Core77

The New York Times has answered a question we asked earlier in the week: How do accessory makers design on-time wares for products (like the iPhone) that secretive companies haven't released yet?

...accessory makers have been hampered in their planning by the same situation that greeted consumers: most were not able to get their hands on a device until June 29, when the cellphone was first sold... Even the largest manufacturers were given nothing more than general dimensions. Several companies got their first look at the actual phone only a few weeks ago when Apple engineers certified their products.

Aha, so most companies have to wait their turn, just like us consumers.

Still, it's no wonder that once the 'phone was released, scores of designers everywhere scrambled to make ready a multitude of products, as seen in the article; accessories--that's right, just the accessories--for the device have been forecast as a US $2.25 billion market by the end of 2008. That's a huge bundle of cash for what are essentially holsters, slipcovers and screen protectors.