When Apple released the iPad 2, they also revealed the magical Smart Cover. Not only did it wake and sleep your iPad instantly, it also converted into a stand perfect for typing or viewing media. Unfortunately, the polyurethane and leather versions will not satisfy those who want something that is outside the box. Meet the wooden Smart Cover. It wakes/sleeps your iPad while being made out of an exotic wood. Plus, it adds some key features that were left out in Apple’s version.

I was sent the Curly Maple Smart Cover ($86.00) to review. Now, I will be the first to tell you that the pictures do this product no justice. The Curly Maple is a beautiful wood that has a great striped design that looks really cool. The wood is smooth and finished very well. Because it is made out of wood, the thickness added is noticeable as opposed to the thin polyurethane Smart Cover. However, it is only about .1875”, so your iPad will still look very thin.

The Curly Maple Smart Cover uses the same hinge mechanism as the original Smart Cover. This ensured a secure fit the easily “grabbed” onto the iPad. There are, however, some key differences that will set this apart from Apple’s version, other that the wooden look.

First, instead of a microfiber interior, distressed leather was used. The leather is really soft and really made the Smart Cover look great. The leather will also not scratch your iPad, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Second, this Smart Cover folds in on itself, so the leather is on the inside and the wood is on the outside. This is a great addition since Apple’s design left room for dirt or liquids getting picked up by the microfiber interior and later coming in contact with your iPad. But because of this design and the fact that wood was used, the cover would remain rigid and flat when opened, which means you couldn’t use an app like Evernote Peek that requires you to lift up only one segment of the Smart Cover.

Finally, the wooden Smart Cover uses very strong magnets. This is probably due to the fact that wood is heavier than polyurethane or leather and needed stronger/more magnets to hold the cover in place. Even though the magnets were fairly strong, they did not activate the sleep/wake feature when the cover was folded back onto the iPad.
Overall, I love the concept of the wooden Smart Cover. It is very well crafted and very beautiful, especially with the curly maple wood. It is a bit pricey, but at only $20 more than the leather Smart Cover, you can own a unique and functional piece of art. Check out the wooden Smart Cover that comes in curly maple and other types of wood here.

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