Watch the video review to see what I mean. It is just totally unstable and waiting for an accident except for when its sitting still on a table. I thought I may have been too hard on this case at first, but after more use I've confirmed in my mind that it's just too unstable for use in the hands. It's also not friendly as an e-book reader if you like to hold your iPad while you read. Great if it's just sitting on a table, but the thick binding when you fold the cover back makes it tedious to hold. And then when you close it, the flaps get all mixed up and it goes floppy again. FInally, the thick case takes away from the sleekness of the iPad.
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Quality of materials: Packages calls it "animal friendly," meaning the leather is synthetic. But it still looks and feels like a good quality material. The inside is a soft material, but it has already started catching pet hair, which weaves into the material . On the inside, the part of the case that holds the front of the ipad to the case is an elastic weave (three on the bottom, two on the right, and one big one on the top. On the left, the iPad is held in my a strip of fabric and velcro. Overall, the outer cover resists scuffs and does not collect stains like Apple's case.
Functionality: A band keeps the cover closed. It is secure and works fine. The cover serves as a stand courtesy of two small velcro strips on the side of the inner case. These strips cling to front inside cover. They advertise "infinite" angles, but this is between 90 degrees and 30 degrees. Angles less than 30 degrees don't actually attach via the velcro (there is a flap of leather that blocks the velcro. At these lower angles, the cover pretty much lays there unsecured at about 10 degrees and tends to bounce when tapped or typed on. But at the higher angles, the support is very good.
Protection: There are some open corners, so you won't get Otter Box-level protection. However, the padding is decent. I did find a bit of a balance issue when holding the case open like a book. The angle-viewing mechanism means that the back of the iPad is not fully attached to the back of the case. This means that it flaps open and can tend to swing around. My iPad almost took a tumble until I learned that you really need to hold this case with two hands.
Overall: A good case, but I still prefer my Otter Box case and neoprene sleeve setup. I do like the viewing angle functionality, but the the biggest drawback is the floppiness of the case when opened like a book. The hinge on the case behind the iPad, just allows for way too much swing.
Buy Mophie Workbook for iPad - Black Now
I got my iPad not too long after they had come out. Apple was sold out of their cases (the one I really wanted). So, I settled for a Macally BOOKSTAND Protective Case and Stand for iPad case instead. While the MacAlly case was OK, I never really liked the bookstand function of it because it is actually fairly difficult to set up. The case is thin (which is a good and a bad thing) and while the feel of it was OK. I was concerned about it picking up dirt/oil from my hands with its faux suede feel.
The Mophie Workbook for iPad became available to me through the Amazon Vine program. I was toying with the idea of replacing the MacAlly with a genuine Apple case. But, I wasn't sure if it was worth the money. So, I jumped at the opportunity to try the Morphie for free and I'm glad I did.
The Mophie case is made of an animal friendly faux leather. Imitation leathers are getting so good these days it's hard to tell the difference and in addition it this product being "animal friendly", in a device like this I'd prefer the durability of the faux leather to real leather anyway. I did get the case in white. But, I'm confident that I'll be able to clean it should it get dirty. The iPad slips into the case easily. And, more importantly, it slips out easily. Mophie says you can charge and sync the iPad while in the case and you can. But, I bought a business card holder that I use as a stand when I charge my iPad and the case won't fit into that stand. So, I remove the iPad to charge it. However, since the Mophie case is so easy to use as a stand. I might just stop removing it to charge it. The case is pretty thick which is both a pro and a con. The thickness gives me the confidence that the iPad is protected from dropssomewhat. But, one of the things I love about the iPad is how thin it is. The case makes it about three times its thickness. So, when I'm just sitting on the couch, many times I'll slip the iPad out of the case. The Mophie Workbook does have a very nice soft feel to it though and the faux leather has just a slight bit of tackiness which makes it feel really good and secure in your hands. The case also has a very nice, easy to use closure on it. A simple gray elastic band slips over the front cover to hold it closed. Nothing elaborate and nothing that will break.
The best thing about the Mophie Workbook for iPad though has to be the versatility and ease of use of the stand function. One of my little peeves with the MacAlly case is the front cover bent in half. The break in the cover was the way you actually use the case as a stand. It didn't really effect the functionality of the case. I just didn't like that feel whenever I opened up the case. The Mophie has the break in the back. So, you don't get that every time you open it. More importantly though, the Mophie uses a velcro system so the front cover becomes the base and the iPad can be set at any angle from very low to just about 90 degrees upright for viewing on a tabletop. I was using my iPad as a cookbook a couple of days ago and discovered that the Mophie Workbook will also hold the iPad vertically. So, I used it to hold my recipe while I was working in the kitchen. It was a little of an awkward angle since it holds it completely upright. But, it was an undocumented "feature" that I thought was pretty cool.
Another just slight knock against the Mophie Workbook is the sleep switch at the upper right hand of the iPad is just a little hard for me to get to while the iPad is in the case. It's something I'll have to get used to. But, once I do, I'm sure it'll be fine.
