A new line of Apple iPad cases spark rumors of an updated version of the tablet, with a camera and larger speaker.
Online retailer Alibaba.com
issued
silicon cases for an "iPad 2," sporting a larger space for the device's
speaker as well as a space for a camera on the back of the tablet. The
cases, which are offered in several pastel colors, prompted a blizzard
of speculation on the Web as to the upcoming features of the popular
gadget, a 9.7-inch wireless tablet computer that has injected new life
into the struggling tablet market. Although a slew of competing
products, such as Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet, have entered the market in
the past months, Apple's iPad is likely to dominate the market for some
time, various reports indicate.
The iPad will command 44 percent of the total tablet market by 2012,
down from the 95 percent market share Apple currently enjoys, with
tablets based on Google's Android operating system nipping at its heels
with 39 percent, according to researchers at Piper Jaffray. Apple sold
4.2 million iPads in the fourth quarter, but as Android-enabled devices
gain sophistication and polish (Apple's calling cards), the company
will be faced with impressing an ever more demanding audience of mobile
device users.
A note from research firm comScore found that interest around the iPad
is helping drive holiday sales and boosting overall consumer
electronics sales. "Computer [h]ardware ranks as the top growing
category for the holiday season to date with a 25-percent increase
versus last year,"
read
the Dec. 19 note from comScore. "Purchases of handheld devices (such as
Apple iPads and e-readers) and laptop computers drove much of the
growth."
The appearance of "iPad 2" sleeves added to speculation first begun in
early December, when Reuters posted an article suggesting Apple is hard
at work on a smaller version of the iPad with a built-in camera. The
news service cited manufactures in Asia, with one source claiming the
revamped model would feature cameras on the front and back of the
device, enabling Apple's Facetime video conferencing service. Another
source said it would be slimmer, lighter and have a better resolution
display than the first iPad.
Further winding up the rumor mill were
reports
on Dec. 9, when the blog iLounge posted images of an alleged iPad case,
produced by Chinese manufacturer Shenzhen MacTop Electronics, with a
rear-facing camera hole and a slimmer body. That same day, the blog
MacRumors posted another set of images, these of a supposed iPad case
with holes for a rear-facing camera and possible SD card.
In defying critics who said a tablet computer, even one designed by the
slick production teams at Apple, would never find mainstream acceptance
among consumers, Apple has also taken the clear lead in the market,
while rivals must sit content and hope their competing device comes as
close to the iPad as technology critics desire. While Apple is bound to
lose market share eventually, investing in the company and its partners
remains a safe bet, financial analysts say.
"Investing in Apple-related shares is going to be a major theme for
most of next year," Bevan Yeh, a fund manager at Prudential Securities
investment Trust, who manages about $230 million and owns supplier
shares,
told
Reuters at the time. "Apple is still the main driver on most technology
products, and this will help push the earnings of its suppliers even
more in 2011."
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