Many tablet and smartphone case manufacturers have had a turbulent year this year. With numerous brands leaving the tablet market such as HP and others such as Blackberry struggling to compete, knowing who to back has become a difficult task.
To add to this, where iPhone rumours looked to a certain iPhone 5 release this year, many case manufacturers were gearing up for the pre-order sales rush in the run up to Christmas.
Unfortunately for many, the iPhone 5 has yet to make an appearance and was instead replaced with the iPhone 4S. One Managing Director of a firm that makes iPad 2 cases and accessories stated that:
“The response has been luke-warm. Many consumers are still happy with their iPhone 4 and don’t understand why they ought to upgrade. The new Siri features and the barely improved camera have fallen a long way from the mark in persuading people that this is the ground breaking device that Apple says it is”
As a result, a number of smaller manufacturers are biding their time instead for the iPhone 5 release and are focussing on other areas in the short-term:
Some manufacturers are now focussing instead on expanding to new territories and engaging future prospects via social media platforms with the intention of creating a larger fan base upon which to launch their iPhone 5 cases when the device finally makes its début.
This is not an unusual trend; Zagg and many other case manufacturers are starting to do the same. Although larger case makers have an edge over the smaller competition in that they are given the dimensions for new devices before they are formally announced, allowing them to begin production in time for a device’s release. As a result these smaller case makers must find increasingly diverse methods of outmanoeuvring the competition to remain in the game.
Some manufacturers have responded by widening their product portfolio to provide gadgets and other related smartphone and tablet accessories such as the ‘OlloClip’, a clip on lens for the iPhone 4 that adds fish eye and wide angle lenses for those users that enjoy their mobile photography. These sellers then have to combat the issues that arise from diluting their brand, do they retain a device case focus? Or do they become a mediocre version of Firebox?
Some case manufacturers have instead invested capital in assets that allow users to create their own custom iPhone cases, whilst others have targeted new devices resulting in the Amazon Kindle Case, further complicated by their recent release of the Kindle Fire and their keyboard-less version of the popular original.
So it seems the industry is divided, larger case manufacturers will continue to cater for the over hyped releases whilst the rest wrestle with burgeoning portfolios of gadgets and fragmented smartphones and tablets. Until the market consolidates itself, it seems that only those case providers with an eye for opportunity and great managerial efficiency will win through.
Hi, I’m John King and I’m a writer, marketer, designer and general jack of all trades here at TheSnugg.com. Having expanded internationally in just one year and becoming the Amazon best-seller of Tablet cases and gadgets in five territories… We know what we’re talking about. So for all things tech and mobile related, visit us today: http://www.thesnugg.com – you can also like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter for news and updates!