With the launch of the iPad 2 Apple are also introducing what they call the Smart Cover. The slim yet sturdy Smart Cover protects the iPad screen without covering up its durable aluminum back.

The Smart Cover itself is a rectangle exactly the size and shape of the iPad’s screen, folded in 4 parts. The side that is against the screen is made of a soft microfiber cloth that will help clean the screen. The outside is either leather or polyurethane. On one side is a metal hinge with small magnetic parts at both ends; these magnets attach to magnets build into the iPad 2 when you drag the Smart Cover near the iPad 2’s edge.

When you close the cover over the iPad’s screen, it snaps closed and stays closed. The iPad 2 senses that the Smart Cover has been closed, and immediately locks itself. When you peel the Smart Cover back the iPad 2 automatically wakes back up.