Online Financial Tips

Apple Inc., the US technological giant, has certainly learned a lesson from its history.

Apple was once the most popular brand in the global desktop computer market in 1970s. Then the dominance was seized by IBM, which started producing cheap computers compatible with the high-compatibility Microsoft Windows operating system.

IBM and Microsoft snatched the most interests because they were willing to share with others the opportunities of money making. A great many software companies have gained fortune on the Windows platform.

Now, more application developers are making profits on the IOS systems while crowning iPhone and iPad in the smartphone and Tablet PC markets, respectively. Apple is also willing to share business opportunities with manufacturers, so it spreads out the fantastic Smart Cover only on the front of iPad 2, letting others worry about the back.

Tinydeal.com, a fast-growing China-based online gadget store, were one of the early birds. It launched its iPad 2 silicone cases of six different colors on February 28, 2011, three days before iPad 2 was released.

You may wonder how did the Chinese company’s provider get to know what an iPad 2 case should be like. As the proverb goes, the wall has ears. According to some reports, iPad 2 are now being assembled in the world’s biggest electronics OEM, Foxconn, whose biggest factories are located in Shenzhen City.

Steve Jobs released iPad 2 on March 3, when he dressed up the device so fine with Smart Cover that silicone cases looked like a joke. Then all the media told the same story that Smart Cover would make a hit and silicone cases were shit.

Despite all the public praises, Smart Covers have three weak points as for marketing: the prices of USD 69 and USD 39 are a little bit too high; they do not protect the back of iPad 2; and their strong points are not non-replicable. These are the spaces where third parties like Tinydeal.com can find their wealth.

Tinydeal has always been competing by low prices and free shipping, and all its iPad 2 cases are able to protect the back. On March 12, the store come out with a leather case to guard the whole of iPad 2, with the functions of both back case and Smart Cover.

The leather case is composed of two parts that are connected seamlessly. One is a sheath with the sections for display and ports hollowed, and the other is a twofold magnetic clip. When the clip covers the iPad 2 display, the whole case looks like a big note-book. On the other hand, the clip can be half-folded to prop up iPad 2 with a perfect plane angle for reading, video watching, and typing.

From March 3 to March 12, nine days are long enough for some producers to spot the strongest point of a stuff, learn from it, and make better use of it. But no matter how smart the accessory producers are, they have to advertise the Apple brand while selling their own products. So there is a virtuous circle, Apple grows, offering more profiting chances for other companies, which help promote Apple for free.

iPad 2 reportedly has the problems of yellow screen and light leakage, but the first batch sold out so quickly, just like the best-seller iPhone 4 was once detected signal leakage. I remember that Consumer Reports’ solution for signal leakage was to buy a back case, which Apple does not produce. Then what would be the solution for the newest bugs?

• The iPad VS the World