What Problems Does This iPad Air 4th Gen Case Solve?
- Provides a quality way to protect / transport your 10.9" 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
Is This the Best iPad Air 10.9 Case For Me?
If you're tired of buying case after case on amazon or similar sites only to have them quickly fall apart or are tired of spending hours searching for a quality cover then this Air 10.9-inch case is for you. If you're ready for an intelligently designed, beautifully made, handcrafted alternative to the plethora of disposable, low-quality iPad cases available everywhere else, this is the Folio you’re looking for.
Leather iPad Air Case 10.9 - Design Review
This article was updated in March 2022, just after the release of the 5th generation of Apple's Air tablet. The gen 5 model saw upgrades to the technology and tablet internals not to the exterior design and dimensions. All references to the 4th generation case below apply to the 5th gen model as well.
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 new MacCase iPad Air case for Apple's latest mid-sized tablet. The new case fits both the 4th and 5th generation models.
JKD- Was there always going to be a new 4th generation iPad Air case?
MS: Honestly, no. When we started making folios for Apple tablets back in 2010, there was only one model. Wow, that was so much easier! It's amazing how much this area of our business has grown. We have so many sizes and different generations of those sizes in play. It's a bit overwhelming sometimes.
But we have always made a folio for the Air models. I believe we still have inventory of the older 10.5 Air. So protecting the many versions of the Air is something that we've been a part of since the beginning. Since March of 2020, we have been so focused on getting the Pro models to waiting customers, we have not had the time to spend on designing a new iPad Air 4th gen case.
JKD: Until now?
MS: Until now.
JKD: What changed?
MS: Customers. Since our founding in 1998 when we created of the Apple-specific case market, 2 things have driven us: Creating the absolute best products for protecting Apple portables and taking care of our customers. These are still two of our guiding principles. After 22 years these principles remain.
When Apple released the new 2020 4th generation Air, we were knee-deep in getting our Pro models out to customers. Then the phone started to ring.
"Are you guys going to do a case for the new 4th gen Air?"
"Will you be doing a folio for the new Air?"
"When will your case for the new 2020 Air be available?"
Customers Want the Best iPad Air Case 10.9
JKD: What was your reply?
MS: The reply changed with every call. The more calls that came in the more realistic and the more important it became to have a new iPad Air Gen 4 case in the lineup. To me it's really important to talk to customers, to stay connected to them and what they are looking for.
What I kept hearing was how many had purchased low-priced, low-quality cases over the years and were tired of wasting their money. I used to ask potential customers when they would ask about our prices (relative to the inferior products on amazon) if they had purchased the cheapest tablet available.
The reality was just the opposite. They had purchased the most expensive tablet on the planet. Yet they were complaining when someone made a case just as wonderful to protect it. With this new stream of inquiries about the 2020 Air, customers were telling me they were tired of buying junk. They wanted a case that was equal in quality to the Apple tablet they were going to or had just purchased.
They weren't looking for a way to protect their new Apple tablet that was just alright or just OK. They were looking for the best iPad Air case for the 10.9 4th generation they could find and they came to MacCase. With the release of the 5th generation 10.9 tablet, these new customers are looking for the same quality.
At that point, it becomes a crusade! You cannot let these people down. I started to put a plan together to get a new Air 10.9 case into production. The great thing about doing what we do and the way we do it is that, if the will is there, it doesn't take much to make something like this happen. In that way, it's very exciting.
Getting the New 10.9 Leather iPad Air Case into Production
JKD: How long did it take to go from the desire to make this model to green lighting the production?
MS: Well that is one of the best things about how our company is structured. I would have liked it to have taken hours but it actually took a few days.
JKD: A few days to go from, "I'd want to do this" to ordering the leather?
MS: Yes. We are very efficient in the way we do things. We have always been this way and I can see no reason to change. It works for us. The problem comes when we leave the cocoon of MacCase and venture out into the world and it's completely inefficient. I have no patience left for the inefficiency of the rest of the world. That's probably not a good thing. (Laughing)
JKD: So what can Air owners expect from this new 10.9 Folio model?
MS: If they are coming from another brand, especially from one of the disposable cases sold on sites like amazon, they're are going to love it. The difference is going to be apparent before they even unwrap our new design.
