By 

Michael B. Elness (Manteca, CA USA) –

  

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…

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