With the fifth-generation iPad set to feature a new design based on the smaller, sleeker iPad mini, Apple’s existing lineup of iPad Smart Covers aren’t going to fit it. But fear not, Smart Cover fans — Apple is already working on new models that will fit the iPad 5’s smaller chassis. Check them out in the hands-on video below.
The video comes from the Unbox Therapy channel on YouTube — the same channel that brought us the leaked iPad 5 and iPhone 5s parts earlier this month. According to Lewis Hilsenteger, the video’s creator, Apple is now manufacturing these covers “in big numbers,” so there should be plenty available when the new iPad launches next month.
What’s interesting about these covers is that they’re a mix between the old iPad Smart Covers and the newer iPad mini Smart Cover. They are divided up into three panels rather than four like the smaller iPad mini cover, but they feature the same metal hinge from the existing full-size iPad cover.
It’s unclear why Apple chose to use the metal hinge, rather than the fabric one, which is less likely to scratch your iPad’s aluminum body. But it’s worth noting that this Smart Cover design may not be the final one. Although it certainly looks like it, there is a chance these are prototype cases that were simply build for testing; the final versions could be different.
Source: YouTube
