Aside from rubber and plastic, other materials such as wood have been used less frequently in iPad, iPhone, and iPod cases. Guided Products has delivered something different with its iPad Case ($20/three-pack): cardboard — yes, corrugated cardboard. Available in either classic brown or white, the case fits any full-sized iPad except for the first-generation model. It’s not meant to last forever, though: this iPad case is designed to be doodled and drawn on, and recyclable when you’re done with it; that’s why it comes three to a set.
The folio-style design used here is pretty standard, with the tablet fitting into a boxy holder and a lid to protect the screen.
It’s about 5/8” thick, or about the same size as more traditional folios. One small problem we noticed right away is that the tablet is somewhat loose, sliding up and down, left and right, inside its frame. While the two cameras and Home Button remain accessible through their respective cutouts, and the screen never gets obscured, we’d prefer a tighter fit.
There are also individual openings for the headphone port, Sleep/Wake button, side switch and volume rocker, and Dock Connector/Lightning port.
The speakers is exposed through a combination of two holes: one pill-shaped on the back of the case, and the other, just a little longer, at the corner below it. All four corners are exposed, but because the holder is loose, the metal is set back a bit, somewhat protected. Velcro holds the cover in place—a nice touch that even some more premium options forego—but there are aren’t any magnets. A little more than two inches in from the cover’s left edge is a crease, which allows you to fold and tuck in the opposite side into a backwards C-shaped cutout on the back, for viewing or for typing.
