I recently brought a Belkin clear case for my ipad2 that's comparable with the smart cover. After just one week, it had cracks around the corners, and a large split. I've not dropped the iPad or abused it in anyway. Luckily the shop gave me a refund, stating that quite a few of them had come back. I'm now using speck clear case, hopefully it will last a bit longer than the Belkin.
I have the Speck "clear" back protector case. One of its nice features is a small metal strip that holds the magnetized SmartCover in place when it is folded over the back. I've had a couple of issues, however.
() The metal strip became unglued from the case after a couple of months. Fortunately, it stuck to the SmartCover so I was able to re-glue it to the case but it could have easily been lost. A word to the wise.
() The case itself is quite thin and light. Unfortunately, for me, at least, that also meant it picked up many scratches in daily (non-abusive) use. And because it was clear the scratches were prominent.
Eventually, I replaced the case with one from ENKI. (
Enki | We've got you covered). It's a bit thicker and much more durable than the Speck case. It's also less expensive ($20) and very well made.
I should say, however, that this is the second case I received from ENKI. They originally introduced the case last May and had many, many shipping and quality issues in their initial product run. The one I now use was a complimentary replacement for the first case that had very sharp edges and no mic hole.
From what I can tell, they've now overcome their initial problems and I'd recommend the case. The fact that it's a case made in the USA (Michigan) may be another reason to consider them for some people.
