66 MACWORLD OCTOBER 2019
iOSCENTRAL REVIEW: ZAGG FOLIO BACKLIT KEYBOARD CASEthe case is closed, anyway).
Dropping it shouldn’t happen all that
often, though, thanks to the grippy
textured material enveloping almost the
entire exterior. The only exceptions are
places where the cloth would likely see
a lot of wear and tear through normal
use, such as the Lightning port, the
headphone jack, the camera port, and
volume buttons. Around these spaces
and along the edges, Zagg left exposed
black plastic that should last throughout
the case’s lifespan.
You’ll also find that plastic around the
cradle-style hinge, which is hard to pry
apart because it’s meant to hold up the
iPad when you’re writing in “laptop
mode.” I occasionally hear complaints that
Zagg’s hinges aren’t strong enough to
support the tablet after a couple of
months, and true, the inherent structuralnah, we’re stuck with the workaday black
fabric and plastic that defines Zagg’s cases
as of late.
It’s a good thing, then, that almost
every other feature of this delightful case
makes up for it. It’s barely thicker than half
an inch when it’s closed. It’s tough enough
to endure the pain I put my stuff through
on my footbound commute, and the
keyboard—though small—offers much of
the satisfaction I’d expect from a proper
laptop. After handling it for a while, I kind
of wish Apple would take some cues from
Zagg for some of its own designs.
MAKING A STRONG CASE
Owing to the tiny dimensions, this
Bluetooth case doesn’t have some of the
extra features you’ll find in bigger cases.
Unlike Zagg’s Slim Book Go for the 9.7-
inch iPad (go.macworld.com/bkgo), for
instance, this version doesn’t
have a handy slot for Apple’s
first-generation Apple Pencil,
likely because the lengthy
stylus would end up sticking
out the end. The Folio’s
sturdiness makes up for its
rather plain design, and I
know from experience that
both the iPad and the
keyboard can survive
tumbles off a counter and
onto a tile floor (so long as It feels a bit like a clothbound book.