Review by Michael B. Elness for Otterbox APL2-iPAD1-20-C4OTR iPad Defender Series Case
Rating:
After my wife bought me an iPad and I cradled its sleek aluminum and glass body in my hands, I knew that finding a protective case for it was of paramount importance. But rather than jumping into the arduous task of researching the dizzying array of available iPad cases, I already had an idea where to look: OtterBox. My wife and I have both protected our iPhone 3GS’s in the company’s iPhone Defender cases for over a year and have been very happy with the results. Even after numerous accidental drops, our Defender-clad iPhones look like new underneath their “armor”.

And fortunately, a quick check of the OtterBox web site revealed that the company did, in fact, offer a Defender series case for the iPad. Nearly ninety bucks and just over a week later, I am happy to report that OtterBox’s Defender case for iPad is everything I had hoped it would be. At $89.95, this case is certainly one of the more expensive iPad case options available, but in my opinion, it is well worth the investment. I do have a minor quibble with the included instructions, but it is far outweighed by the product’s overall quality, sheer durability, and style.

Contents:

The iPad Defender product includes a black high-impact polycarbonate shell, a separate black polycarbonate shield, a silicone outer skin, and a self-adhesive protective film. Other items include a microfiber cleaning cloth and a stiff scraper tool for applying the protective film to your iPad screen.

Packaging:

After opening the box, you find your Defender case nestled in a recyclable cardboard tray, along with a packet containing instructions and the other items included with the product. The utilitarian packaging does not quite provide the unboxing experience you’d have with an Apple product, but it suits its purpose well. Fortunately, the packaging is devoid of any unnecessary plastic or other packing material, so it’s as environmentally friendly as possible.

Instructions:

Rather than providing written instructions in English and other languages, OtterBox included numbered illustrations printed inside the packet. One set of instructions illustrates how to apply the protective film, while another set illustrates how to remove the silicone skin, open the case, install the iPad, and close the whole thing back up again nice and snug. The packet also includes illustrated instructions for the company’s other iPad case (the Commuter series), but they are clearly labeled as such and will hopefully not confuse any Defender purchasers. I really wish OtterBox had also provided written step-by-step Defender installation instructions, instead of relying solely on illustrations. Even well-executed illustrations (which these certainly are) can sometimes be difficult to understand, and I feel that even a sentence or two for each illustration could have provided better clarity. A web URL printed inside the packet gave me hope that more detailed instructions could be found on the OtterBox web site, but unfortunately the instructions for the iPad Defender case were not yet available on that web page at the time of this review. I’m certain that OtterBox will be rectifying this issue soon.

Installation:

By far, the most tedious part of installing this case is applying the self-adhesive protective film to your iPad’s screen. The illustrated instructions do a fair job of expressing the necessary steps, but the film application could really be helped by accompanying written steps. As I applied the protective film along with its backing and used the scraper tool to smooth out bubbles, I started to get worried because the tool seemed to snag a few times, causing some small kinks which only got worse as I continued trying to gently scrape them to the edge. Fortunately, once I removed the backing from the protective film, I found that the kinks were not in the film itself, but rather in the disposable backing. Whew! The protective film ended up looking nearly perfect on my iPad screen. Removing the silicone skin, opening the polycarbonate case, inserting the iPad, and closing it all up again proved to be much easier.

Product Use:

First and foremost, the Defender case seems to achieve its primary purpose — protecting your iPad — very well. When you’re not using the iPad, you should clip the polycarbonate shield over the iPad screen to provide maximum protection. The shield grips the edges of the case snugly, to help ensure that it doesn’t inadvertently get knocked off. And when you’re actually using your iPad, the shield has a retractable built-in stand which will set your iPad at a nice viewing angle for desktop or tabletop use. Or if you don’t need the stand and want to hold the iPad while using it, you can simply clip the shield to the back of the case. Doing so will add a little more heft to an already-hefty iPad and case, so you can also just leave the shield off during handheld use as well. To help protect the various iPad ports, the case features integrated silicone plugs which are easy to open and close as necessary. The case also includes a removable access door to allow you to charge your iPad or mount it in a standard iPad dock. However, I did not test the iPad dock capability for this review.