Pros-
Good quality construction
Nice feel in the hand
Easy to use as stand
Infinite viewing angles when used as stand
"Animal friendly" faux leather
Provides some padding for iPad in case of falls
Stylish
Cons-
Makes iPad about three times as thick
Sleep switch on iPad is a little recessed from top of case
The Mophie Workbook for iPad is a little on the expensive side. But, I would easily choose it over the case I had previously in spite of its bulk. I haven't had the opportunity to have my hands on the Apple case. But, I think I would like this one better than that one, too. So, even though it is more expensive, I would recommend it.
Read Best Reviews of Mophie Workbook for iPad - Black Here
iPad is by far one of my favorite electronic devices. I've used iPod touch and iPhone for several years before getting the iPad, so I was familiar with iOS and I was aware of the limitations of a small-scale media device. iPad is an ideal device for browsing the web and casually enjoying rich media content. However, due to its much larger size as compared to other handheld devices it also feels much more susceptible to scratches and other damages. Keeping that in mind, it becomes absolutely essential to buy a protective case in order to fully protect your iPad. Morphie's workbook is one of the best such cases, and just like other higher end iPad cases it doubles as a stand. This greatly improves its functionality.
One of my favorite things about Morphie's workbook is its design. It is made out of sturdy, elegant faux leather, and when fully closed it looks like a high quality personal journal. The faux leather is also very easy to clean and maintain, and although my case is white I don't feel apprehensive of it getting the "dirty" look over the prolonged use.
The inner case that actually holds the iPad is soft yet form-fitting. It was actually a bit of a challenge to insert my iPad in its proper place, but once it was inside the iPad fit very snuggly and there was no unwanted jiggling. The soft padding on the back provides extra cushioning and protection, although I would not trust this case to protect the iPad from a major drop.
The case is very well designed and all of the ports and controls are fully accessible. You can turn your iPad on and off, adjust the volume, or charge it without ever having to remove it from this case. In fact the only occasion that I can imagine that you would want to take your iPad out of this case would be for the purposes of thorough cleaning.
As mentioned earlier, this case doubles as a stand for your iPad. The small Velcro fasteners enable iPad to be positioned under any viewing angle. The stand unfortunately only works in the landscape mode, but that doesn't seem to be much of a problem as most of the purposes that I would want a stand for my iPad require it to be in a landscape mode.
I was a bit apprehensive about adding extra bulk to my iPad when I use it as a reading device. However, this stand feels incredibly good when held, and the extra thickness actually feels more comfortable as my writs don't feel too cramped any more.
Overall, this is an incredibly stylish, functional and durable iPad case and I would recommend it as one of the best designed iPad accessories out there.
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I am a very regular iPad user. As such, I have trialed many case and carrier combinations. This morphie represents my trials with the 'portfolio' school of thought of ipad carriers. as it turns out, i decided not to go with a 'portfolio' style solution for my ipad use, but even if i did, i'd rate this just 'ok.' Thw quality is fine, but nothing spectacular better than the cheapest chinese junk to be sure, but not so nice that you'd impress anybody. it looks like something which you'd buy at officemax for $20, or $9.99 on sale. the material is reasonably stiff, and while it certainly provides some protection to an ipad (which actually need far less than people, including myself, instinctually think), it's not as nice as my preferred solultion (see last paragaph). however, it does take up less space than m preferred solution.
if you use an ipad in a work environment and you are one of the few people who don't habitually pass the ipad to other people, then this may be ok. but in general, it looks like something wit too many 'moving' parts that will get dirty and wear out quickly. i use the ipad for watching movies, too,and the way this morphie has a built in stand is ok, but for me i'd just as soon hold the thing. i have yet to be in a location where if i do want to stand the thing up to watch a movieat a distance, i can't find some small object nearby that will do the trick.
if i wanted a portfolio type thing, i'd spring fror one of the 'expensive' ones with nice brown genuine leather. and i'd want one that zips up completely (though there are few of those).
after some experimentation, i have concluded that the portfolio school is not for me. thest folder style things are just not useful for the sort of real life use for my ipad. rather, i have gone to a 3 pronged approach of a sheet of protective film for the front glass (everybody should have this), a rubber-esqe guard for the back not very sleek, but protects well and gives a good holding surface), and a neoprene netbook pouch (with suitcase like handles) to carry the thing provides protection, is handy to carry, and has a pocket for connection cable / power block and cleaning sham).
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The mophie looks good, even stitches, my is bright orange and has a chemical smell
that has yet to go away. The orange color is nice when looking for your iPad in a bag or
on a table full of books and such. I wanted to try this one for it's multiple positioning,
which for me is it's best quality, making it easy to use almost anywhere even on your
lap. It adjust by sticking with Velcro. I give it 5 star for that feature. It is a bit bulky as I
am comparing it to my original apple case which I love, I just needed more screen
adjusting abilities which again is what I love about the mophie. I do wish the interior
frame was black because if the iPad is loose it goes crooked and that's a distraction for
me. The reason it can go crooked is there is one small Velcro that holds the iPad in the
case allowing it to wobble. I give it a 3 star because of smell and the wobble even
though I love the screen adjustment, I won't be giving up my original apple case anytime
soon.
