With a new iPad came a new case recently, as I handed my older iPad 2 and its accompanying case to my mother, who is using it quite well on her own. As the title says, the case I got this time is the Moshi Concerti case (link to Moshi store: http://store.moshimonde.com/concerti-for-the-new-ipad-black.html) There are three colors in total - gray, purple and black, and the link I provided is the black one.
First off, my overall impression of this case after a good day's worth of use is that Moshi decided to go crazy on certain aspects while completely abandoning other aspects. I hope my review will show the reasoning behind my impression.
This case is a bit unique compared to other cases in that it doesn't open like a regular book (left-to-right), but more like a Japanese manga (right-to-left). While that in itself may seem odd, this leads to one oddity - the volume buttons and side switch are on the bottom side when folded, as opposed to the top. This makes usage a tad bit inconvenient, but not a dealbreaker (at least not for me).
The lining of the cover is also in a manner that the iPad can be angled in different settings based on personal preference, and you can pull it out completely for a near-flat experience.
Now comes the part that makes me feel like this is a case of the extremes. It is not portrait friendly at all. Most cases' front covers fold back so everything more or less lines up with the iPad's outline, but not this. Trying to read stuff in portrait mode is a tad bit inconvenient, as you can't hold the entire package easily - you have to hold just the part that has the iPad fastened onto it and let everything dangle underneath, or just try to adjust your grip to hold everything. I have small hands, so I opted for the former.
Actually, the case is just not holding-friendly overall. Even if you want to hold the iPad in landscape mode, since the parts don't fold back, you got about 1/3 jutting out underneath the iPad or above the iPad, depending on where you like to have your Home button sided.
Having said that, the thickness and sturdiness makes it very tabletop-friendly. You can set different viewing angles, and unlike most cases, unless you tap the iPad very hard, it won't start sliding down. When I'm at my desk or a coffee shop, I found that feature to be very refreshing, compared to my older case.
The iPad is fastened via a rubber border which overlaps about 1cm across the entire iPad, except the Home button and the FaceTime camera. It was a pain to get the iPad in there, and it is equally a pain to pull it out. That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your viewpoint, but given how the case is not very holding friendly, I consider this to be a good thing - might as well keep it in the case until either the iPad or the case breaks.
Would I recommend it? Depends. If you like to pull your iPad and hold onto it naked every now and then, heck no. You'll go nuts. However, if you like to position it in a certain way and you have very finicky angle taste, then heck yes. Your call
I would love to add pictures, but I think I'll do that tomorrow. In the meantime, if anyone is curious, please leave questions behind, and I shall answer to them.
First off, my overall impression of this case after a good day's worth of use is that Moshi decided to go crazy on certain aspects while completely abandoning other aspects. I hope my review will show the reasoning behind my impression.
This case is a bit unique compared to other cases in that it doesn't open like a regular book (left-to-right), but more like a Japanese manga (right-to-left). While that in itself may seem odd, this leads to one oddity - the volume buttons and side switch are on the bottom side when folded, as opposed to the top. This makes usage a tad bit inconvenient, but not a dealbreaker (at least not for me).
The lining of the cover is also in a manner that the iPad can be angled in different settings based on personal preference, and you can pull it out completely for a near-flat experience.
Now comes the part that makes me feel like this is a case of the extremes. It is not portrait friendly at all. Most cases' front covers fold back so everything more or less lines up with the iPad's outline, but not this. Trying to read stuff in portrait mode is a tad bit inconvenient, as you can't hold the entire package easily - you have to hold just the part that has the iPad fastened onto it and let everything dangle underneath, or just try to adjust your grip to hold everything. I have small hands, so I opted for the former.
Actually, the case is just not holding-friendly overall. Even if you want to hold the iPad in landscape mode, since the parts don't fold back, you got about 1/3 jutting out underneath the iPad or above the iPad, depending on where you like to have your Home button sided.
Having said that, the thickness and sturdiness makes it very tabletop-friendly. You can set different viewing angles, and unlike most cases, unless you tap the iPad very hard, it won't start sliding down. When I'm at my desk or a coffee shop, I found that feature to be very refreshing, compared to my older case.
The iPad is fastened via a rubber border which overlaps about 1cm across the entire iPad, except the Home button and the FaceTime camera. It was a pain to get the iPad in there, and it is equally a pain to pull it out. That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your viewpoint, but given how the case is not very holding friendly, I consider this to be a good thing - might as well keep it in the case until either the iPad or the case breaks.
Would I recommend it? Depends. If you like to pull your iPad and hold onto it naked every now and then, heck no. You'll go nuts. However, if you like to position it in a certain way and you have very finicky angle taste, then heck yes. Your call
I would love to add pictures, but I think I'll do that tomorrow. In the meantime, if anyone is curious, please leave questions behind, and I shall answer to them.