Is Apple’s new iPad Pro Smart Folio Cover worth $99?

“If you buy a new iPad on launch day, and you want a cover or case, you’ll probably have to buy one from Apple. The first-party covers are great, but the prices are absurd,” Charlie Sorrel writes for Cult of Mac. “After using a Smart Cover on my old 1st-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro for a few years, I swore to myself that I’d wait it out this time, until good third-party cases went on sale, instead of wasting cash on a Smart Folio Cover.”
“But, after just a couple of hours with the new iPad Pro, I realized there was no way to carry it in my bag without a case. So I put it back in its box, walked to the Apple Store, and gave Apple another 120 euros (or $136 at current exchange rates),” Sorrel writes. “Was it worth it?”
“If $99 is no problem for you to spend on a sheet of plastic with some magnets, then sure, this is a great case. It fits perfectly, offers some nice functionality, and looks great (as long as you like black or white). But even in the realms of Apple accessory pricing, this is steep,” Sorrel writes. “Perhaps the best way to sum it up is like this. I choked as I handed over my cash. But after I got the case on the iPad, I didn’t regret my outlandish purchase.”
Apple’s $99 Smart Folio for 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd Generation) in Charcoal Gray (also comes in White)
 
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MacDailyNews Take: It’s a quality case, so the answer to the headline is itself a question: “How much is $99 to you?” Of course the answer will be different for many, but not to Apples detriment for many iPad Pro customers. (If you can afford an iPad Pro, you can likely afford a $99 genuine Apple case to protect it, too. And, yes, for what it is, it should have been $79 tops, but if Apple can get their asking price, one thing’s for sure: As they have for over 40 years now, Apple will ask it.