$54.99 from Quirky
This case hit my radar a few months ago and I blogged about it, thinking that I would like to try one on it once it was released. That day finally came and I received my Cloak case at the end of July and I used it for a couple of weeks to get a good feel for it. When I first received it, I did a First Look video which I posted to my YouTube channel:
So how did it end up performing as an everyday case for my iPad? Read on to find out.
Materials
The Cloak case is case made of plastic and rubber. The portion of the case that holds the iPad is rubber and the cover is a stiff, plastic-reinforced slab covered with rubber on the front and edges while the inside that faces the iPad's screen is somewhat shiny plastic with two pop-out stands.
The front of the cover has a pattern of repeating capsule shapes that fade out to leave a smooth finish at the bottom. The Quirky logo is in the bottom right corner and it's not obtrusive or flashy (I hate large and flashy logos and generally avoid buying products with them).
The rear of the side that holds the iPad is completely smooth.
Overall, the rubber portions are very grippy but on the negative
side, it does pick up a fair amount of dust and lint, particularly
the front of the cover. This is the same type of behavior I saw
with Apple's own iPad case, though that case is made of a different
material.
The pop-out stands on the inside of the
front cover are plastic and feel a little chintzy quality-wise.
They rattle a bit when popped in and out. Small tabs help them stay
in place when not in use and I've never had them pop out on their
own. The stands do rattle a little if I shake the cover vigorously
though this is not something I notice at all during regular
usage.
The hinge is very solid and allows the cover to flip over to sit
flush against the back of the case so you can use the iPad without
it in the way at all. The original Cloak design included a
ratcheting mechanism that would hold the cover in place so that it
would be stable when used as a stand to place the iPad in landscape
orientation on a flat surface, though this design element didn't
make it into the final version of the Cloak.
As I mentioned in my First Look video,
the Cloak is heavy, weighing 1.2 pounds by itself. A naked iPad
weighs about 1.5 pounds so the Cloak nearly doubles the weight of
the iPad itself. This is definitely noticeable and had a major
impact on my final opinion of this case.
Access
The iPad simply slides into the opening for the screen on the right
side and then you ensure that the edges of the case slip around the
iPad and hold it in, just as you'd place it in a stand-alone
silicone skin case like the CIMO case I previously
reviewed and I have no concerns whatsoever about the iPad falling
out. The edges framing the screen leave about 1/2 inch of the
screen's black border exposed and doesn't interfere with using the
screen at all.
Cut-outs leave the dock connector,
speakers, volume rocker, screen orientation lock switch, headphone
jack, and microphone open and easy to access. There's a small
half-circle cut-out to leave the home button completely
uncovered.
The one thing that is covered by the
Cloak is the ambient light sensor. I'm not sure how this error made
it through the design phase since Quirky was able to test the case
with an actual iPad before it went into final production. If you
don't have the iPad's auto-brightness feature turned on, this may
not bother you but this is one feature that I like about my iPad
(and iPhone) and it bothers me a lot that the Cloak covers
this.
Using the
case
I use my iPad primarily to read ebooks, browse the internet, watch
video podcasts and movies, and some casual gaming. Using the
pop-out stands or the cover to prop the iPad up is easy and I
really like the functionality that the Cloak offers. I don't really
use the stand that props up the iPad in portrait orientation much –
I think of this as "cookbook mode" and I rarely use my iPad to
display recipes or use other apps in this mode.
While I've never had one of the stands
collapse on me, they do feel a little flimsy. I don't think they'll
fail or snap without a good deal of mishandling but it does lend to
a bit of a cheap feel for a relatively expensive case.
I did note in my first look video that
the smaller stand used to prop up the iPad in landscape orientation
for typing on a table or your lap has a bit of a sharp edge. I have
found that it is sharp enough to bother me while wearing shorts and
even through jeans when used for long periods of time. I've found
that I much prefer a case that folds the front cover to use as a
more stable platform in this manner, like Apple's own iPad case or
the Vaja Agenda 2 case I recently received, much more in
comparison.
The rear cover folders over and sits
flush against the back of the iPad, so it's easy to get it out of
the way for reading ebooks and other activities. When I'm at my
desk, I like to place my iPad in a TwelveSouth BookArc. This works
well enough while my iPad is in the Quirky case, though I must
leave the cover flipped over to the back and the cover does not fit
into the BookArc.
I tend to use my iPad a lot in bed to
read books before I got to sleep. The fact that the Cloak blocks
the iPad's ambient light sensor is most irritating to me in this
situation since I usually need to go into the Settings app to
manually adjust the brightness and make sure the automatic
brightness control is off. Plus, the weight of the Cloak case makes
it uncomfortable to hold up or rest on my chest while laying down
for long periods of time.
Conclusion
I find the Cloak to be very functional to help me do all of the
things that I like to do with my iPad but I've found that the
weight of the Cloak has made me hesitate to use my iPad, and when
an accessory makes you not want to use the device it's supposed to
protect, that's never a good sign.
While the Cloak feels very protective overall and the built-in
stands offer a lot of convenience to use an iPad in a variety of
ways, its weight and the fact that it blocks the iPad's ambient
light sensor are deal-breakers for me. It's not really a matter of
the strength it takes to carry the case (I work out and am well
beyond 3-pound weights for all of my exercises) but it's that it
makes my iPad less enjoyable and easy to use. Given this, I can't
recommend the Cloak for all users unless you're looking for a tank
of a case and don't mind essentially doubling the weight of your
iPad.
DISCLOSURE: I purchased this case with my own
money – it was not provided to me as a review unit. The links to
Quirky on this page are affiliate links and I earn a
small percentage from any purchases made on Quirky's site through
these links.
Related
reviews:
First Impressions: Vaja Agenda 2 case for
iPad
DODOcase for
iPad
Cimo USA Silicone Skin case
for iPad
Brando Ultra
Clear Screen Protector for iPhone