Despite the listing here saying this case is for iPad 1, it most definitely is not--the packaging itself only says "2, 3 and 4" and it's clearly not designed for the larger 1. It's a really tight squeeze and a bit of the edge of the tablet sticks out on the bottom of the enclosure. It worries me a little--will the seams be able to stand up to the added strain over time?--and the false advertising knocks off a star...but it does seem to work just fine even with the tight fit, and if that doesn't bother you this case seems like a great choice. (I'm optimistic that the leather will stretch out a little, so I'm sticking with it.) After a day of messing around with it, my impressions:

The keyboard pairing worked like a charm, as does the keyboard itself (and I love the iPad-specific keys included on the top edge; really handy, especially when you're using the keyboard detached!). As a stand this is very good also, creating a nice wide "triangle" for stability and working equally well with and without the keyboard in place. I really like that the keyboard and case use magnets to keep things in place, avoiding straps or loops that can get caught or break. As with the Apple Bluetooth keyboard, you can use this one to wake the iPad from sleep. I'm not 100% sure but the keyboard seems to go to sleep itself if unused also. Even if it does not, the switch is always easily accessible at the bottom of the "stand" triangle, which I appreciated (I was expecting to have to move things out of the way). The case has a nice classy look, like a well-crafted leather binder.

Drawbacks: it's noticeably heavy. There seems to be no way to stand the iPad up without a big "tongue" hanging out in front of it, either with the keyboard on top of it or not (but I may be missing some creative way to fold it). And the potential problems, in my case, caused from cramming an iPad 1 into it. Other than that it's difficult to find any fault; this is nice stuff.

UPDATE: Fewer problems, no new ones. The tight fit for my iPad has produced no issues; despite being jostled and transported on a daily basis the case has held up perfectly under the strain. The keyboard does in fact go to sleep, which has saved battery life like you wouldn't believe; I don't use this heavily to write but do use it daily to control video playback, and it's been months since I had to recharge. The "tongue," I realized, can be folded right back under the keyboard, so that solves that awkwardness. Really happy with this case, it's the tops.

Was looking for a iPad mini case as the one we had on it was getting worn out. This search comes with the Bluetooth keyboard which is a plus.
Positives:
- The case looks very stylish and great as if it was a very high priced case.
- The case is pretty sturdy and fits the iPad like a glove
- The leather seems genuine
- The keyboard battery charge holds well. We have not had the need to recharge the keyboard with about 2-3 hours of use every day for the past few weeks. Will know when the battery needs recharge if by the time it needs us to recharge, it is about 120 hours since we first charged it as the box indicates.
- Seamless connection using Bluetooth.
- Cutout for the camera is good and so there is not blurring or blocking of images taken, although we dont use the ipad mini for taking that many photos.
- When closed it fits like a small book in a laptop bag.
- Integration with apps like Notes etc was seamless with minimal to no lag time between typing and rendering on the screen.

Negatives:
- Keyboard attaches to the case using the magnets in the case and so one needs to be careful when moving around the house. We have not had it fall anytime, but just because it is just an magnetic stick hold, with no flaps or clips, we are just extra careful.
- Size of the keyboard is small. Since we did not have a keyboard case before, it took a little bit of time getting used to the spacing that seemed squished.
- How to position the keyboard for best use was found by trial and error as we first thought that the ipad mini sat on top of the number keys (see image). We had to reposition the keyboard to be closer to the end of the case cover and then the ipad mini does not obstruct the keys. Wish there was proper documentation with pictures to show the correct positioning of the keyboard on the case.

Will buy again as it is sturdy, stylish and functional and does what it is meant to do. Happy customer.

As someone still chuggin' along on a first generation iPad, accessory choices are pretty limited, which is understandable. While I save for a new iPad I'm doing my best to keep this one useful, and seeing how many people I work with swear by the keyboard case it was time to give one a try.

I ordered the black model and it came promptly with Prime shipping. It was easy to set up and the bluetooth pairing was quick, but I will say that although they advertise this as fitting the iPad 1 it's definitely a tight squeeze. If you push it in as far as it'll go and velcro the cover it'll stay in, but the bottom edge of the iPad does stick out a bit and the case isn't a perfect fit, but it doesn't cover the screen or any buttons so it's manageable.

