Old Smart Covers Will Work On (But Not Necessarily With) Your New iPad
March 20, 2012
Several users are reporting on Apple's support boards that the company's Smart Covers -- originally designed for use with the iPad 2 -- are neither locking nor waking their new iPads. While you'll all be super relieved to know that mine is working just fine, the issue is nevertheless a real one. Fortunately, it has a pretty simple explanation.
According to Mashable, iPad fan Mark Booth has discovered exactly what's going on:
"The iPad 2′s sleep/wake sensor wasn’t polarity specific,” Booth explains. And that apparently led to an issue for iPad 2 users who flipped their smart covers around so that they sat flush with the back of the tablet — an everyday act that could cause the iPad 2 to switch off unintentionally. So it seems the new iPad’s sleep/wake sensor does require a specific polarity. But in fixing one issue, Apple appears to have caused another for users who want to use their old smart covers with their new tablets.Apple has yet to comment on the matter. However, if this is happening to you, there's an easy fix (and it only costs about $40): Just get a new Smart Cover! All current models are confirmed to function properly with the new iPad.
