Apple Brings TechWoven to iPad With All-New $79 iPad Mini Smart Folio

Apple today announced a TechWoven Smart Folio for the new iPad mini bringing its woven fabric to an iPad cover for the first time and replacing the previous, long-standing polyurethane design.

With no polyurethane alternative announced, the new iPad mini looks set to become the first ‌iPad‌ since the original model in 2010 to launch without an Apple polyurethane cover option.

Apple introduced the material with the ‌iPad‌ 2's Smart Cover in 2011, continuing through subsequent ‌iPad‌ Smart Covers and Smart Folios until today. The new accessory comes in Navy Blue and Taupe, complementing the ‌iPad mini‌'s Midnight and Starlight finishes. It costs $79 in the U.S., a $20 increase over the previous-generation Smart Folio.

Alongside the material change, Apple has redesigned the cover with a two-panel construction. It attaches magnetically to the ‌iPad mini‌ and offers an adjustable range of viewing angles, which Apple says provides a greater range of motion and new viewing angles, for enhanced versatility.

Pre-orders for the new Smart Folio begin on Wednesday, October 28, alongside the ‌iPad mini‌, with availability starting on Friday, November 6. Related Roundup: iPad miniBuyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Coming Soon)Related Forum: iPadThis article, "Apple Brings TechWoven to iPad With All-New $79 iPad Mini Smart Folio" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums