If you're one of the more than 2 million people picking up an iPhone 5 over the next couple of weeks, you'll likely being fondling it naked, without a protective case. That's because most case manufacturers won't have iPhone 5 cases ready to sell for at least a few weeks.
"There is a misconception that we get some information early," Incase CEO Dave Gatto tells Wired. "We wait until devices are in the store. It's not so black and white in that we don't do anything till then."
Incase, like many other makers of Apple-related accessories, is taking pre-orders and planning how its iPhone 5 cases and peripherals will look and function. But the final design specifics won't be hammered out until after the new smartphone actually goes on sale, Gatto said.
The period immediately following a new blockbuster smartphone launch is crucial for accessory makers like Incase, Otterbox, Element Case and Speck. An estimated 38 percent of smartphone buyers purchase a case alongside their new handset, and 75 percent of owners buy a case at some point during the life of their phone, according to the ABI Research firm, as first reported by CNN.
"We do a lot of scenario planning. A lot of work and ideation right up until that point that the keynote happens," Gatto says. "Then we get more info through that process, which is all public. Between the keynote and the device being in the store, there's a lot of focusing in on part scenarios."
Gatto says his team actually goes and stands in line to buy phones at the Apple store, "just like all the other fanatics, and we're excited about it."
Here's an overview of just a few of the cases coming soon (and not today) for the iPhone 5.
Known more for its iPhone chargers than its iPhone cases, Belkin is currently listing 13 different iPhone case designs -- spanning a number of colors -- as "coming soon" on its website. The cases range in price from $20 to $30.
Element Case produces iPhone cases that seem better suited for Batman than your average consumer, and it sells them at Bruce Wayne prices, too. The company's Sector case sells for $147 in the iPhone 4/4S variation, and Element is already working on an iPhone 5 version. The Sector is made with high-grade aluminum and requires the use of a screwdriver to install.
Incase has a line-up of five iPhone 5 cases headed to store shelves in early October, each of them oozing minimalist style. Prices range from $30 to $40. Pre-orders are being taken now.
Incipio is planning to offer eight iPhone 5 cases, priced from $25 to $35.
Otterbox's cases are durable, hefty and not known for being beautiful as much as functional -- if you're always dropping your phone, these protective shells are great. Currently in development: a series of four new iPhone 5 cases running from $25 to $50 in price, each available for pre-order now.
