Hands On Review: Miniot Cover Arrived (UK)

[MaxusHastings]

Hey Guys & Gals,

Today the miniot cover i ordered arrived for my iPad 2 and i know theres been lots of chat on the forums about it as well as speculation to the authenticity of their order process. So thought i would share a quick hands-on.

I ordered this back on the 28/03/2011 and it arrived today, by fedex. Miniot were very good with keeping me posted with details and delays (their were 2 in total, but no biggy). It was finally shipped on the 26/04/2011 and arrived 2 Days later, not too bad!

Below are the snapshots i grabbed quickly before going off to play with it:

The Packaging
The packaging looks really sleek, its a nice black box with the miniot design on the front of the cover and back, very minimal and to the point. No crazy stickers or labels to be seen here!

Its Guts
The inside of the box simply has the wooden cover and a details sheet on its use, assurances on the source of wood used and a warranty details. Again all this is kept very minimal and sleek, no over the top stuff here.

The Cover Itself
It looks stunning, it really does. The quality and feel of the wood is nice and looks great on the iPad. It does come in lots of difference shades and colours, i went for the walnut in the end. It is a shy bit thicker than the official "Smart Cover" apple offer, but this is wood guys, you would expect that.

It is a little stiff and rigid to start off with (such as curling it around) but a bit of wear will see that right. The only real gripe i have is that there are no "Side Latches" which hold the case on, so actually have to take it off to use its "Stand" features. So far its not been too much of an inconvenience...will have to see how it goes over the next few days as to how much of a difference this makes over the apple smart cover.

Trigger Happy
Just a few snappies for you all to ogle over

Summary
I really need to play with this for a few days and see what i make over it vs the Apple Smart Covers. So far though i am really digging the look and feel over this cover, but as we know there has to be solid functionality behind the aesthetics in order for it to be usable in the real world. Give me a week and if people are interested i will come back

Cheers,

Maxus

 

[therock1111]

I think you have the same issues that I do (but at a lesser degree) when you look at the edges, it doesn't line up.

Your second picture after trigger happy, you can see at the edge, that the pieces are slightly elevated or depressed. i.e. it's not a straight horizontal line.

 

[fireman13]

Sounds good, I look forward to hearing an updated review.

 

[MaxusHastings]

I think you have the same issues that I do (but at a lesser degree) when you look at the edges, it doesn't line up.

Your second picture after trigger happy, you can see at the edge, that the pieces are slightly elevated or depressed. i.e. it's not a straight horizontal line.

Hey TheRock

Good call, i had not noticed that yet. I had ignored some elements of that due to the nature of the wood and the fact that over time it will "Loosen" anyway.

How are you finding yours so far anyway?

Cheers,

Maxus

 

[therock1111]

I sent mine back for a replacement (Check the other Miniot thread). I paid shipping of about $14.40 and Miniot has indicated that they would reimburse my shipping costs. Customer service has been good so far.

I had a severe case where my pieces were really elevated and depressed and really didn't look like a straight line (check page 6 or 7 on the other Miniot thread).

Lots of wow factor, only if they had made it perfect the first time... but I'm looking forward to the replacement

 

[MaxusHastings]

I sent mine back for a replacement (Check the other Miniot thread). I paid shipping of about $14.40 and Miniot has indicated that they would reimburse my shipping costs. Customer service has been good so far.

I had a severe case where my pieces were really elevated and depressed and really didn't look like a straight line (check page 6 or 7 on the other Miniot thread).

Lots of wow factor, only if they had made it perfect the first time... but I'm looking forward to the replacement

What a shame, sorry to hear that

Sounds they have their Customer service in order which is always a bonus, right? Hopefully the replacement will be much better for you and you can get down to enjoying the actually product. Will keep an eye on mine and see how it pans out over the next few days....

 

[therock1111]

What a shame, sorry to hear that

Sounds they have their Customer service in order which is always a bonus, right? Hopefully the replacement will be much better for you and you can get down to enjoying the actually product. Will keep an eye on mine and see how it pans out over the next few days....

For sure, customer service is very important. I will wait to judge the replacement cover. Cheers, and give us an update later on, about your thoughts on the usability etc.

 

[dhemp]

Snap to back

Maxus,

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to hearing how you like your cover after a few days use.

Quick question. No one has confirmed if the cover does in fact 'snap' to the back of the iPad for 'convenient handheld reading', as is described and illustrated on the details sheet above the 'Made in Holland' text. Can you confirm if the cover can function in this way, with the ultrasuede lining facing/against the back of the iPad?

