I got an iPad 3 today but my smart cover doesn't work with it... Any suggestions?

I was bummed out, too, when my smart case, a Piel Frama case, didn't turn the iPad 3 screen on and off. It had worked fine on my iPad 2.

After reading this thread, I decided to try another case that I used with my iPad 2, the ZooGue case. To my reilef, that case does turn the iPad 3 screen on and off.

I may be going mad here but I seem to recall a podcast last year (it may have been Adam Christianson on The Maccast, or a topic on MacGeekGab but I'm not 100% on that) where someone had a MacBook Pro and it wasn't going to sleep when the lid was closed. Turned out after as few trips to an Apple Store that the magnet that causes the laptop to go to sleep when the lid closes was in slightly the wrong place. This was verified by running a magnet along the edge and seeing where it stuck. When it did it was out of place, and not lining up with the lid. Maybe, and I'm reaching here, some of these 'rushed to production' first run iPad (3rd Gen) devices have their magnets / switches in slightly the wrong place / fitted incorrectly?

freediverx01 wrote:

Care to explain? Too lazy to read Wikipedia article on magnetic fields.

Naw, too lazy to type it up and you wouldn't understand anyway.

my ipad3 is the same, just taken full cover off and tried it back to front and it worked. The magnets must be out of line. What is the option? keep buying cases til you get one that works? Wow! Apple has done it again, maybe a case program for ipad3 🙂

Actually, Apple made a HUGE to-do about four months ago when they released new smart covers in different colors, did away with others, and updated the line,

That being said -- the old smart covers SURE DO work with the new iPad....if yours does not, then make an appointment with your Genius Bar -- they will swap it out for free.

People tend to come here to whine and moan before they go to the source and take care of the problems first hand.

Yes, it is a problem if you do not have a Genius Bar near you. In those cases CALL Apple. They will take care of it for you.

If its a third party cover -- yes, you might be out of luck with the new iPad,,,but a lot of the old 3rd party covers didn't work with the iPad 2 either.

Problem solved on my end. Turns out the smart cover I bout from Amazon was an oldr version. Went to the local Applpe store and they swapped it out for a new one.

If you bought your smart cover a whir back, or if you bought it from anyone other than Apple, you may have an older version which doesn't work reliably.

Well I got mine from Apple along with the iPad, so if it's wrong it's because they've sent me an old one! lol

Guess I'll have to find our local store and drop by with it.

Not good. Got a new iPad. Bought the smart cover case, didn't work, took it back. Exchanged it for the Belkin Click-In Case "for iPad 3rd generation", still doesn't work. Looks like the magnet is aligned wrong. Apple is going to have a lot of fun with this......

There are 2 Apple smart covers. Look at the part numbers. One only works on the iPad 2 , the new one fits both the iPad 2 and the NEW iPad. Apple changed the magnets on the New iPad. Most third party cases for the New iPad do not work either. Most of the case manufacturers are working on moving the magnets on their cases now.

It's NOT a magnetic sensor alignment issue. The "problem" is that Apple changed the type of sleep/wake sensor switch used in the iPad. For the iPad 2, the sleep/wake sensor was not polarity sensitive. For the new iPad (iPad 3), the sleep/wake sensor IS polarity senstive.

Some of the original (older) Smart Covers simply have the little magnet (for the sleep/wake sensor) installed with the incorrect magnetic polarity facing the inside of the Smart Cover. And a fair number of third-party case manufacturers are having the exact same issue.

Everything is explained and demonstrated (in HD video) at the blog post I made last night:

http://markshangout.com/blog/2012/3/17/ipad-3-smart-cover-sleepwake-feature-not- working.html

Mark

The smart cover I have was ordered from Apple by adding it as an optional accessory during the checkout process of buying the new iPad. The part number on the box matches the current listed number in the store for the one marked as being compatible with the new iPad.

So unless they've put the wrong one in the box, it's the right one and there's a problem with it.

Sounds like a defective cover. Take it back to an Apple Store for exchange.

Mark

Maybe we should start calling these covers Not-So-Smart Covers....

There is no problem with the covers...everyone is holding them wrong.

Had to be said 😉

I'm using a new iPad 3 (Wi-Fi) and mine is also set up as a new iPad. My smart cover doesn't work and, furthermore, there is NO option to turn this feature on under Settings-General-Passcode Lock or anywhere else. I'm curious to know if this shortcoming is limited to the Wi-Fi only model since others say they have the smart cover option.