Style:

Let’s face it — you’re not going to buy this case because you’re fashion-conscious. You’re going to buy it because you (like me) want to provide the very best protection for your iPad, without locking it a vault. That notwithstanding, the OtterBox Defender case for iPad is still an attractive case. The iPad Defender is an imposing-but-stylish black polycarbonate and silicone suit of armor which, like its iPhone 3GS Defender little brother, provides a round protected window on the case’s backside to clearly display the Apple logo. When the removable shield is used as a iPad stand, four small black silicone pads provide a secure footing on smooth surfaces. Both the silicone skin and the polycarbonate shield feature subtle checkering at the top and bottom edges to improve grip — a nice touch.

Summary:

The Defender for iPad is likely the best protective case you can get under a hundred bucks. I already feel more comfortable lugging my iPad around, knowing that it will be able to stand up to just about anything I can throw at it (figuratively speaking, of course). With the Defender series case for iPad, OtterBox seems to have covered the bases quite well, offering a well-rounded combination of protection and stylishness.

Review by Genx7 for Otterbox APL2-iPAD1-20-C4OTR iPad Defender Series Case
Rating:
Let me start by saying that this is really a quality product. It feels very solid and ipad feels very secure in it. The fit is also excellent and the screen protector it comes with is good value. It feels like I have a one of those rugged laptops that you can abuse. I took it camping and felt at ease that no harm would come to my ipad. I also felt like that I didn’t need to baby my ipad.

Now the problem with this is that this protection will make the ipad feel bulky and a little heavy espically if you are using it as ebook reader. One must keep this in mind. It’s all about balancing protection and comfort. This case is definitely more towards the protection end.

The downside of this case is that the snap-off access for optional iPad dock doesn’t come with a opening and closing flap for just the port itself.

Everytime one has to charge the ipad, the cover needs to be removed by sliding it out. This becomes annoying after awhile. This leaves an area of the ipad exposed if it happens to fall. Also, even though there is a felt lining inside the cover, I feel sometimes that there is plastic to ipad contact. I need to put it back on slower so it just touches the felt. Why do I do I need to slide it off everytime when I just need access to the port?

Review by Chris for Otterbox APL2-iPAD1-20-C4OTR iPad Defender Series Case
Rating:
Pros

– very durable and protective. A hard cover covered by a thick rubber cover.

– all-in-one. The front cover can be snapped off then onto the back. The cover also has a built in stand.

– I feel very safe with this cover. Drop into any travel bag with confidence. Much more protective than the folios on the market.

– Port covers keep out dust. This includes a cover for the dock port. The removable dock cover is large enough to allow use of the Apple dock charging stand. I do wish it also had a small rubber dock cover for times I only want to expose enough of the port for a cable connection (it will accommodate a cable connection, but bares more iPad than I’d like. On the other hand vie had covers with openings that are too small, which is a bigger problem).

– comes with a protective film for the screen (in addition to the hard cover). The film is easier to apply than others vie tried. The protective film over the protective film protects the permanent film from scratches while using the sqeegy. It also comes with a screen cleaning cloth that I find works very well.

Cons

– heavy. This cover will increasse the weight of the iPad a lot. It feels more like a small laptop now. Bummer.

– the stand has two viewing angles. Many other sat ds provide a slight angle (10 degrees or so). Which is convenient for typing. This unit provides two viewing angles that are steep (about 50 and 70 degrees I would guess)

This cover is perfect for travelers who must go through airports and stow their device in a bag that may be bumped and jostled. It is a great choice for the clumsy too. While I’m not brave enou to risk my iPad, I think it would probably survive being dropped on the sidewalk. I would give much lower odds to other covers.