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IPAD 2 BUYERS’ GUIDE
Increasing The Complexity
It’s hard enough to make a rubber case fit
properly with a separate hard plastic frame,
but Incipio mastered that process years ago.
So it created Delta, a two-tone, twin-textured
rubber body with a satin-coated hard frame -
then split the frame into four connected
stripes, seemingly just to show it could be
done. The result was unlike anything released
by other case makers. “We wanted to make a
ruggedized solution that was attractive and
remained protective,” recalls Nishimura. “As a
result, we pioneered the soft, shock absorbing
silicone core inside the hard polycarbonate
exterior. Clean two-toned silicone is hard
to do without the colors bleeding together.
The tooling is also advanced with the use of
texture in different areas of the case.”
Outside The Box
iPad Versus iPod + iPhone Design
IDESIGN
Incipio has the rare ability to pivot from precise,
book-smart designs to creative, whimsical ones.
“Designing to a designer is not considered work,”
notes Lo. “Rather it’s what we do for fun and it’s
our livelihood.” Introduced at CES in 2010, Dotties
is an example of fun at work: it allows “users to
create countless
color variations
by placing
multicolored
silicone dots
around a
silicone core.”
Another case
took a relaxed,
soft approach
to protection.
“Pillow was
designed as
something that
would feel great
in users’ hands,
yet allowed for
exceptional grip.”
“Although their functionality is the same, the
iPad, iPhone and iPod are used much differently,”
says Lo. “Yes, all users want to protect their
devices, but cases that have been successful
on a phone won’t necessarily be quite as useful
on a tablet.” Lo cites the gaming case Hive,
originally released with bone-like corner grips,
as an example. “The indentations on the iPad
needed to be augmented because we hold the
devices differently. While the iPhone is more palm
held, the iPad is more handheld or propped on
a table. We addressed ergonomic concerns and
redesigned an iPad version of the Hive.”
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