Pitaka join the charge to take your iPad experience further!
As Apple continues its attempts to convince us, year after year, that the iPad is the computer of the future, the accessory market pushes on with its attempts to offer workarounds to the ‘iPad first’ solution. I got the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks with some accessories from Pitaka’s MagEZ range and I’ve been impressed. Unlike other Apple products like the iPhone, Macbook and even Airpod range Magsafe is still a nagging omission on the iPad. Pitaka’s MagEZ range look to resolve this and they’ve not done a bad job. I spent a couple of weeks with these new Mag EZ products and was left impressed!
MagEZ Case Pro for iPad Pro 2022/2021
I’ll start at the very top. This product is a thin and sleek iPad case that slips on easily and does a super job of keeping itself discreet and out of the way. It adds nothing to the weight of my iPad Pro, even sporting a little cut-out down the left-hand edge so that if you, like me, are a frequent user of Apple’s own Magic Keyboard you don’t have to worry about conflicts and pinching around the keyboard’s hinge. The Magic Keyboard worked perfectly in every possible way with this case thanks to its smart connectors that mirror those o the iPad itself. The magnets all worked perfectly, it snaps on and off almost like the case isn’t there at all, and because of its thinness, none of that sleek simple design work is interrupted in any real way when the Magic Keyboard is attached. Other than the one-year area. Apple’s accessories are always beautiful and the design sits far above protection when it comes to their range but essentially all of the current cases offered protect the screen wonderfully but leave the edges of your device glaringly exposed. The MagEZ case Pro is a quick and simple fix for that exact problem. When I used the case in tandem with the Magic Keyboard and with Pitaka’s own Folio 2 (more on this one later) they both feel very sleek and protected on the face and back of my iPad Pro while the MagEZ case Pro covered defensive duties around the sides.
The Main event for all these products however is all on that big header. MagEZ. Magnetic charging remains AWOL on the iPad and with this neat little case, I can honestly say that the problem is, very nearly, solved. The protect ve edges of the case meet at the bottom of the device near the USB-C port. Here the case has its own little Male USB-C attachment that plugs the case, via said USB-C, into your iPad Pro. Once everything is snapped on and plugged in you can use Pitaka’s included MagEZ Charger and voila. Magnetic charging for your iPad Pro a la Apple’s own MagSafe solution for iPhone. If your eyebrow is raised then your cynicism is understood. I expected there to be a catch, maybe the charging is radically slow, or it’s intermittent, or the old awkward wireless charger positioning annoyance would rear its head but no! It’s worked seamlessly every single time. Really strong solid charge times. It’s never dropped charge while I’ve had it in use. As I write this the iPad Pro is charging away nicely and hassle-free. I’ve been impressed. That award process of finding the sweet spot is non-existent thanks to the combination of Magnets and charging pins. It’s a great solution! Kudos to the team at Pitaka.
I found myself struggling to find something to complain about here. As an iPad Power user, I often use the USB-C port to connect to an external display on my desk and of course, with the case occupying the USB-C port, that’s no longer the option. I thought for a second there I could utilise the Magic Keyboards USB-C port for this but as it’s designed only for Pass through charging this wasn’t an option. So that’s the trade-off. You lose the option to make use of the iPad Pro’s USB-C port for accessories and external displays. It’s something that I worked around by utilising features like Universal Control, Airdrop and Handoff together with a Mac which helped me execute a sleek workflow so ultimately it hasn’t turned out to be a huge issue for me but if the iPad is going to be the solo player for how you work this is something you should keep in mind.
All accessories were used with the Apple iPad Pro 11-inch.
Pitaka MagEZ Folio 2
The MagEZ Folio 2 is a great product but potentially the more unremarkable of the three I had a chance to play with. It’s very very straightforward. It magnetically snaps to the back of your iPad and lets the leather Folio screen cover wrap around the front to protect the display. There’s a little flap at the very edge that wraps snaps the folio cover in place and holds the Apple Pencil nice and snugly and there we have it. Much like Apple’s own accessories, on its own, it does leave the edges of the iPad a little exposed. I don’t mind this but if you’re looking for heavy-duty protection this might not be the best way to go. Again much like Apple’s own Folio Covers the display protector folds around the back when opened to provide a sort of kickstand. Using some Origami style folding, which did get a little cumbersome at times, There are four different viewing angles, including a portrait one that my Twitter feed appreciated. It’s a good bit of kit and the materials used are nice. Again a good offering!
The one curve ball I found is that despite it falling into the MagEZ line of products it never really seemed to work very well with the other two MagEZ products I’ve been using. The MagEZ Case Pro didn’t work at all when the Folio 2 was attached. Not a huge issue as it’s nice and easy to just snap the Folio 2 on and off magnetically, but as they all carry the same name I expected there to be some kind of compatibility. This goes for the next product I used as well the MagEZ Stand. When the Folio 2 is attached it does connect to the stand…I would trust it though. Just pop the Folio 2 off and you’ll be better for it.
All accessories were used with an Apple iPad Pro 11-inch.
Pitaka MagEZ Stand for Tablets
The last product from the folks over at Pitaka is the MagEZ Stand for Tablets. Once again I was impressed. A sturdy base carries the load as a metal arm sprouts up to the MagEZ mount. Simple right? When you use the MagEZ Case Pro you can magnetically snap your iPad to the Stand and you’re good to go. Along with everything I used from Pitaka the magnets and strong and sticky and I had no worries about my iPad slipping or falling off the stand and casting my iPad into a free fall. I appreciated the full 360-degree rotation on the stand swell. It lends itself perfectly to workflows where I would switch from running a YouTube video or browsing a website in Landscape to viewing a document or keeping an eye on my Twitter feed in portrait. It also helped massively with video calls. I love my iPad but because of the front-facing camera location you always end up looking awkwardly off-centre when on a Zoom or FaceTime call. When sing the stand I just spin the iPad round to portrait mode and frame myself up, the multiple tilt angles help with this, and I’m good to go. It’s a great stand. Nicely made, good materials once again. But when you add in the charging touches it does come together as a bit of a must-own for me. The Magnetic mount of the stand is equipped with its own set of charging pins for the iPad which means if it’s mounted, it’s charging. Perfect. Add to that the Wireless charger on the base of the stand for other mobile devices and you’ve got yourself a winner. I tested the wireless charger at the base with an iPhone 13 Pro Mac and a AirPod Pro and they worked great however there’s no MagSafe here. Not a huge deal but again, something worth keeping in mind.
What’s the word on Pitaka and MagEZ?
All in all my experience with these Pitaka products has been great. I’m impressed with the designs and materials which are sleek, smart and solid. Functionality has been fantastic throughout and besides the Folio 2, which is designed to be removed and re-applied between uses, has worked together really seamlessly. I can see myself keeping the MagEZ Case Pro and the MagEZ Stand around as daily drivers to elevate the already fantastic iPad Pro experience in 2023. It’s a yes from me.
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