Exactly. I've had my doubts around the Smart Case that came with my APM's, but for me, in my usage, I very rarely need any case. When at home, I just put the headphones down on my desk or on top of my Ipad. When traveling - I keep them on my head, and in some rare occasions I store them in the Smart Case in my backpack.
I'm not defending Apples choice here - the Smart Case is a poorly designed product. But after almost a year of ownership of the APM's, it's a way less big problem than I expected.