When Apple put out the word that everyone was getting a free case, I was excited, then disappointed. I figured that of the manufacturers who were involved, I would have my pick of excellent cases with lots of color choices. Instead, we got a bunch of cases that do the deed, but there wasn’t much excitement with them.
Out of all of them, my favorite was the Speck Fitted pictured above. Why? Well, I prefer darker colored cases for the most part, and the pattern was different enough that I could give it a try. No worries. It came in the mail yesterday, so I figured I’d crack it open and see how I like it. The results?
First, I wasn’t sure how exactly to get my iPhone in the thing. As it turns out, the case is actually split into two pieces, with a top and bottom section that lock together. Taking them apart without an iPhone in it was easy, and then all I had to do was snap the two pieces together to lock my iPhone in place.
The fit is pretty tight, and it feels good to hold in your hands. The cloth backing not only gives you a texture to hold onto, but also looks like it can take some abuse. The cutouts for the buttons are ample, and even have a notch for the noise cancellation sensor by the headphone jack. When it’s clipped together, it’s a little difficult to tell whether or not it’s two separate pieces, because they fit so tightly that it looks great. Of course, that’s also part of the problem.
Although it has ample room for the 30-pin connector and headphone jack, it’s ridiculously difficult to get apart. After twisting and fighting with the thing for 5 minutes, I was honestly concerned that I was going to break my iPhone before the case separated. This means that if you like to dock your iPhone, you’re going to be going through a ton of frustration and hassle every time you want to take off the case.
What makes this more frustrating is that Speck is billing this as an easily interchangeable case.
It feels really good, this case does. And it looks good, too. Sleek, stylish, a hint of sophistication and smarts; this hard-shell case with matte soft-touch coating becomes even more impressive if you match the fabric-backed panel to your outfit, scarf, or tie.
How am I going to match it to anything if I can’t get it off?
If you’re the type of person who likes their iPhone cases to stay put and you don’t often take the phone out of the case, then this should work for you just fine. It looks good, and it can take some abuse. But if you dock it, or like to change cases every now and then, this isn’t the option for you.
One thought on “Apple Gazette Reviews: Speck Fitted iPhone Case”
Tonight my iPhone 4 with the new Speck Geometric case like the one in the post began to “act up!” All of a sudden, I couldn’t even slide the off switch, log in – it seemed like my touches on the touch screen resulted in random locations being activated. Before I did a complete reset, I decided to pop the cover off & that did it…all fine again. I wonder if there’s a chance it’s TOO TIGHT? Any ideas? Since it was “free” from Apple, I’m not sure how I can complain too loudly. Otherwise, it’s really nice….your thoughts?