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iPad Poetic Thinshell - iPad Air

TWO2SEVEN

TWO2SEVEN

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 27, 2010
3,531
741
Plano, TX
Ordered this on the 3rd, finally got it yesterday. Note: Ordered from Amazon, not Poetic so it's not their fault.

Pros:
  • Totally clear, not frosted clear.
  • Thin, doesn't add much bulk
  • Light
  • Fits well
  • Covers corners
  • Cut out for Smart Cover

Cons:
  • Seems like it will scratch easily, but that is better than the iPad scratching
  • No magnet to hold the Smart Cover open (I knew this when I ordered so it's no big deal).
    EDIT: If it position it just right the Smart Cover will "stick" to the back like it did without the back cover.
  • There is one tiny black speck on the inside of it that I can't get off. Again, not a big deal.

Overall it was worth the $4.95 I paid for it. I will likely find something with a magnet as more cases are released, but this will do for now.





The black speck! ;)



 
Last edited:
I want to go with this combination as well. The fact that it doesn't have a magnet to hold the smart cover open is fine because for me the whole idea of this combo is to take the smart cover off when using it to keep the iPad as light as possible. My only question is that I wonder which is a better choice .... the Poetic or the i-Blason......

http://www.amazon.com/i-Blason-Apple-Compatible-SoftGel-Included/dp/B00FN58EXW/ref=pd_sim_pc_2

The i-blazon weighs 6.4 ounces but Amazon doesn't show what the weight of the Poetic is.
 
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itsjustmeee said:
I want to go with this combination as well. The fact that it doesn't have a magnet to hold the smart cover open is fine because for me the whole idea of this combo is to take the smart cover off when using it to keep the iPad as light as possible. My only question is that I wonder which is a better choice .... the Poetic or the i-Blason......

http://www.amazon.com/i-Blason-Apple-Compatible-SoftGel-Included/dp/B00FN58EXW/ref=pd_sim_pc_2

The i-blazon weighs 6.4 ounces but Amazon doesn't show what the weight of the Poetic is.
Click to expand...

I had both on my list, I decided to go with the Poetic for no other reason than the fact that it was $0.01 plus $4.95 for shipping. :D
 
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TWO2SEVEN said:
I had both on my list, I decided to go with the Poetic for no other reason than the fact that it was $0.01 plus $4.95 for shipping. :D
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm leaning in that direction as well although the Poetic is now up to a whopping $2.95 plus shipping. I have Amazon prime so that narrows the price between both of them to around $7 difference. I would just like to see or hear of some sort of comparison between the two.


edit...
I actually just watched a youtube video review of the Poetic thinshell of the ipad mini and it looks like it's not truly compatible with the smart cover. In the video it shows that the case covers the flap so that the smart cover can't be easily removed. Here's the link....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH8swwYyvkQ

It this the same for the ipad air poetic as well?
 
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itsjustmeee said:
Yeah, I'm leaning in that direction as well although the Poetic is now up to a whopping $2.95 plus shipping. I have Amazon prime so that narrows the price between both of them to around $7 difference. I would just like to see or hear of some sort of comparison between the two.


edit...
I actually just watched a youtube video review of the Poetic thinshell of the ipad mini and it looks like it's not truly compatible with the smart cover. In the video it shows that the case covers the flap so that the smart cover can't be easily removed. Here's the link....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH8swwYyvkQ

It this the same for the ipad air poetic as well?
Click to expand...

that would be dissapointing
 
RTbar said:
that would be dissapointing
Click to expand...

The more I look into it and watch youtube reviews, it seems that most of the clear shell backs for the ipad air all "hold" the smart cover in place with the flaps underneath it so it just can't be easily pulled off.

From the description on Amazon, here's the only 2 that I can find that might not...

http://www.amazon.com/TeckNet-Slim-...words=ipad+air+clear+back+case#productDetails

http://www.amazon.com/LK-Compatible...064&sr=1-14&keywords=ipad+air+clear+back+case
 
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itsjustmeee said:
Yeah, I'm leaning in that direction as well although the Poetic is now up to a whopping $2.95 plus shipping. I have Amazon prime so that narrows the price between both of them to around $7 difference. I would just like to see or hear of some sort of comparison between the two.


edit...
I actually just watched a youtube video review of the Poetic thinshell of the ipad mini and it looks like it's not truly compatible with the smart cover. In the video it shows that the case covers the flap so that the smart cover can't be easily removed. Here's the link....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH8swwYyvkQ

It this the same for the ipad air poetic as well?
Click to expand...

RTbar said:
that would be dissapointing
Click to expand...

It does not keep the Smart Cover from coming off. Check out the last picture in my first post. :)

----------
rgarjr said:
Those clear shells do get scratched so easily but it's expected. Also any little debris will show through.
Click to expand...

Yep. I addressed both of those in my first post.

This is just temporary, it will due for $4.95 shipped. :)
 
Cracks me up! I'm like you all-- but what's with us searching for the cheapest iPad cases/covers when we've spent $500-800+ on our iPads?

Seems silly to me, yet I still hunt for the bargain cases.

I suppose it's because even the more $$ ones have just as many problems… so why spend more for the same aggravations?!
 
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As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
itsjustmeee said:
This back shell ......

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Shield...id=1385747512&sr=8-5&keywords=Belkin+ipad+air

Looks like the most durable option as far as I can tell. I think it would be less prone to scratches and it looks like it's compatible with a Smart Cover. And on top of that, it's gone down $10 in price from just a couple of days ago.

Does anyone have this yet and can chime in on it?
Click to expand...

the differences in these cases does not justify the higher prices some of these companies charge. The actual level of protection you get from the Poetic vs. the Belkin case is about the same. The Belkin may be trimmed nicer and have better packaging but at the end of the day, the Poetic is going to offer the same level of protection. Which is to keep scratched and dents off your iPad.
 
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pat park said:
the differences in these cases does not justify the higher prices some of these companies charge. The actual level of protection you get from the Poetic vs. the Belkin case is about the same. The Belkin may be trimmed nicer and have better packaging but at the end of the day, the Poetic is going to offer the same level of protection. Which is to keep scratched and dents off your iPad.
Click to expand...

I agree that most of these cases are basically alike and it's just a name brand vs a knock-off but the thing that interested me about the $19 Belkin as opposed to the Poetic was that it looks like a different type of plastic which wouldn't show scratches as quickly. It's more of a frosted clear ... and it's very thin. There's a good YouTube review of it which shows this in more detail.
 
itsjustmeee said:
I agree that most of these cases are basically alike and it's just a name brand vs a knock-off but the thing that interested me about the $19 Belkin as opposed to the Poetic was that it looks like a different type of plastic which wouldn't show scratches as quickly. It's more of a frosted clear ... and it's very thin. There's a good YouTube review of it which shows this in more detail.
Click to expand...

I'm not too worried if the case gets scratched. Better the case is scratched as opposed to the iPad. I just can't justify paying $20+ on a thin plastic case. I've purchased so many cases for all of the iPads I've owned and realized that the cheaper ones work just fine. I used a $1.99 case for my iPad mini and it worked perfectly. If I were to add up all the money I've spent on cases and accessories for iPhones, iPads and my Macs, it would be a small fortune.
 
pat park said:
the differences in these cases does not justify the higher prices some of these companies charge. The actual level of protection you get from the Poetic vs. the Belkin case is about the same. The Belkin may be trimmed nicer and have better packaging but at the end of the day, the Poetic is going to offer the same level of protection. Which is to keep scratched and dents off your iPad.
Click to expand...

Quoted for truth. Ever since I started shopping on Amazon and eBay for cases, I never turned back to those expensive Apple/other name brand cases again since the tablet/smart phone market is booming now. There are some very high quality ones out there that sell for cheap.
 
itsjustmeee said:
I agree that most of these cases are basically alike and it's just a name brand vs a knock-off but the thing that interested me about the $19 Belkin as opposed to the Poetic was that it looks like a different type of plastic which wouldn't show scratches as quickly. It's more of a frosted clear ... and it's very thin. There's a good YouTube review of it which shows this in more detail.
Click to expand...

I had the Belkin on my 3rd gen. It has more grip than the Poetic but still shows signs of wear. Mine started to yellow quite a bit. It's a good back cover, but I don't think it was worth the $30.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
EDIT: If it position it just right the Smart Cover will "stick" to the back like it did without the back cover.
 
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