Get a better grip on your iPad Pro without a case

Have I told you lately how much I hate having a case on my iPad Pro? I really, really hate cases. They add extra weight, and they cover up a beautiful device thus making it look pedestrian at best.

Unfortunately, the iPad Pro is also thin and very slippery because of its aluminum back. So I’ve been using a light black case that has a textured back to make it easier to hold and use my iPad Pro.

I recently decided to dump the case so I could use the iPad Pro the way Apple meant it to be used. To make sure that I didn’t accidentally drop my iPad Pro or have it slip off a table or other surface, I added egrips HD stickers to the back of it.

Here’s the official description of eGrips stickers from the product’s page at Amazon:

egrips HD (Heavy Duty) Anti-Slip Sticker Kit egrips HD non-slip grip material is like nothing you’ve every seen or handled. It’s Heavy Duty, extremely grippy, but not sticky.

It’s 1mm thick and has unlimited uses! Placed on the bottom of a slippery 15″ Macbook Pro makes a HUGE difference. The laptop no longer slides around on the desk or the lap, and is much easier to pull out of a bag and hold on to.

NOT for mobile phone / smartphone – Strongest Adhesive – FLAT SURFACES ONLY – NOT FOR DEVICE SIDES

This isn’t the first time I’ve used these egrips stickers. I first tried them out on the back of my iPhone 6s Plus, and they worked great. I no longer use it with a case, and I can easily hold it without worrying that it will slip through my fingers.

So I was very happy when I realized that I could buy the egrip stickers for my iPad Pro too. It’s so much easier to pick the iPad Pro up and hold it with the stickers on, and the iPad Pro itself feels much lighter without the ugly case on it.

Buy an extra pack or two of egrip stickers

Just one piece of advice if you buy the egrip stickers: Buy an extra pack or two.

I found with my iPad Pro that the pack I bought didn’t quite provide enough coverage on the back of the device since I wanted some at the top and bottom too. But the package I bought only had enough for the left and right side (I used more than one sticker for each side as I like having most of my fingers on the stickers).

So I ended up ordering a couple more packages to make sure I had enough coverage in the spots I wanted to put my hands to hold the iPad Pro or to just pick it up. Obviously if you are using one of the smaller iPads, you’ll need fewer stickers.

Overall though I am quite pleased with how much better it is to use my iPad Pro without the case, and without worrying about dropping it or having it slip off a table or other surface.

Time for Apple to retire its use of aluminum?

Having to buy the egrip stickers makes me wonder about Apple continuing to use aluminum in its iPhone and iPads. There’s no doubt that it looks great, but it’s also incredibly slippery and makes it very hard to easily grip these devices.

I wonder if it’s time for Apple to just retire the aluminum thing for good and move on? Frankly, I’d rather have a grippy, rubber back on my iPad Pro and iPhone instead of the pretty brushed aluminum.

I’ve heard rumors that Apple is going to use an all glass case instead of the brushed aluminum ones we’ve seen for so long. I’m not sure if glass will be grippier than aluminum, but I doubt it can be any worse.

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