It is true that iPad 3 date of release is not known but that does not stop case manufacturers from doing their business. A Chinese manufacturer is already making cases for what it hopes will fit the next generation iPad.
The iOS device case industry is a lucrative business. Millions of iOS devices are sold around the world in days and out of those millions of owners, most look forward to buying a cool new case to put on their brand new device. Naturally in a bid to beat their competition, some case manufacturers start producing new cases even before the actual shape of an upcoming device is known. No one knows for sure what the iPad 3 date is or what its going to look like, but that doesn't stop Chinese manufacturer Chinne from manufacturing what it calls iPad 2S cases.
It is unlikely that the next iPad will be called iPad 2S, but then again we can't be completely sure about anything until it actually happens. It has been rumoured quite a number of times that the 2012 iPad 3 is going to be a bit thicker than its predecessor, the iPad 2. So Chinne has manufactured these cases in a way that they will fit an iPad that is 1MM thicker than the iPad 2. A rumour claims that next iPad is going to be thicker, it is not known for sure and won't be known for sure until the iPad 3 date of announcement comes upon us.
Case manufacturers often bear big losses when they start their manufacturing process based on mere assumptions and rumours. Apple pulled a rabbit out of its hat by announcing the iPhone 4S, which is exactly like the iPhone 4, instead of the much rumoured thinner and redesigned iPhone 5. Even before iPhone 4S announcement, many manufacturers had started making iPhone 5 cases and needless to say, they suffered substantial losses as these cases were not compatible with any previous or the latest iPhone.
Rumours also claim that iPad 3 date of announcement is going to be in early February, with shipping starting in mid of March 2012. Lets hope that the case makers don't suffer substantial losses this time around as well.
(via 9to5Mac)