The case is not light, especially with the heavy iPad 1 inside, but it works mostly as advertised. I think the magnets could be a bit stronger and setting this thing in your lap isn't very steady, but using it on a table or other flat surface is great.

The keyboard is impressively constructed. The keys have nice travel and a good clicky feeling, and all the keys are in the right place, and even for someone with large hands they're a good size to type on. Far better than the $80 Belkin case my co-worker uses.

The screen angle is adjustable...in theory. The whole unit works best if you keep the keyboard magnetically attached and slid up against the crease of the case, where it is when the case is closed, which lets the iPad balance on the groove just above the top row of keys. If you move the keyboard down so only the top two magnets are attached the angle is better for viewing but the entire case is so stretched out at this point it becomes unstable (and useless, as it takes up more table space than a laptop). Addtionally you can remove the keyboard but the case offers essentially no use for holding in your hand/lap without the keyboard, so I end up dragging it out of this case when I'm just using my iPad for reading/watching something. Overall

Pros:

-about the only keyboard case for the iPad 1
-keys have great feel and layout
-durable and well constructed
-affordable
-easy setup

Cons:

-only one stable viewing angle
-when unfolded in keyboard mode, the closure flap is in the way sometimes
-only one stable viewing angle
-really only stable on flat surfaces

Overall it serves me well -- I took it to a conference and didn't need my laptop at all!

This keyboard case was purchased for an iPad 1, which fits into the case very well. For our needs, putting the iPad into the case with the home button on the right when the case is opened as an easel works best, giving easy access to the power, rotation lock, and volume buttons as well as the charge port and the headphone jack for the iPad. There are cutouts in the leather case for the home button and camera. Small gripe is that when the iPad is fully pushed into its slot and the Velcro closure has secured the iPad the home button isn't centered in its cutout, but not a big issue.

The case works very well in laptop-style, with two grooves plus parking the iPad edge just in front of the keyboard to allow different viewing angles for a wide variety of uses. If you choose to use the case in tablet mode without the keyboard, the case can keep the keyboard parked inside using the four magnets that hold it secured while closed, or pull it out and place it aside. When using the keyboard, I find it easiest to either pull the keyboard out and place it on my lap, or to slide it out of the case so it overhangs the case closure flap by about an inch so the upper keyboard bottom magnets align with the magnets built into the case for the lower keyboard bottom magnets, normally used when parking the keyboard for transport.

Pairing the keyboard with the iPad was straightforward, but not entirely the same as the included instructions. Instructions state the Bluetooth light will be a steady blue indicator when paired. I'm currently typing with the keyboard paired to the iPad and the Bluetooth light is not lit steady or flashing. Initial pairing of the keyboard to the iPad worked best with the keyboard turned on prior to searching for the keyboard in the iPad's Bluetooth settings. During the pairing operation, the Bluetooth indicator on the keyboard will flash per the instructions, but as soon as the iPad and keyboard are paired, the indicator on my keyboard goes dark, the instructions state the light will be on steady when paired. If the iPad was powered off, or timed out, it will automatically pair again with the keyboard only when the keyboard is still powered up. If the keyboard is powered off, I have to go back into Bluetooth settings on the iPad and select the 'not connected' Bluetooth keyboard before it will again be paired. The keyboard is supposed to have approximately 120 hours of use per charge, but I will tend to shut off the keyboard between uses (when I remember since no lights are powered when on and the CAPS lock is off unless the battery is running low).

The case design only allows easel mode to be used in landscape format (screen wider than it is tall) where our previous case allows the iPad to rotate into the portrait mode also if desired - but that case has no keyboard.

The keyboard functionality is quite good, I expecially like the dedicated function keys across the top for Home, screen dim, screen bright, display rotation lock/unlock and touchscreen keyboard show/hide. There is a discrepancy between the user manual and the keyboard function keys. The manual states there is a key above the "6" key that should allow slide shows of pictures, however the key on my unit is marked "All" within a page shaped icon. The only function I've found that this key does is to select all text, similar to using CTL+A on a PC. Another drawback to the keyboard is there is no dedicated "Delete" key, although there is a backspace key which can be utilized for deletions most of the time if the focus is placed properly.

