Targus was one of the first companies to ship cases for the iPad 2, so it was no surprise to see Slim Case ($50) arrive immediately following Apple’s announcement of the new third-generation iPad. This case has a standard folio-style design with a molded, hard rear shell and a fabric-like, polyurethane coating. The front cover — equipped with magnets to lock and unlock the iPad — folds underneath and tucks into a flap on the shell to form fine stands for typing and viewing.
All of the necessary openings are there, as well as one unnecessary one: a hole exposing the Apple logo. We’ve knocked Targus for this a number of times before and will continue to do so in the future; the design simply leaves more of the iPad exposed than is necessary, and doesn’t even look particularly nice. The other noteworthy feature is the elastic stylus loop on the case’s back, for those who wish to carry a self-supplied pen.
Early buyers may have received versions of the case with faulty magnet systems due to Apple swapping the polarity of the sensors in the third-generation iPad, but Targus is replacing those units at no charge. Unfortunately, there’s another issue with the magnets on this one: the lid slides up and down a few centimeters due to the soft material connecting it to the shell. This can cause the unlocking mechanism to trigger accidentally, and could potentially lead to unexpected battery drain or other problems.
It’s early to market for the new iPad, but Slim Case feels like a phoned-in design—one that could’ve been produced by any OEM manufacturer.
