Review: Zenus's Masstige Deluxe Ostrich Pouch offers basic protection for your iPad

Zenus’ $40 Masstige Deluxe Ostrich Pouch is a faux leather sleeve that loosely fits either the iPad 2 or the latest third-generation iPad. Made of a thin, flexible leather, the Masstige doesn’t have much give to it; though it fit my third-generation iPad with Apple’s Smart Cover in place, it would not fit with a thin protective shell case fitted on the back. The case has an ostrich skin texture (hence the name) and comes in fierce red, black, royal navy, or earth beige.

It’s quite slim, but still feels protective due to the rigidity of the faux leather. The inside is lined with a satin fabric, which won’t scratch your iPad’s touchscreen or back. Because it is a sleeve, you must remove your iPad entirely from the case to use it.

A small tab sticks out from the inside of the Masstige sleeve, which I thought would contain a magnet and fold over to secure the iPad inside the sleeve for transport. Instead, the fabric tab actually sticks to the iPad a little bit when you put it inside the case; pulling the tab slides the iPad out of the sleeve. In my opinion, this is a completely unnecessary function, as the iPad slips in and out of the case quite easily without it. I wish this case included a tab for closure, because there is nothing besides friction preventing the iPad from falling out of the sleeve. I wouldn’t trust this to hold if it is dropped or simply jostled around inside a backpack. The third-generation iPad is less likely to fall out, simply because it is a tighter fit than with the iPad 2.

If you’re a careful iPad user looking for a slim, simple, and attractive sleeve, the Masstige Deluxe Ostrich Series case is worth checking out.