Gadget reviewers have been singing the praises of Apple's new "smart cover" for the iPad 2 ever since Steven P. Jobs, Apple's chief executive, showcased them on stage two weeks ago. They are thin and colourful, clip on with magnets, double as a stand and, as I wrote last week, save us a few seconds each time we use them by turning an iPad on and off.
It is too early to tell whether the smart cover will be a blockbuster hit. But rival case makers say they are not worried.
"The smart cover only protects the screen," said Al Giazzon, vice president of marketing of Targus, which makes cases for laptops and tablets. "Our consumers tell us they want to protect the front and back of the iPad. A great case will do that."
In other words, the smart cover is a cover, not a case, and many people want a case.Other case makers agree. Of course.
"If they had made a case, I think we would have gotten killed," said Tim Hickman, the founder and chief executive of Hard Candy Cases, which makes protective cases for iPads, iPhones and other Apple products. "I thank Apple for not putting all the case companies out of business."
Apple did offer a case for the original iPad, yet Mr. Giazzon and Mr. Hickman said that while they competed with Apple, their businesses did quite well.
The smart cover, however, may change the market in unpredictable ways. It is possible that some customers will buy the smart cover and still get a case. "People with kids are going to do that," Mr. Hickman predicted. For Apple purists, however, packing a cover and a case may tantamount to heresy. After all, much of the appeal of the smart cover is its slimness. So it may come down to a choice of a smart cover versus a case, and the smart cover is looking pretty appealing.
Rivals say that's part of life for those doing business around the Apple juggernaut.
"It's a toy," Mr. Hickman said of the smart cover. "It's a very cool toy."
For now, Mr. Hickman said he is facing bigger concerns than competition from Apple's smart cover: orders from Japan, one of his biggest markets, are suspended. "Whenever there is a new iPad announcement, there is a crazy rush to get product into the hands of distributors," he said. "It's a big land grab." The earthquake and tsunami hit on the day Hard Candy Cases was supposed to get new orders from Japan. His distributors have been closed ever since.