I've seen a few reviewers attempt to snap the cover to the back by placing the wooden side of the cover against the iPad, which results in confusion of the on/off magnet. (Though this doesn't really surprise me, as this isn't how Miniot suggests you use the cover.) Just curious if it would work (as advertised) when turned around.

Thanks in advance.

 

[songmeesay]

Maxus,

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to hearing how you like your cover after a few days use.

Quick question. No one has confirmed if the cover does in fact 'snap' to the back of the iPad for 'convenient handheld reading', as is described and illustrated on the details sheet above the 'Made in Holland' text. Can you confirm if the cover can function in this way, with the ultrasuede lining facing/against the back of the iPad?

I've seen a few reviewers attempt to snap the cover to the back by placing the wooden side of the cover against the iPad, which results in confusion of the on/off magnet. (Though this doesn't really surprise me, as this isn't how Miniot suggests you use the cover.) Just curious if it would work (as advertised) when turned around.

Thanks in advance.

I would like to see this too. It seems all the video reviews on YouTube nobody has actually placed this behind the iPad correctly. It shows on the Miniot paperwork right there in the boxing and on their site that the ultrasuede lining side is supposed to be touching the back of the iPad, not the wood side.

 

[firoze]

@MaxusHastings

Hi, now that you've had the cover for two months, can you tell us how you are getting on with it? I'm interested in buying the same Walnut one like yours so was wondering if you've had issues with it...

 

[MaxusHastings]

Hi Guys,

Sorry for the delay in getting back, as with most things in life...i got distracted and forgot about this. However let me catchup. Remember these are -my- opinions on the product, not a "one size fits all" review.

I am an active guy and spend most of my time on my feet, between meetings, at the gym, traveling long distances, etc. So the case does get put through its paces, but not everyone will be like me.

Overall Thoughts
This is a cracking case, it looks good, feels good and certainly gains attention when out and about with people. It made solidly and has been thrown around ALLOT and is still in one piece with no mis-alignment, the magnets still work just fine and theres no scratches, dents or obvious signs of abuse which is awesome.

The Bad Stuff
So lets start off with the negatives, the case has a few subtle flaws which do drive me a bit nuts, but then to be fair i was expecting these so it didn't come as a huge surprise:

• There is no-where to put the case when you take it off if your say, standing up and talking to someone. Often i get stopped and asked for my "meeting availability" when on client sites…i whip the iPad out, slide the case off and…hold it.
• If you hold the case behind the iPad while holding it (as mentioned in my example case above) the iPad will enter sleep mode…a little frustraiting, but expected i guess?
• The Case can easily side off the screen when traveling, if its in my laptop bag and i am running about a fair bit (anyone whos been on the london underground knows EXACTLY what i mean here!!) then the case can slip from the screen.
• The back of the iPad does remain exposed. Hwoever i tried to combat that with @wrapsol…not a good idea, but thats for another review!

The Verdict
Overall i still stand by my previous points, the case looks and feels great, it has that elegant and sleep look that the iPad commands of an accessory. The "Bad Stuff" mentioned above is what i experienced in my lifestyle and most of them may easily be overcome.

I still use the case every day, both professionally and personally, however i had to admit i am on the look out for another one. The few minor bits mentioned above sadly over-shadow the great sleek highlights it has.

Is this case for everyone? No, its not. If you are the "in doors" type who spends most of their time at a desk at work (your own or meetings rooms say) or sat on your couch at home i should imagine this case would be fine. However if you are the type who runs around a little more and expects a balance of form and function then i think you may struggle with this case.

Hope that helps and sorry for the delay!

Maxus

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I would like to see this too. It seems all the video reviews on YouTube nobody has actually placed this behind the iPad correctly. It shows on the Miniot paperwork right there in the boxing and on their site that the ultrasuede lining side is supposed to be touching the back of the iPad, not the wood side.

Hi Guys - The case doesn't "Snap" onto the back unfortunately meaning if you remove it while out and about you are forced to hold it

However they did this to retain the aesthetic look of the case and the iPad which does look GREAT, but is designed for certain use. Check my summary above!

Cheers,

Maxus

 

[firoze]

^ Thanks for the update, glad to hear more about the Miniot...
Regarding the iPad shutting off if you hold the Miniot against the back, are you holding it with the broadest piece of wood on the headphone jack side of the iPad (as shown in the pic on the Miniot Support page? I would have assumed that Miniot would engineer the cover so that it would not shut off the iPad inadvertently...