EDIT: I updated the post with three more pics at the bottom after manually white balancing my camera. Those pictures are more representative of the leather color.
I recently received my Chinao Wheat for the new iPad and thought I’d share some initial impressions.
Some Background:
I’ve purchased every iPad on launch day and probably spent upwards of $500 since that time on different cases. Well…I’ve really spent most of that money since the launch of the iPad 2 and the death of the original iPad case. To me, the original case was perfect. It was sleek, looked good, provided basic protection, and added almost zero bulk. But for whatever reason…nobody every truly replicated that formula for the iPad 2. Everything was either made out of imitation leather (or even real leather), or made it prop up into a folio stand, or added a wide bezel, or added some stupid stretchy band…but at the end of the day, there was just no equal. After buying everything from a Vaja to a Yoobao, I stumbled up on the Chinao Wheat and fell in love. It wasn’t quite the original iPad case…but to me, it was just as good in its own way. It felt expensive, stayed low profile, provided some protection, and looked fantastic. So when my new iPad arrived, I had always just assumed that I would force my new iPad into the old Chinao Wheat and be happy…but alas, while it fit okay, the magnets didn’t operate the sleep/wake function…so I placed a preorder for the new Chinao Wheat as soon as I could…it just came in…
What’s New
The rear flap that holds back the front cover has been redesigned. Instead of the large crescent, we now have a small rectangular piece of leather to hold back the front cover. All-in-all, I think this is a good design move. The previous crescent flap was huge and was starting to get loose after 6 months of use. The new design seems that it will last longer and endure more pain. It’s also a bit easier to manipulate one handed.
The body is, of course, a bit deeper to accommodate the added depth of the new iPad. Nothing surprising here.
The small Chinao metal button that was on the bottom right of the front flap has been removed. Take it or leave it, I don’t really have an opinion on it being gone.
My Thoughts
I love this case. To me, it’s just about the best case you can buy for any dollar amount…and as I said previously, I’ve owned most of them all. The leather feels nice and looks fantastic. It has a subdued elegance about its look that doesn’t demand it be flashy in order to draw attention. I can’t tell you guys how many comments and questions I would get about my old Chinao Wheat from people wanting to know where I got it and how much it cost. The inner suede that forms the bezel is thin and firm allowing your iPad to be the center of attention when the case is laid open…instead of the case drawing your eye.
The fit of the case remains excellent. The iPad is held very snuggly inside with zero slipping around. There are cutouts where you would expect them including for the top microphone and they all line up well. Folding the front cover around to the back doesn’t accidentally trip the sleep/wake like some other model cases would.
At the end of the day, it’s really “to each his own”. Different people value different things in a case, so my needs are certainly not yours…but for me, this is just about right. After a lot of money and a lot of time, I eventually found my perfect case about half way through my iPad 2’s life, and I’m happy to say that I won’t be repeating that cycle with the new iPad. If you’re looking for something similar, I couldn’t recommend the Chinao Wheat any more.
(I ordered my case through ******* [dot] com…I think Macrumors is going to blank out what I just wrote for some reason…but I can tell you that this guys is absolutely fantastic to deal with. He’s responded to all my emails promptly and personally and provided me with constant feedback until my case shipped. He’s the primary US dealer for the Chinao Wheat and the guy you’ll be buying from if you just go to eBay instead. Just google “Chinao Wheat new ipad” and he is the first site that pops up. Huge thanks to Kevin!)
EDIT: Added some pics
I recently received my Chinao Wheat for the new iPad and thought I’d share some initial impressions.
Some Background:
I’ve purchased every iPad on launch day and probably spent upwards of $500 since that time on different cases. Well…I’ve really spent most of that money since the launch of the iPad 2 and the death of the original iPad case. To me, the original case was perfect. It was sleek, looked good, provided basic protection, and added almost zero bulk. But for whatever reason…nobody every truly replicated that formula for the iPad 2. Everything was either made out of imitation leather (or even real leather), or made it prop up into a folio stand, or added a wide bezel, or added some stupid stretchy band…but at the end of the day, there was just no equal. After buying everything from a Vaja to a Yoobao, I stumbled up on the Chinao Wheat and fell in love. It wasn’t quite the original iPad case…but to me, it was just as good in its own way. It felt expensive, stayed low profile, provided some protection, and looked fantastic. So when my new iPad arrived, I had always just assumed that I would force my new iPad into the old Chinao Wheat and be happy…but alas, while it fit okay, the magnets didn’t operate the sleep/wake function…so I placed a preorder for the new Chinao Wheat as soon as I could…it just came in…
What’s New
The rear flap that holds back the front cover has been redesigned. Instead of the large crescent, we now have a small rectangular piece of leather to hold back the front cover. All-in-all, I think this is a good design move. The previous crescent flap was huge and was starting to get loose after 6 months of use. The new design seems that it will last longer and endure more pain. It’s also a bit easier to manipulate one handed.
The body is, of course, a bit deeper to accommodate the added depth of the new iPad. Nothing surprising here.
The small Chinao metal button that was on the bottom right of the front flap has been removed. Take it or leave it, I don’t really have an opinion on it being gone.
My Thoughts
I love this case. To me, it’s just about the best case you can buy for any dollar amount…and as I said previously, I’ve owned most of them all. The leather feels nice and looks fantastic. It has a subdued elegance about its look that doesn’t demand it be flashy in order to draw attention. I can’t tell you guys how many comments and questions I would get about my old Chinao Wheat from people wanting to know where I got it and how much it cost. The inner suede that forms the bezel is thin and firm allowing your iPad to be the center of attention when the case is laid open…instead of the case drawing your eye.
The fit of the case remains excellent. The iPad is held very snuggly inside with zero slipping around. There are cutouts where you would expect them including for the top microphone and they all line up well. Folding the front cover around to the back doesn’t accidentally trip the sleep/wake like some other model cases would.
At the end of the day, it’s really “to each his own”. Different people value different things in a case, so my needs are certainly not yours…but for me, this is just about right. After a lot of money and a lot of time, I eventually found my perfect case about half way through my iPad 2’s life, and I’m happy to say that I won’t be repeating that cycle with the new iPad. If you’re looking for something similar, I couldn’t recommend the Chinao Wheat any more.
(I ordered my case through ******* [dot] com…I think Macrumors is going to blank out what I just wrote for some reason…but I can tell you that this guys is absolutely fantastic to deal with. He’s responded to all my emails promptly and personally and provided me with constant feedback until my case shipped. He’s the primary US dealer for the Chinao Wheat and the guy you’ll be buying from if you just go to eBay instead. Just google “Chinao Wheat new ipad” and he is the first site that pops up. Huge thanks to Kevin!)
EDIT: Added some pics
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