Premium Leather iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Generation Case

What Problems Does This 12.9-inch Case Solve?

• Provides a quality way to protect / transport your 12.9" and accessories
• Will last at least as long as you own the tablet
• Feel good knowing you've chosen a product made from ethically sourced leather
• No need to keep buying case after case due to poor quality
• Meets your need for a professional, well made, durable, protective and aesthetically pleasing case
• Options allow you to customize the case to meet your needs
• If you're looking for a case like this to fit the Apple Keyboard Folio, click here

The Best Leather iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Gen Case for Me?

If you're tired of buying case after case on amazon only to have them quickly fall apart or are tired of spending hours searching for a quality cover then this handcrafted 3rd generation iPad Pro 12.9-inch case is for you. If you're ready for an intelligently designed, beautifully made alternative to the plethora of disposable, low quality Apple tablets available everywhere else, this is the Folio you’re looking for.

2018 iPad Pro12.9 3rd Gen Leather Case Design Review

The latest in a series of interviews about the story behind the design of MacCase products. For this interview, we are speaking to MacCase President Michael Santoro about the MacCase Premium Leather 2018 12.9 iPad Pro case for the 3rd generation of Apple's largest tablet. 

JKD- The new generation of your Folio design has been out for a while now. What has the reaction been? 

MS: I would say it's been extremely positive but it has not been without it's moments. 

JKD: How so?

MS: When you change as many things as we did on our 3rd generation 2018 iPad 12.9 case, you're bound to upset somebody. Some customers have been with us since our first tablet case in 2010. They have a vested, emotional interest in the old design. They liked the frame. They liked the integrated Pencil pocket. 

This is the trap all creative people face. Do you do what you know people will like or do you follow your vision to a new place and risk alienating many of those who have supported you along the way. It's a tightrope walk. 

The 3rd Generation iPad Pro Case

JKD: Do you have an example of a customer reacting to the newness of the 3rd generation 12.9 Folio design? 

MS: We have a long time customer in Los Angeles. He's a television producer. His shows are very well known. He's a smart guy and knows what he wants.  

He purchased a 12.9 Apple tablet when the 3rd generation came out and called to order a case. "Send me whatever you're doing", he said. There is that comfort and trust. He had been with us long enough to trust whatever MacCase was going to do for the 12.9 was going to be good enough. 

Well, he received his order and called me shrieking, "Michael! What is going on with this case? Where's the pencil holder? What are these circles on the front? How does the iPad stay in the case?" He was expecting one thing and got another. 

After I calmed him down and walked him through the new feature set, I told him to spend some time getting to know the case and to call me back if he had any more questions. Five minutes later the phone rang. He was calling back to tell me the 12.9 case was the best design I had ever done. He got it.

Once he let go of his old expectations and allowed himself to see what the new design had to offer, he got it. We had a good laugh about it. He's since ordered several custom versions of the case as well.  

A Hi-End, Handcrafted, Luxury iPad Case

JKD: As a successful automotive designer, do you see any trends in car design that influence your product design work for MacCase, specifically when creating this kind of hi-end, luxury iPad case? 

MS: That's an excellent question and I believe the first time you have asked about that. One way that automotive design informs my product design work for MacCase is through the idea of an ever increasing sense of luxury and craftsmanship.

As the Japanese and Korean car makers go more and more upmarket, getting better and better at delivering a true luxury experience, the Europeans have to up their game. There is a lot to be learned from watching this exercise. If you're going to offer a hi-end, luxury iPad case, you'd better make sure it drips with quality. It has to be handcrafted with care by someone who understands what the standard is. 

Each successive generation of our Folio has pushed the quality standard that we have set for ourselves to an increasingly higher level. The introduction of our polymer tray into our design has been a huge step forward in keeping us at the pinnacle of this market. This along with the softness of our hides, the quality of assembly and overall durability, we deliver on our hi-end, luxury iPad case promise. 

The Professional iPad Pro 12.9 3rd Generation Case

JKD: MacCase customers are from all walks of life. Why is this folio design a good choice for professionals? 

MS: In general, people are pretty busy. No one wants to have their time wasted or waste time doing the same thing over and over. Many of our customers, professionals included, come to us, or find us, after going through several inferior cases for their Apple tablet. 

