New iPad Doesn’t Work With All Smart Covers

According to Apple, the Smart Cover you bought with your iPad 2, will work with the new iPad, but for some users that’s not the case

The Smart Cover uses magnets that turn your iPad on and off when you open or close it. The magnets also keep the Smart Cover closed and attached to your iPad.

(Read: 35 New iPad Cases and Covers)

Not every new iPad or Smart Cover is affected, but there is an Apple support forum post filled with users complaining that their Smart Covers don’t work with the new iPad.

Based on observations by Mark Booth, the new iPad’s magnet polarity is switched, which means some Smart Covers can’t control the sleep and wake function of the new iPad.

On his blog, Booth shares a video that demonstrates the new iPad not working with the magnets on the Smart Cover. The Smart Cover isn’t the only iPad cover affected, third-party covers are also having trouble working with the new switched polarity magnets on the new iPad.

There’s a good reason for Apple’s decision to switch the polarity on the new iPad. Users who flipped the Smart Cover over on the iPad 2 and held it with the magnets against the right back edge, would turn off their iPad because the magnets did not read correctly. By switching the polarity you can now swing your Smart Cover completely around without worrying about your iPad turning off.

I tested this with my Smart Cover, purchased on the iPad 2 launch date in 2011, and I did not have the same issue that some users are reporting.

If you’re Smart Cover doesn’t work on the new iPad, you can take it into any Apple Store, and they will replace it free of charge.

If you have a third-party case with magnets, you should contact the manufacturer to see if they’re offering any replacement programs. Mashable reports that some third-party cases, like the Miniot, cause lines when used as a stand.

Does your Smart Cover work with the new iPad? Do you have a third-party case with magnets that doesn’t work with the new iPad? If so, as a manufacturer agreed to replace it?