Last month I posted a review of the Pad and Quill iPad case, a handsome looking iPad case that looks more old world journal than high tech iPad case. In my review, I praised the Pad and Quill case for it’s unique design, good looks, and quality craftsmanship. The Pad and Quill case remains one of my favorite iPad cases because of the protection and functionality it provides. It has also been a great conversation piece. People stop to talk to me about the Pad and Quill case and seem just as interested in my iPad case as they are in my iPad. So when Pad and Quill recently contacted me to tell me they were updating their iPad case to make it even better, I was interested to say the least.

Since the Pad and Quill case looks like a book from the outside, Pad and Quill cleverly called their first case the “Vol. 1″ case and embossed Vol. 1 on the spine so the case would easily blend into any bookshelf thwarting would be thieves. Fittingly, Pad and Quill has named their updated case “Vol. 2″ and embossed Vol. 2 on the spine similarly to their first case.

So what is different between Vol. 1 and Vol. 2? Frankly, not much…which is a good thing. Rather than completely re-invent the Vol. 1 iPad case, Pad and Quill has made a few subtle but welcome changes. The biggest change and the first thing I noticed about the second generation case is that it is slightly slimmer and lighter than the first case. Maybe it was the fact that I called Pad and Quill’s first case “the fat kid who loves cake”, but Pad and Quill has put their case on a diet. Pad and Quill states their new case is 15-20% slimmer than their original iPad case. It is still a hefty case and at the heavy end of the scale as far as iPad cases go, but by creating a slimmer version of the first case Pad and Quill has made The Case a little easier to carry.

The second change I noticed upon opening The Case is the interior is now much more attractive. Gone is the plain grey color that lined the first generation’s inside front cover and spine. A beautiful rich red color now greets you as you open up the Pad and Quill case. Pad and Quill has also replaced the faux leather on the exterior of the original case with bonded leather. The bonded leather provides a little more of a pebble look than the faux leather. Also, there is now a second color option of “journal brown” leather (Vol. 1 only came in black).

Finally worth mentioning, it now seems easier to remove the iPad from the Pad and Quill case. One of my biggest gripes about the Pad and Quill Vol. 1 case was the effort it took to remove the iPad. With Vol. 2 Pad and Quill moved one of the rubber bumpers that keeps the iPad in place making getting the iPad out of the case much easier.

All these minor changes add up to a better overall case. The Pad and Quill Vol. 2 Case is now available for order at padandquill.com for $59.99. This is $5 more than the Vol. 1 case but you are now getting real leather. People who bought the Pad and Quill case Vol. 1 will probably not see any real need to upgrade to Vol. 2, but for those in the market for a new iPad case the Pad and Quill Case Vol. 2 is still highly recommended and certainly worth considering.