You’ve got a new iPad, now what?
Sure, with those sleek, lean lines it looks great naked. But once you take it outside your house, it’s a good idea to have some protection, an easy way to prop it up and carry it. And speakers!
Here’s a hand-picked selection of all the iPad accessories Cult of Mac reviewed this year — but only the best ones. These add-ons all received the highest rating, or a full four stars, from our gadget-weary team of reviewers. Shine on!
Screen protector
Screen protectors are the best way to keep your device’s display in great condition, but applying them is a pain in the butt. It’s hard enough ensuring they go down straight, but you also have to worry about trapping dirt, dust, and bubbles beneath them. But not with the Tru-Fit. Inside the packaging is the Tru-Fit Film Applicator, which is essentially a plastic frame the shape of your iPad. You place the film inside the frame, then clean your iPad’s display using the included microfiber cloth.
Unlike other screen protectors, the Tru-Fit also comes with a sticky sheet that you can use on your front of your iPad’s display to ensure you’ve removed any dust and debris, and to prevent anything from settling on it while you’re getting the protector ready. It’s durable, anti-glare and has a terrific grip. Available for the iPad Air, iPad 2/3/4 and iPad Mini.
Case
The Acase for iPad mini is a beautiful case. Its high-quality leather design provides an elegant look while providing your device with protection from head to toe — for only $40. It fits like a glove, and the iPad mini is held securely inside with a leather flap that slips in behind the device.
The build quality is excellent; the stitching is strong and neat, and I have no worries about it falling apart after months of heavy use. Acase has clearly used the best materials and built this thing to last. Reviews editor Charlie Sorrel recommends the “vintage brown” version of the case, which has a soft matte leather finish, over the black and chestnut brown versions. The vintage one gains character with a bit of wear, the other two probably won’t.
If you’re looking for excellent protection for all iPad models (plus most iPhones, too), check out Loop Attachment’s Mummy Case, which swathes your device in oops-proof rubber. What sets it apart from the cheap silicone cases on eBay for a few dollars: a special coating that not only makes it super soft and smooth, but also keeps out dirt and grime.
Reviewer Killian Bell says: “I’ll happily hand my iPad to my kids while it’s in the Mummy Case, safe in the knowledge that if they drop it on the kitchen floor, it’s not going to get damaged.” The Mummy covers a large portion of your iPad’s front bezel, which provides some protection for its display. It should be more than enough to prevent it from getting damaged if it lands flat on its face, but for added peace of mind, you can combine the Mummy with a Smart Cover.
Dock
If putting together those Lego sets hasn’t left you completely exhausted, the HiRise is the docking station for you.
Twelve South’s HiRise for iPhone and iPad mini, is a combination dock and stand that looks great, is made of solid materials, fits both an iPad and an iPhone at the same time, works with cases, and best of all, will almost definitely work with all future iterations of iPhone and iPad that have a Lightning connector.
It also works with most cases, so you don’t have to dance the on-off fumble every time you need a charge. One caveat: putting it together. While beautifully packaged, the HiRise comes disassembled, like something you’d buy from IKEA. The screws didn’t want to fit, the hexwrenches were so small that they hurt my fingers to use, and even after I put the HiRise together, the two arms were very slightly crooked from one another.
“Once the HiRise is put together, I don’t have a single complaint about it. But I never want to put one together again,” says reviewer John Brownlee.
Speaker
Your iPad can double as a music maker — if you grab a decent speaker. To get some serious sound from your device, check out the UE Boom by Ultimate Ears/Logitech.
“Where this intensity comes in handy is outside,” says reviewer Rob LeFebvre. “I’ve used the UE Boom in my yard, on my bike, and in my car and it’s loud and lovely in every location. I was able to provide music for a smaller outdoor BBQ just the other day with only the Boom as our speaker of choice.”
The fact that up to eight Bluetooth devices can pair with the UE Boom at one time is yet another killer feature, as it let several of the BBQ guests play their favorite tunes through the device, without ever having to re-pair between users. I let my iPhone 5, iPad mini, and Macbook Air all pair with the UE Boom so I can send audio from any one of these devices at a moment’s notice, without having to re-pair or mess with configurations.
It’s not the cheapest of speakers – coming in at a pricey $171 – but it may be the only one you’ll ever need.
Buy from: Amazon ($171.99)
Keyboard
The Logitech Bluetooth Easy-Switch Keyboard K811 was so nice we reviewed it twice. Both Killian and Charlie found it the best keyboard they’d ever used – whether it was for stay-at-home or cafe-airport-train use. It’s lightweight, reliable, has a great feel.
And it works across iDevices, so you can connect it to whatever you need to type with while on the go. Charlie says, “Buy it. There’s almost no way you’ll be disappointed. Quite the opposite in fact: you’ll look forward to using it.”
Buy from: Logitech
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