Hacked iPad 2 Smart Cover Fits First iPad

If there was one thing that made me jealous when watching Apple’s iPad 2 unveiling event last month, it was the really sweet Smart Cover. Not only because it is essentailly a spacesuit for the iPad 2, but the cool use of the magnets to turn the tablet on and it’s useful flexibility (though not so much the luminous colors). Imagine my disgust then when I dicovered it was only for the new slimmer model, leaving out us iPad 1 owners. Not any more.

Dan Provost also wanted a Smart Cover for his iPad Fat, so he decided to do a little bit of tinkering to make one fit. He simply attached four rare-earth magnets to the side of the iPad’s flat edging with super glue, which he lined up by attaching them to the cover first. To remove the magnet, Dan suggests lightly chipping them off with a hammer.

This hack may be straightforward, but it is not for the faint of heart and isn’t without some issues. Although the cover is flush against the ipad, and can be unattached easily, those magnets to keep it attached will be permanently stuck to the iPad, even when you aren’t using the cover. Also, unfortunately the cover won’t turn on your iPad when you open it up, so at present the hack only lets you use the Smart Cover as a screen protector and stand.

At least it still looks as nice as it would on the iPad 2, even if the hack has a couple of drawbacks. Check out the video to get a feel of how it looks and some further explanation from Dan himself:

Would you try this hack with your iPad? Tell us in the comments below.

[Dan Provost via Make]

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