1. It says no where the description that it is a genuine Apple iPad Smart Cover
Although the description says “a magnetic smart cover for iPad 2, 3, or 4” it conspicuously leaves “smart cover” lower case. Hm. Don’t you think if a case were a genuine Apple product for that deep of a discount it’d be worth mentioning in the description?
2. 81% off of $40 is not $15
The Living Social voucher claims to be an 81% discount. The genuine Apple iPad Smart Cover costs about $40. 81% off of $40 is $7.60. Not $15.
So, wait, how does that make it an 81% discount? If you go to AppleDepot.ca, you can find a magnetic smart cover for sale for $89.99. 81% off of $90 is…$17.10. Which is a lot closer to $15. So, it is incredibly likely that this coupon is for that product. Which is twice as expensive as a genuine Apple iPad Smart Cover. Weird, weird, weird.
3. You can’t buy anything at AppleDepot.ca
AppleDepot.ca, which is similarly named to a few other established web stores, has lots and lots of products listed, but no reviews and no way to buy any of them. Go try it right now. For to AppleDepot.ca and see if you can find a “buy this” button or a shopping cart or anything like that. There ain’t none. All you have is a link to plug in your Living Social voucher.
Well, okay, maybe they are out of stock? Let’s look at another product, like this $49.99 USB car charger (which is a ridiculous price). Well, no buy button, but yes, it appears that they have 20,000 of these items in stock. I declare that fishier than prepackaged gas station sushi.
4. AppleDepot.ca is a new and mysterious website.
AppleDepot has a pretty generic About Us page, but it raises some flags.
Whois records say that AppleDepot.ca was registered in Nov. 2011. Odd, for a site that claims to have been in business since 2001.
What does Alexa have to say about AppleDepot.ca? Not much. There are 19 backlinks, and they are all deal blogs, probably related to the Living Social deal.
Conclusion
Based on the above, I think it’s reasonable to say the following:
The above-linked Living Social deal is not for a genuine Apple iPad Smart Cover.The Living Social deal is for a voucher for a third-party vendor selling a highly overpriced Apple iPad Smart Cover knockoff.The AppleDepot.ca has no clear track record of reputability and appears to be either a front with no real inventory (other than the knockoff iPad cover) or a seriously broken shopping cart system.
My theory is that AppleDepot.ca was created solely to hawk these knockoff iPad covers and that’s all they have for sale. I’m going to tell my wife not to buy it. Would you buy this iPad cover, or another generic iPad cover? Let us know in the comments. The overall quality of this cover is inferior to Apple’s cover, but it does have the metal hinge and nearly the same material on the front. The back of the cover feels like a cheap felt instead of the microfiber on the Apple cover, and it is plain gray rather than the cover color. I believe this is how the first Apple covers were made. The cover is definitely thinner than the Apple cover and feels kinda like hard cardboard; Apple’s cover feels heavier, thicker, and slightly padded. It doesn’t fold into the stand as easily and takes two hands. I hope it continues to get more pliable with age. I am happy with this cover for the price: $15 with shipping. It’s a beautiful shade of purple also and Apple doesn’t make a purple one so I’m pleased. I think Ron and Evan just haven’t figured out how to use it. As is said, right out of the box, I didn’t think it would stand. But it does and it is. I’ve only used it for about an hour, but it is totally fine. The wake/sleep function works perfectly. The ship time was a little annoying and I actually forgot that I even bought it. Then I remembered that I said I would report back about my experience. I hope this is helpful. Bummer… sorry you got hit by it! Firstly, the long shipping time of 6 weeks. Secondly, within a month of use, the cable is now “detached” and completely un-useable. Dont waste your money!! -S groovyPost My thoughts on the ship time: that long of a ship time would seem to indicate that they are buying the products from overseas, probably China. Possibly, this is nothing more than a storefront for a set of knockoff Apple-focused Alibaba deals that the operators of the Apple Depot have set up. Further, my guess is that they take orders until they have enough that they get a price break from the overseas supplier, usually round numbers like 100/1000/10000 etc. That may add some time to the ship time to the customer as well. I wonder about the legality of it all, and if Apple actually cares enough to try and issue a Cease and Desist to Apple Depot. One thing is for sure, though – buyer beware! Comment Name * Email *
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