Low-quality cases, even one pretending to be leather don't have the smell of our hides. We use a very expensive natural oil in our tanning process. This is what gives the leather that wonderful aroma. You just don't get this in a low-quality case.
This tends to make its presence known before the folio is completely unpacked from the wrapping. You can smell the hides as you are unpacking it. It's a cool way for the product to introduce itself.
Moreover, our hides feel like the quality that they are. Whether you choose our raw, unfinished vintage, or classic pebble grain satin black, their soft and durable and feel wonderful in your hand. If customers are coming to us from one of the cheap alternatives, they're going to love the tactile, visceral experience that is part of owning a MacCase. This is also part of what keeps our long-term customers coming back year after year.
Inside the New 2022 Leather iPad Air Case 10.9-inch
JKD: What about features?
MS: The new leather iPad Air case for the 10.9-inch has all the features, protection optional accessories that our Pro Folios have.
Our innovative tray is flexible and heat-sensitive. This ensures it will never crack like the hard plastic shells. Their flexibility allows them to adapt. The tray material is excellent at absorbing impacts to both corners and edges. These are the 2 main concerns for customers.
The new model has the proven protection of our "offset design" combined with an impact-absorbing material that surrounds the iPad on its three most venerable sides. There is so much design and engineering content packed into such a small space.
We have over 10 years of experience designing, engineering, and building the best in iPad protection. When you combine this with the over 20 years of designing, engineering and building the best in Apple laptop protection, no one has more experience in doing what we do in this space.
In addition to the protection, the new design allows for about 70 degrees of angle adjustability. This is a real breakthrough in Apple tablet case design. We do it without the ugly grooves that plague so many competitor's models.
Again, the material that makes up the tray interacts with the ultra-suede liner to the point where the iPad can be held from near 90 degrees to around 20 degrees and at every angle in between. It's wonderful because it fits into almost every situation a customer might want to use the case in.
JKD: The MacCase Magnetic Accessory System has been a huge success. Will the new 4th generation Air case have these options available too?
MS: If you're going to talk about these new cases, you have to talk about the options. This is another area that sets MacCase apart. What other company completely reinvents the Apple tablet case as we have then turns around and offers a design free of all of that innovation?
Most product planners would think I am crazy. That's how I know I am headed in the right direction.
iPad Air 4th Gen and 5th Gen Case with Pencil Holder
JKD: Can you expand on this?
MS: For years customers have been asking for features that many other manufacturers have slowly added to tablet cases. Things like a place for business cards, papers, a pocket for the charging cable have been high on the list for quite some time.
The problem was how to do it in an elegant yet functional way. Almost all of the cases out there that had these features were bulky, clunky, unsightly and aesthetic mess. In other words, they were not MacCase's.
If we were going to add these features we had to do it in a way that was functional and beautiful. The solution needed to be elegant. And it is. Take the Pencil case for example. For years we had sewn the Pencil case to the front cover. It always bothered me for a number of reasons.
To be able to add the Pencil case to our new 10.9-inch Air case on a whim and remove it just was easily is true innovation. It works for me as the designer looking for a breakthrough and it works brilliantly for the customer.
But after all of that innovating, I decided to offer a version of the folio completely devoid of the Magnetic Accessory System altogether. I had spent a really long time solving the problem of adding functionality and then putting it aside to create something different but just as good. This is the pure version of the case. A clean, aesthetically timeless expression executed in the best materials for the best tablet.
We expand the customer base for the product while at the same time we're not forcing anyone to make a purchase they are not absolutely thrilled with. That's the MacCase way.
FAQ -
What is the best iPad Air 10.9 case?
The best iPad Air 10.9 case is the one that meets and exceeds your individual needs as a tablet user. Your needs should include how much protection you need, the overall quality and durability of the leather, the aesthetic appearance and does it function the way you need it to.
How long has MacCase been making leather iPad Air cases?
MacCase has been making leather folio cases for the Apple Air tablets since they were first introduced. MacCase has been making cases for Apple portables since they invented the market in 1998 with a briefcase for the original iBook.
Will my 4th generation iPad Air case fit the 5th generation iPad Air?
For the most part, yes. The differences between the 4th generation and 5th generation iPad Air models are internal. The "form factor" of the tablet remains the same. The updates were for the technology not the exterior dimensions so all 4th gen cases should work.