I can't attest to how rugged the design is like those who have driven off with the unit flying off the car at 30 miles an hour, but I feel the design will stand up to most of the abuse that people will subject the case to. I can imagine how the keyboard might slip out of the case which has happened to some other reviewers since there is no mechanical means of keeping the keyboard in the case aside from the not-super strong magnets that locate the keyboard inside the case when closing it up.

I would recommend this case to someone like myself who prefers the separate keyboard instead of using the touchscreen keyboard on the iPad.

I have been using a really great iPad tablet keyboard case for going on 3 years, so I thought it was time to try out a new one. There are features that I have become accustomed to and depend on for their convenience and reliability, and that's the barometer I used to measure this Alpatronix case by.

In my opinion, the major features to look for are: 1) Does the keyboard readily connect to the iPad without having to reconfigure or re-pair the Bluetooth connectivity often 2) Is the keyboard laid out well with the keys easy and responsive to type on 3) Will it rotate the iPad between portrait and landscape modes 4) Do you have to turn the keyboard on to use it, or does it turn on as soon as you open the case (auto wake feature) 5) Does it have long lasting battery power to get you through a number of hours worth of use without having to charge it again 6) Is the keyboard backlit 7) What kind of viewing angles does it have, and is it easy to set them up 8) Can you detach the iPad or keyboard and use the iPad by itself in the case 9) How heavy and thick is the case with the keyboard attached 10) Is the case durable, so if you drop it, will it protect the iPad?

First, the positive aspects of this case: 1) I've been using it for about a week now, and so far I haven't had to re-pair it with the iPad like I sometimes had to do with my previous case, and it initially connected to Bluetooth very easily and quickly 2) The keyboard is laid out very well and the keys are fairly large sized, not cramped at all. There is a full size "shift" key under the right side "enter" key, so you don't have to be as careful with your finger placement when you want to capitalize a word using that shift key (many of the cheaper keyboards out there have 2 separate keys under the right enter key, so you have to be careful which key you're pressing), plus it has some convenient function keys on the top row, such as brightness and volume. The "chiclet" keys are very responsive and there is no delay when pressing them. 3) I can't speak too much to the battery power yet with this case so far, but the description says it can last 150 hours for working time and 500 hours for standby time, which is fantastic. 4) The keyboard is easily detachable (via magnets) if you wish to use the iPad just by itself. 6) Although I haven't dropped the case yet, it seems to be pretty durable (although I do worry a little about the case popping open if that would occur"”where the magnet closes it on the front of the case). 7, 8, 9) Three other really nice things about this case and company itself"”is that Alpatronix donates $1 to a well known charity (listed on their box) every time a review is posted on Amazon (one of the charities is the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is wonderful in my book!) 10) The case is made out of premium vegan leather which I really appreciate, and it has a good feel to it"”it doesn't feel cheap 11) It comes with a standard one year warranty if you register it (2 years if you send them an email).

While overall I was fairly pleased with this case, it did fall short in several areas: 1) It lacks the ability to rotate between portrait and landscape 2) The keyboard is not backlit (which is an important feature if you're typing in the dark) 3) The keyboard does not always switch on (using the auto wake feature it says it has) every time I open the case"”sometimes it does, other times I have to fiddle with it 4) While the iPad viewing angles are sufficient with this case, you have to actually detach and move the keyboard to another place on the case once you open it to set up a viewing angle (it doesn't open up to an angle space as soon as you open the case) 5) While I don't think this case is particularly that heavy with the keyboard attached, it is rather thick and cumbersome (it folds over on itself and has a magnet to close it with, kind of like an envelope).

I think if Alpatronix figured out a way to make this case switchable between portrait and landscape, added the backlit feature and redesigned their closure method for the case, they'd have a 5 star case. I'm looking forward to see how they design their future cases. 😄