I preordered the zugu through their Amazon storefront and it arrived today. I have a skin on so won’t speak to the overall fit (snug), but the speaker grill placement is just sloppy. I get the feeling they changed the logo on the front and otherwise didn’t update the 11” model.
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Preordered 2021 11” iPP Zugu case arrived…
- Thread starter LadyCiel
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Yeah. I’m bummed. Zugu is generally highly reviewed. Maybe they will revise and re-release it, but I’m not super keen on it for the 60 bucks it set me back.
The fit in Zugu’s photo shows the speaker holes centered in that cutout, so quite misleading I’d say. I bought a Zugu Muse last year for a 12.9 and returned it because I felt their marketing hype and price were much higher than how the case actually felt and worked. (Then 😂 I bought an MK … but that’s another story).
Notice the Zugu photo of the iPad has around 11 speaker holes where the new 11 inch iPad has about eight speaker holes. Looks like an old picture or an older iPad 11.
When I ordered, the site clearly stated the photos were of a prior model but representative of what to expect. Made sense since it was before the iPP ship date. I was optimistic that the precision of prior releases would carry through. Seems they rushed this one.
That’s disappointing. My 12.9 version should arrive by Friday, will see how the speaker holes on it are.
Meanwhile, on Instagram, they are posting about their brand new case “made for” the gen 3 model numbers. Time to see if they delete my reply…
I got a reply from ZUGU. They confirmed the old 11” cases are discontinued and this new one is meant to fit all generations. Premium price for a generic fit, and there isn’t any transparency about it being 1 version for all generations on their site. I am wondering how their competitors are handling the fit differences and how it’s going to shake out in the end.
Such compromises are part of the case business. Other examples are the larger power button cutous to accommodate the Air 4, which are oversized for the Pro, or when the iPhone XS shifted the camera bump, adopted asymmetric bottom openings, and some cases didn't.
Some companies do make an effort o truly tailor their products to a particular model, adhere to all the details, and design to tight tolerances, but that can come back to haunt them when Apple makes minor changes with newer models. They probably curse Apple even more than you do.
It's easier, and cheaper to accept these small compromises, and design for wider compatibility. Most users probably won't even notice, or care.
Some companies do make an effort o truly tailor their products to a particular model, adhere to all the details, and design to tight tolerances, but that can come back to haunt them when Apple makes minor changes with newer models. They probably curse Apple even more than you do.
It's easier, and cheaper to accept these small compromises, and design for wider compatibility. Most users probably won't even notice, or care.
My primary frustration is not that they had to make the compromise. I am irritated at the lack of transparency that amounts to deception by omission. If their “find your model” tool on the website took you to a shared page for a Gen1-3 case, or if it said anywhere on the page that this is what you were getting, I would be less bothered. I could then decide for myself if I was willing to pay the price for that product. Instead, they opted to list it as fitting the very specific list of model numbers for the 3rd gen. The photo shows a precise cutout fit. They achieved that precise look by showing what is probably a gen 2 iPad, without any disclosure of that nor the fit difference.
Looks like the ESR sentry, their copycat of the Zugu, will have the precise cutouts and is stated to fit “only” the gen 3, so I will likely give that one a try when it starts shipping.
I've been a loyal Zugu customer, having bought for the 10.5, 2018 12.9 and now the 2021 12.9, and I agree that they should have been clear on this. Disappointing.
I will give them credit for one thing - I went back and forth with the owner a bit and explained this was the issue. The Amazon listing is now updated to clearly say 2nd/3rd gen in the name and one of the photos. Doesn’t seem to have made it to the main website yet, or at least not the version pulling up on iOS.
I had some back and forth with him in the past and he really seemed a standup guy. I had an issue with a case and they took care of it immediately.
I just ordered two cases for my GF’s iPad Air 4, a Dadanism and a Soke. The Soke was the flimsiest. The Dadanism was better but it was heavy and bulky. I'm thinking about ordering a MoKo case for myself to test out how it would fit an iPad Pro 11. That way I can make sure we both get a decent case since I also upgraded her to a Pro 11.
Of course, both our Apple iPad Air cases lasted six years with very little wear and tear. Hard to beat Apple when it comes to quality, fit and finish. 🤔
Of course, both our Apple iPad Air cases lasted six years with very little wear and tear. Hard to beat Apple when it comes to quality, fit and finish. 🤔
Unfortunately, it's incumbent on the shopper to discern these differences themselves. Marketing materials aren't going to point them out, and the best one could hope for is that they at least provide accurate depictions to permit that. It's normal practice, and has been happening a long time.
Things are even worse when changes are made mid-stream, and not reflected in the materials, or minimally so, with a different model number indicating that some change has occurred (Speck does this). At least in this case the introduction of a new iPad model at least provides some sort of milestone and raise flags.
You may have convinced Zugu to alter their marketing to at least bring some distinction, but since the older version is discontinued, it won't make any difference once that stock is exhausted. There will only a single version, considered compatible for all three generations of the 11", and for most people, that's good enough.