While Apple was gushing about its new MacBook Pro with Retina display, or what's new in iOS 6, it quietly released a new cover for the iPad 2 and Apple iPad (3rd generation) which promises to protect the front as well as the back, but at £39 should you bother?

One of the biggest complaints about the iPad Smart Cover is that it doesn’t protect the back of your device, and that can have disastrous effects when it's stored in a bag.

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Apple has now taken steps to solve such woes with the launch of the iPad Smart Case cover that includes protection all around.

“Like the Smart Cover, it folds easily into a stand for reading, typing and watching video. And it automatically wakes and sleeps iPad on open and close,” says the company on its Apple Store.

Made from polyurethane, its iPad Smart Case is available in six bright colours, including blue, green, pink, red, light grey and dark grey.

As you can see from the pictures we’ve snapped, the red is very red. To the touch the Smart Case is soft and that gives additional grip on any surface you place it on.

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Fitting in your iPad is easy, because the polyurethane has enough stretch to it to expand enough to get your Apple tablet in the case, but then quickly shrinks back to fit nice and snug. This isn't going to slip off. 

Punctuated through the design are various holes for the switches and buttons. Volume and power buttons are covered completely and replaced with soft buttons, but there is enough space to happily use the mute or lock switch on the side.

There are no other markings on the casing apart from a solid white Apple logo on the back.

As with the Smart Cover, the Smart Case has magnets to turn the iPad on automatically when you open it. You can also fold the top layer in three to make a stand for watching a movie or typing. The second, however, does allow for more bounce because its lost the rigidity of the metal bar found on the Smart Cover.

Surprisingly the case adds very little bulk to the iPad, although it does add a couple of millimeters to the frame all around the edge as seen above. 

Bright and crisp, you won’t be disappointed with the purchase, but like all things Apple accessories wise, there are plenty of cheaper options if you look around.