September 16, 2011
By the ZippyCart Content Team
The iPhone 5 craziness, it appears, is finally coming to a head. CaseMate, a major electronics case manufacturer, recently leaked pictures of their forthcoming iPhone 5 cases. The page was immediately taken down, but many sites captured screenshots of the cases and their product descriptions. The page has been replaced with a landing page that claims: “We’ll have your Cases when you have your new iPhone.”
The new iPhone pictures look very similar to the mock-ups that have been floating around from Chinese case manufacturers. Evidence for a redesigned iPhone 5 has been surprisingly scant, with case designs being essentially the only sign of such a revamp. Apple has always been very secretive with their new product lines. A number of parts have been surfacing, claiming to belong to Apple’s “N94″ iPhone model that is based on the iPhone 4 design and has been referred to as the iPhone 4S. Consequently, doubts have been raised about whether the redesigned form factor will be realized, with reports from Asian manufacturers showing no definite signs of the device and only the iPhone 4S going into the production stage.
But CaseMate also divulged more information than most other major companies have been willing to part with. The cases that were temporarily available for purchase were called the iPhone 5 “Vroom” and “Barely There” cases. The landing page on the company’s ecommerce solution shows:
“The wait is almost over as the next generation iPhone 5 / iPhone 4S will be released in the coming weeks. The new iPhone promises more technology than ever, all in the palm of your hand. The guessing game continues whether Apple will unveil the iPhone 5 or the iPhone 4S. Case-Mate will be ready with a collection of iPhone 5 cases / iPhone 4S cases to protect your new iPhone.”
Many times, when companies are working on their ecommerce solutions internally, the page will accidentally be published and sharp internet perusers discover new products before they are released. Amazon had a similar situation arise when they were preparing to launch their Android Appstore. Another perspective argues that these manufacturers “accidentally” leak these pages to gain publicity. For example, now that CaseMate has published pictures of its cases, people now know more about CaseMate products and are more likely to turn to their ecommerce solutions when the phone finally releases.
The iPhone 5 is expected to be released in the beginning of October, with an announcement coming at the end of September. Both Sprint and T-Mobile are expected to also offer the new iPhone, and now-Apple-CEO Tim Cook has been spotted meeting with China Mobile executives in anticipation of the carrier offering the iPhone 5 to its estimated 842 million subscribers. As we can see from CaseMates example, everyone is readying their ecommerce solutions ahead of the release of the phone. It is expected to be one of Apple’s most popular releases yet. 35 percent of the US smartphone population is waiting to purchase the iPhone 5. Apple’s CFO all but confirmed the release of the iPhone 5 back in July. Savvy Apple fans should keep an eye on ecommerce solutions from Apple and accessory manufacturers to catch the little tid-bits of information that are leaking ahead of the new iPhone’s release.
Taylor is originally from Washington, DC, but has lived in the Seattle area for the past 5 years. He’s a senior at the University of Washington, studying Political Science (with no interest in entering the political world). He’s more interested in the Tech industry, especially consumer electronics, cloud computing, and how mobile internet and devices will change the business world. He spends most of his free time tinkering with his Subaru and surfing whenever possible.
