Apple announced a new TechWoven Smart Folio for the iPad mini, bringing its woven fabric to an iPad cover for the first time and replacing the previous polyurethane design. The new folio comes in Navy Blue and Taupe, complementing the iPad mini's Midnight and Starlight finishes. Priced at $79 in the U.S., it represents a $20 increase over the previous-generation Smart Folio.
The redesigned cover features a two-panel construction that attaches magnetically to the iPad mini and offers an adjustable range of viewing angles for enhanced versatility. This marks the first time Apple has used TechWoven fabric on an iPad cover.
With no polyurethane alternative announced, the new iPad mini appears set to become the first iPad since the original model in 2010 to launch without an Apple polyurethane cover option. Apple introduced polyurethane covers with the iPad 2's Smart Cover in 2011, continuing through subsequent iPad Smart Covers and Smart Folios until today.
Pre-orders for the new Smart Folio begin on Wednesday, October 28, alongside the iPad mini, with availability starting on Friday, November 6.
Source: MacRumors · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing