iLounge

XtremeMac Play-Through Sleeve for iPad

By Jeremy Horwitz

Editor-in-Chief, iLounge
Published: Monday, November 29, 2010
Category: Cases - iPad

Rare is the cringe-worthy case release from XtremeMac, which has generally been right on target or close enough with past designs to merit at least some praise, but the Play-Through Sleeve for iPad ($35) is an obvious miss: a neoprene sleeve with a hole cut in the face for touch-through iPad screen access. The problem isn't so much the 2004-vintage concept of building the screen protector directly into the case, but the quality of the plastic XtremeMac is using, which looks like low-grade raincoat vinyl and blurs the iPad's screen to the point of haziness. One positive feature is a built-in headphone port protector that can be used or left off as you prefer, but the case makes no provision for the Dock Connector, bottom speakers, or top microphone. If we were guessing what happened here, we'd chalk the design up to an attempt at creating a weatherproof iPad case that went astray -- no claim is made as to its water resilience -- but was released anyway.