iBallz Original Universal Case for iPad 1-4, Galaxy 10, Surface and 10-12-Inch Tablets

When I bought my iPad Air, I was paranoid that it would drop and be ruined . I have a toddler running about and I had just sunk $700 into a fragile piece of aluminum and glass.After a bit of research I discovered the iBallz solution. When you cover the four corners with an inch or so of sturdy foam, there is no way to destroy your tablet by accidental drop. (Save throwing it down a flight of stairs.) The tablet never touches the ground. Meanwhile the balls absorb the impact.To be honest, iBallz look a little weird. They draw attention. I am regularly stopped at work, in airports, or coffee shops and asked why I have four little foam balls attached to my iPad. Instead of going into a long explanation, I say nothing and simply drop my iPad. After a gut wrenching second of flight, my tablet hits the ground, bounces a little, and then safely comes to a rest on the floor. I love watching the looks of sheer horror on the unsuspecting faces melt into impressed amazement as people realize the answer. (A shreak followed by, "Oh my God!" or "Oh Sh*t!" is not uncommon.)I have had my iPad protected with iBallz for over a year now. I have given several impromptu product demonstrations. I know of at least three cases where people immediately went online and bought their own set of iBallz. Most importantly my iPad is in pristine condition. (I am actually writing this review on it.) No nicks, scratches, or dents are on the front or back of my device.Apart from the obvious shock absorption, there are a few other benefits as well as some drawbacks to using iBallz.While resting on a counter, your tablet is always elevated so liquids that are accidentally spilled won't fry your device.The balls are held together by a single bungee cord that is threaded through them. It feels a little awkward at first, but the elastic chord actually affords several comfortable, safe, and useful new ways to hold the tablet. You can attach it to a hook in the wall or a door knob. You can carry it by the cord. You can slide your hand back between the cord and the tablet to instantly have secured a one handed mount that leaves both thumbs free.The only real frustrating part of using iBallz is the fact the balls cover up the power switch, headphone jack and the camera. There have been a few times when I have turned on my camera or tried to find the hole to plug my headphones into only to realize that I have a foam ball covering it. (Doh!) The balls remove easily so this isn't really a problem.More frustrating is the power switch. While it really isn't a big deal to slide the power ball to the right a little to turn off my device, (Yes there is a specific ball that was shaped to better accomidate a power button) I have had several occasions when my iPad Air suddenly went into sleep mode or offered to power down. After this happened a few times, I realized I had the bungee cord on too tight and the problem stopped after I loosened it.Finally, on the iPad Air, the balls have a tendency to cover the corners of the screen. In normal use, the space that is obscured is so small I rarely notice it. But it's there, so I'm mentioning it.All in all, the downsides inherent to iBallz are far outweighed by the novelty, increased functionality, and security they provide. Definitely not worth dropping a star over. You are buying fun and robust shock proofing solution that will give you peace of mind in the safety of your investment. If nothing else, it's worth it just to watch random people freak out when you drop it.*** UPDATE 06/29/2020 ***Five and a half years and 3 iPads later. I just bought a new 12.1 inch iPad Pro. The product fits and works as originally intended. In a world where mobile accessories usually only last the life of the device, I am getting my money’s worth out of this product.

Two days into my 4th generation iPad, I fell asleep sitting up with it. I was awakened by the sensation of it slipping from my hands, followed by the sound of it hitting the floor. The hairline crack at the top of the screen doesn't get in the way, but another fall like that would surely shatter the screen. $250 at the Apple Store, not to mention those silent, superior looks of Apple recrimination. (If you haven't heard Lewis Black's bit about the Apple Store you are missing one of those moments where comedy and truth perfectly converge.)So I purchased and put on iBallz. Let me say that unless you actually enjoy making a public spectacle 😆😀😜😳of yourself, you will want to put them on in private. The little fellows keep popping off while they are being mounted, at least they do with the iPad 4. If you've ever tried putting on a fitted sheet for the first time (for me, putting on a fitted sheet is always for the first time) then you have experienced a similar phenomenon. However, once they are on and the harness is tightened, they tend to stay on. Until they don't. They never pick an auspicious moment to pop off.And, yes, they cover the camera and the power switch. Now, taking a casual snapshot with an iPad is about like doing the same with a large-format camera. Seriously suboptimal. Powering it down, or putting it to sleep, not so. IBallz makes that difficult. Liking them nonetheless Is the true measure of just how good they are. I've dropped my iPad a few times since without repeating that crack. So, despite their annoyances, I am so satisfied with them that I would never be without them.And every so often you will see the shock of mistaken recognition on the face of a person who is momentarily certain that you have repurposed a product with which they are pleasurably familiar. Under some circumstances, it beats a dating service by a country mile. It's not the mistaken recognition that is diagnostic, it is how they deal with seeing you see them realizing their error. The rest I leave to your imagination.

After our iPad 2 was dropped twice; shattering the screen both times; I researched "how to drop-proof you iPad" and came across numerous products. After extensively looking into each option I chose to go with the iballz. I could not be happier with my choice. I also purchased the soft lid which I love and the satchel which is great for traveling. The review that talks about the ball blocking the rear camera; yes when installed properly the ball does cover the camera but this product is designed to allow you to remove a single ball without removing the whole system and with this feature; it is super easy to take that ball off (it tucks comfortably behind the unit while removed) use the camera and then pull the ball right back in place. This feature can be viewed if you go to the iballz website or to YouTube and search iballz.Since installing my iballz; the iPad has been accidentally knocked off a night stand onto tile floors and came out unharmed. It also was on a table that ended up having a glass of soda knocked over and because of the balls the liquid ran under the iPad but didn't get onto anything but the bottom of the ballz. Had I not had the iballz the iPad would have likely been destroyed.My 5 and 3 year olds play with the iPad now and I don't worry about them breaking it anymore.I am not sure if the product was designed for the iPad 1 but my father in law has one and we bought him the soft lid case and the iballz and they have worked on his iPad 1 without any problems.I even convinced my daughters school (which assigns an iPad to each student) to house all of their iPads in the iballz. The kids in the school; ages 3 to 16 all love the iballz and we haven't had a single iPad causality since installing themIf you are looking to purchase a quality product to protect your iPad 1 or 2 look no further. You can't get better than than iballz.