The Case For The Lack Of Leather

Yesterday I spent quite a while browsing online in search for some good iPad Pro accessories (I’ll always refer to the big 12.9″ throughout the article). Specifically, I was looking for some good quality leather cases, as I’m growing more and more frustrated by the Apple silicone case.

My first stop was of course the Apple Online Store. Once you apply the compatibility filter for the big Pro, quite a sad page will be looking back at you.

Yep, this page hasn’t changed at all since November of last year, when the Pro was initially launched on the market. But the worst part of all, is how Apple is actively trolling their customers by showing a banner full of colourful and mixed cases compositions. And then you only get grey or white. That’s pretty bad.

You could also argue that the lack of Smart Connector accessories is pretty bad, but that wasn’t my point of contempt last night.

I was specifically disappointed by the lack of any leather case. I knew Apple didn’t release any new accessories on their store, but I was secretly hoping that somehow, by visiting that page I would’ve suddenly find what I was looking for.

Now, why leather, you ask? It’s because since Apple started introducing their leather accessories, they’ve always been the best on the market and the one and only type of case that I find acceptable for my devices. Every new iPhone immediately goes into a leather case¹ and so my iPad Air had the same treatment. It is undoubtedly a premium and expensive case, but it’s totally worth the extra money.

What I’m still hoping Apple will eventually release their Smart Case. It’s the best case you’ll ever find, don’t even bother wasting your time on Amazon as I did yesterday, trying to find a similar alternative, you won’t. The Smart Case it’s great because it’s thin, but gives full 360° protection with a massive amount of style. The quality of the leather is great, giving a great feel in your hand while you’re working with your device.

So, while I was browsing the web yesterday, I started asking myself why Apple wouldn’t release such a case for the big Pro. I gave it a lot of thought and bottomline I think they won’t release it because it would get a ridiculous price tag; too expensive even for Apple standard. Let’s do some math, to try and estimate what such a case could possibly cost.

Currently you can buy a £65 leather Smart Case that would fit both the iPad Air 2 and the new smaller iPad Pro or you could get a £29 Smart Cover in silicone. The premium for the leather case is 124%. Now, consider the equivalent silicone Smart Cover for the big iPad Pro. It is currently priced at £49. If you apply the same premium, you will get a whopping £110. Technically this would still be cheaper than buying the combo of front and back silicone cover for the big iPad Pro, but on the other hand, Apple is not promoting the two as a pair, and so a leather iPad Smart Case would still represent the most expensive accessory sold by Apple for an iPad².

Bottom line is that I would whatever amount they would set in a heartbeat. So please Apple, take a short trip to Italy and buy some leather for me, would you?