Yeah I think so. Unless I have a huge change of heart this week I'm going to return the canvas and keep the CEO hybrid. It's a really tough decision though, because they both have their pluses and minus. Ultimately the thing that swayed me to the CEO is the extra thinness. The iPad 2 is designed to be thin, so I wanna keep it that way as much as possible.
I will discuss my pro's and con's of the ceo hybrid compared to the switcheasy canvas.
CEO hybrid - Pros
- Thinner design- again this is what was the deciding factor for me. It's maybe only a couple mm thinner, but remember the iPad 2 is only about 4mm thinner than the original. This is especially noticable when opened in book form. The switcheasy has more protection with it's hardcover case, but I think it is a bit overkill and unnecessary. I'm going to treat my iPad with care regardless.
- lighter- not a whole lot, but I can notice it, and every ounce is meaningful
- all landscape positions are on one side- meaning I don't ever need to flip my iPad 180 to switch between viewing and typing positions. The switcheasy needs to flip back and forth, but I would just tend to get lazy and try to type on a viewing postion or just keep it at the low typing position.
- handstrap- probably my second favorite aspect of this case. It feels comfortable to leave my hand in there to hold it. I do have a concern that it will stretch out over time and "droop". It droops after each extended use, but thus far has always gone back to a tightened position eventually
- preferred viewing angles- All 3 of the switcheasy viewing angles are pretty upright. In fact I don't think I every used the 2 most upright positions the couple weeks I used it. IMO the CEO hybrid has the right 3 positions for movie watching, browsing, and typing.
cons
- The corner clasps- it takes considerable more effort to pop out the corners for stand positions compared to the velcro of the switcheasy. I've been trying to work them out, but so far haven't changed much. not a huge turnoff because I don't tend to do it much anymore, and when I do it's only a minor inconvenience. The velcro is superior, but causes extra bulk which is bad (or involves desecrating the iPad with velcro which is also bad)
- The closing clasps- Ok, the clasp on the canvas was really hard to close and annoying at first, but now I think I actually prefer it to the CEO hybrid. I think it was the combination of break-in and technique adjustment (on the canvas I press my thumb a couple inches from the edge and slide out. It closes easily with this method). The CEO hybrid has a clasp on the top edge and the bottom edge. Whenever I close the case one of the clasps usually closes (usually the top one), then I need to check the other one and close it. But I never know which one (if any) actually clasp properly so every time I close it I need to check each individually and close each appropriately. When I close the canvas, its closed. But this one needs some fiddling to make sure it's closed all the way. I wish it would incorporate stronger magnets (a la smart cover) and not need any kind of clasp.
- unstable stand positions- the grooves are deep, but this iPad 2 has some curvy edges... On a table the stand works great, but on a lap with some moving around it can pop out fairly easily. That's a great thing about the Canvas. The hard cover case has feet on it that keep it stable. Although where the CEO tends to fall down, the canvas tends to fall "up" (because the crease on the back tries to move flat). Also, the CEO typing position has some bounce to it, which is a bit of a turn off.
- smudges- the shiny cover keeps fingerprints and smudges easier than the canvas, although my canvas has started to acquire some fingerprints. These can rub off, but it's not worth it to get fingerprints on it again 5 seconds later. Just a minor cosmedic annoyance
- not versatile- this isn't really a con of the CEO hybrid so much as a pro of the canvas. With the canvas, in addition to the 3 viewing postions you can create a bunch of alternative positions due to the flap having a crease. I have created 3 typing positions and an alternative viewing position. Additionally you can easily take pictures while holding the iPad in one hand
So there you have it. Of course a lot of that is just subjective opinion. In all both cases are great, and I could honestly use either. In an ideal world, I would want a CEO hybrid-like case but with strong magnets to hold it closed, a more canvas-like material to repel fingerprints, and easier to pop out corners.
but all my points above are still valid