If you’ve ever been poolside with an iPad, Apple Watch, or iPhone, you know know what a harrowing experience that can be: You’re constantly alert, trying desperately to shield your pricey device from splashes or worse. And goodness forbid you drop it in said body of water.
iOS devices, as countless videos terrifyingly illustrate, aren’t the slightest bit waterproof. That’s where Catalyst Lifestyle comes in. The Hong Kong-based manufacturer of protective device cases offers covers for the iPad Pro, Apple Watch, and iPhone that keep out water at pressures of up to 5 atmospheres of pressure — about 50 meters deep.
Catalyst’s newest innovations are aimed squarely at the iPad crowd. At CE Week 2016 in New York, the company showed off cases for the 12.9-inch and 9.7-inch iPad Pro models and iPad mini 4. Both, like Catalyst’s other cases, are “waterproof,” “dust-proof,” and they meet “military standards” for impacts. They sport comfortable leather grips too, plus translucent, touch-sensitive front and back covers designed to avoid obscuring etchings, stickers, or any other personalizations you’ve added to your device. They also feature charging ports large enough to accommodate most headphone jacks and charging cables, and “watertight acoustic membranes” that don’t interfere with the iPad’s speakers.
The new cases ship this summer. Pricing for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro case and 9.7-inch iPad Pro case is $150 and $120, respectively, and the iPad mini 4 case retails for $90.
“Catalyst is continuously designing and developing new solutions to keep ahead of the demand for fashionable and functional solutions that protect Apple products in almost any environment,” said Catalyst Lifestyle chief June Lai. “We are excited to get these great new additions into the hands of customers this summer.”
Catalyst also debuted a new case series: Catalyst Exclusives. One, a limited-edition runs of the company’s Apple Watch 42mm case made of anodized aluminum, sports an wrist strap crafted from “premium materials” and a rotating crown dial button. Another, Catalyst’s waterproof, 12- to 15-inch sleeve designed to fit the 12.9-inch iPad Pro or compact laptop, features a “translucent white” shell with orange accents. Both ship later this year.