They're sick and tired of buying a case and having it fall apart only to have to buy another and have that one fall apart. Would you buy a suit that, after wearing it 4 times, started to fray and show wear? 

Yet competent, smart people purchase substandard iPad cases everyday for the their $1200 Apple tablets only to have to buy a new one 8 weeks later. No professional wants to walk into a meeting with a case that looks like it was dragged by a pickup truck down a dirt road. 

Our Folios fit perfectly in any business environments and are the choice of professionals in almost every field because they work. They work as hard as their owners do. And they never need to be replaced. The quality is at a level where you never have to think about replacing the case.

This works for professional people on several levels. You won't have to waste you time trying to find another case once you have a MacCase 12.9 Folio. Secondly, our products are free of gimmicks and trendiness. Their timeless designs are the very definition of the "professional aesthetic".

From the most conservative law offices to stadiums where epic rock and roll shows are being produced, professionals are using our gen 3 12.9 Folio to do their jobs. I know this because I talk to them. 

Profesional Options

The second reason why our case is a top choice for professionals is that no other case gives you so many options to customize the design to meet your needs on a daily basis. 

This is MacCase innovation at it's best. There are solutions out there that allow for storage. They work as far as holding other things besides your iPad but you'd never want to be seen with one because aesthetically, they're a mess. 

The genius of our solution is that the storage accessories can quickly and easily be removed and you have your sleek case back. With all the others, you're stuck with an embarrassing bulky mess. 

Those are two solid reasons why our Premium Leather gen 3 12.9 case is head and shoulders above anything else out there. As our customers in the UK would say, our 2018 iPad case "looks the business". Our design vocabulary and quality execution combined with our Magnetic Accessory System makes our Folios the best option for professionals worldwide. 

It doesn't matter if you're a professional person or not. Those features, advantages and benefits are universal. 

iPad Pro 21.9 Case with Pencil Holder 2018

JKD: Tell us about the optional accessories. How do they work? Are there some more popular than others? How did you choose the four that are available?

MS: Our pre-2018 Folios had the Pencil Holder sewn to the front face of the case. While this was very convenient if you used the Apple Pencil, it was just in the way if you didn't. I wanted a more elegant solution for our next generation of Folios. 

Functionally, the new accessories cannot be any easier to use. They're either stuck to the front of your case or they're not. We specified very strong magnets to do this job. It doesn't matter if it's one or all of the accessories, they're there when you want them to be and easily removed when you don't. The system works. 

Choosing which accessories we brought to market was pretty simple. They were the ones people have been asking for over the last few years. I have always felt it's important to stay close to your customers.

Doing this has allowed me to continue to converse, ask questions and really listen. It's important to not only listen to what people like about your products, but what they would like. 

iPad Case Accesories

"I wish your case had this or I wish your case had that...", that kind of thing. After a while you start to hear the same wishes and you realize you can improve the design for a large number of people if you implement these ideas. The key is and was always how to do it in an elegant and timeless way. 

Anyone can graft a bunch to pockets the front of a portfolio. A great idea is only half the challenge. A great idea poorly executed doesn't make a great product. A great idea executed in a great way leads to a great product. 

It's the MacCase way. For 20 plus years we've been doing it. How do you add these features and increase the functionality while at the same time retaining our visual vocabulary, our design philosophy and values?

The options are a Pencil and Paper Holder, the Cable Pouch and a Card Holder. With the 2018 12.9 Folio, if you add the Paper Holder you then use all the accessories at the same time.

Customers love the flexibility and expanded functionality the accessories bring to their lives. This design has been a game changer for them. 

JKD: I understand a lot of MacCase customers come to you after having bad experiences with other Apple tablet cases. Can you speak a bit about your experience in talking with these customers?

MS: I like to ask them if thry're tired of buying case after case on amazon or similar sites only to have them quickly fall apart? Or if they are tired of spending hours searching for a quality cover?

If they're ready for a intelligently designed, beautifully made, handcrafted alternative to the plethora of disposable, low quality iPad cases available everywhere else, this is the Folio they’re looking for. 

JKD: Thanks.