To be filed under the eternal optimism of accessory manufacturers: Case maker Gumdrop has 15,000 cases ready for the as yet to be announced iPad 5. CEO Tim Hickman says company started making molds for the new iPad 5 cases several months ago and already has 15,000 cases completed with another batch preparing for production as we type.
We spoke with CEO of Gumdrop Tim Hickman about the bet he’s making on seeing an iPad 5 next week at WWDC and just how far into production the company is. We also got our hands on the first images of the three new cases the company is launching today for iPad 5, including: the Drop Tech Series, the Drop Tech Designer Series, and the Bounce Skin, all of which include the rumored slimmed down iPad mini-like design that is rumored for the iPad 5.
It’s not the first time Gumdrop has bet on a long-shot. The company had a line of iPad mini cases ready to go before the device was even announced, and they fit perfectly when the smaller device was actually released.
Hickman did miss the mark back in 2011, as his Hard Candy cases company began accepting preorders for an “iPhone 5” case based on rumored designs, only to have to eat the approximately $50,000 it took to create cases and accept preorders when the iPhone 4S was unveiled.
Hickman told 9to5Mac that the company began making molds for the new iPad 5 cases several months ago, and has 15,000 cases ready to go, with another batch in production, saying, “business has been good to Gumdrop and we can afford to take a pretty big bet, because the pay off is massive if we are right.”
All the latest rumors point to Apple not introducing any new iOS hardware at WWDC, but who knows? Gumdrop’s gamble could pay off like it has in the past, or there may be 15,000 “iPad 5” cases ready for recycling soon after WWDC closes.
