The Magia Zip from Sena Cases (www.senacases.com) is a bit pricey at US$119.95, but is a sturdy, great-looking case for the new iPad designed with a work environment in mind. However, the choice to use an adhesive pad to keep the Apple tablet in place rather than a pocket or frame seems a poor choice.

Available in a handcrafted, smooth leather texture (and only in black), the Magia Zip is a clamshell style case comprised of shock absorbent padded premium leather with a soft layer that does a good job of protecting the iPad. This support is reinforced with a rigid protection layer that offers more backbone support.

A plastic zipper provides quick access and is designed not to scratch the Apple tablet. There are convenient cutouts for play-through functionality: a proximity sensor opening, a camera lens opening and a charge/port opening. All this makes it easy to use the iPad while it's in the Magia Zip.

The case also packs four credit card pockets, one ID pocket, one large multi-purpose pocket, two mid-size multi-purpose pockets and a pen holder. The Magia Zip's backside is home to an "leg" that can be used to prop up the iPad -- only at one angle (for landscape viewing), alas. The leg is held in place with a snap when it's not being used.

Then there's the Magia Tape pad -- a sticky pad designed to securely hold your iPad in place. It's a reusable, double-sided adhesive that, according to the folks at Sena Cases, doesn’t leave any residue. They say the Magia Tape material can be cleaned and refreshed to full adhesive properties using a water-based wet wipe (highly recommended), or similar lint/residue free (water dampened) material. To clean, you gently wipe the Magia Tape area, and let the Surface air dry to refresh stickiness.

Other than the fact that we dislike the thought of sticky products used with our iPads (and the Magia Tape, as claimed, doesn't seem to leave any residue), we can find no good reason for the use of the sticky pad feature instead of a "traditional" frame or holder. It feels cheaper -- which, considering the Magia Zip's price tag, isn't a good thing -- and makes it a little tricky to insert and remove an iPad.

We're still big fans of Sena's cases. However, when it comes to the iPad, we'd recommend the Folio (http://macte.ch/YL6Hr) or Collega (http://macte.ch/1BXlB) over the Magia Zip.

Rating: 6 out of 10