I've tried a couple in the store, but never actually bought one. I don't have a particularly outdoorsy job, so it hasn't been necessary for me. I know people who have used them, and they swear by them.
Can someone tell me if these work? Defender looks great but not sure about spending $90.
I can't imagine what this case could do to justify a $90 price tag. Unless you can use it in the shower. I'd pay $90 for that. Shower mount + shower case = sweet.
I can't imagine what this case could do to justify a $90 price tag. Unless you can use it in the shower. I'd pay $90 for that. Shower mount + shower case = sweet.
I'm not sure I even want to know what you'd do with it in the shower, LOL!!!
I have the Defender case for my iPhone 3GS, and I love it. However, how I use and treat my phone is quite different than how I use and treat my iPad.
My phones have traditionally seen a lot of abuse. It gets dropped a lot, as I find a phone something I hold with one hand far more often than I hold my iPad with one hand. Unlike my iPad, which is usually transported in a bag of case of some sort, my phone is clipped to my pocket or belt, and prone to impacts and bumping.
I'm still considering fhe Defender case for the iPad, even with the heft and high price, just because of how effectively the Defender has protected my iPhone. I once dropped my phone in the snow (and didn't realize it for nearly a half-hour), and it was perfectly fine, its ports covered and sealed enough to keep the snow out; and the screen even sealed by the built-in screen cover kept the snow out of front part of the case. My phone has met the concrete very impactfully on many occasions, and shows no signs of it at all.
The Defender's beefiness and price are deterring me, however. I have learned to appreciate the leanness of the iPad in the official Apple iPad case, and sometimes in a Sumajin Ink silicon case (also very lean). At this moment, I think it more unlikely than not that I'll pick up a Defender for my iPad.
One thing I did pick up to give my iPad 64GB/3G another kind of protection is a SquareTrade warranty. I originally bought AppleCare for it, but found out that Amex (which I used to buy it) may automatically offer similar (to AppleCare) protection, minus the ability to take it to an Apple Store for service. I called Apple and canceled the AppleCare policy for my iPad, and got a refund for that. The SquareTrade policy, however, provides even accidental damage coverage, so I felt like I had go with that. With that coverage, I think I'm more inclined right now to take my chances, and stick with the lean Apple case and the Sumajin Ink.
I have an OtterBox Defender case for my iPhone 3GS, and love it, mostly because my phones do tend to take some amount of abuse. Of course, I don't care for the bulk it adds to the phone--or the deep bezel, which can make screen buttons on the edge of the screen more difficult to access--but these seem to be somewhat necessary for the protection (although I think they could have used shallower slopes on the bezel, as with the iPhone 4 Defender Case).
For my iPad, however, I'm not likely to pick up a Defender. My iPad doesn't receive nearly as much abuse, stored in a bag that protects it when I'm not using it. I also have the official Apple case for it, which, for my purposes, I've found nothing else I prefer over it. (Of course, other than screen protection, the official Apple iPad case offers little to no impact protection.)
On top of all that, the iPad, which I already find too heavy for comfortable one-handed holding, would be approximately 1 1/4 pounds heavier with the full OtterBox Defender case, and just under a pound heavier without the Defender's shield. That, to me, is a lot of additional weight.
With the way I carry the iPad--coupled with the security of a SquareTrade warranty, in case something does happen to it--I can't justify the Defender for it.
(I do understand those who use their iPads in more hostile environs might find the Defender ideal; it's just not ideal for me.)
