Every major Apple product launch tends to follow a pattern that many of us have just accepted. Long lines, constrained supply and lack of accessories are all common for the launch day. But with the release of the iPad right around the corner, one company dared to follow Apple’s advice to the world. Instead of the frustrating experience of buying a new iPad and not being able to get a quality case for days or even weeks, Hard Candy Cases will be ready to deliver on day one — and all it took was just thinking different.

A visit to Hard Candy’s website quickly reveals that its iPad cases will ship this month, ahead of the launch for the device itself. Digging deeper, these cases are not just generic cases that happen to fit the general size of the iPad, but quality cases that snugly fit Apple’s multitouch wonder. So how did the company pull off quality products on such an amazing timeline?

It begins with the resolve of Tim Hickman, the CEO of Hard Candy Cases and founder of Speck Products, another popular accessory manufacturer. In the traditional manufacturing process, Apple would release technical documents (or the manufacturer could measure the physical device itself) to provide precise measurements for manufacturers. The next step is the expensive and sometimes lengthy process of setting up the tooling equipment to produce cases. It’s easy to see why accuracy is important. As a result, its not until a period of time after the product is released that the bulk of cases begin to enter the market. Hickman’s solution was to engineer the cases in such a way that if the final device was a millimeter or so different than anticipated, specially designed bumpers inside the case could be adjusted to provide a snug fit. From a business perspective, Hard Candy Cases was able to start the tooling process weeks ago. From a consumer perspective, that means cases will be available sooner rather than later.

But Hickman didn’t stop there. In a move that is strangely reminiscent of Steve Jobs himself, a little over a month ago the CEO flew to China to persuade factory workers to work through the Chinese New Year and focus on manufacturing his product. After four weeks of sleepless nights, sheer madness and a fight to the finish, Hickman’s chartered 747 delivered 18,000 Bubble Hard Sleeve cases to the U.S. Another 7,000 will be delivered before the iPad’s launch on April 3.

Hickman’s purpose behind this isn’t to simply be the first on the market for the sake of being first. With iPad pre-orders numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the iPad opens the door for a huge market of third-party accessories and that can mean some serious profits. Hard Candy Cases, while a figurative new kid on the block, isn’t a stranger to this though. With revenue of $150,000 in its first month of operation, Hickman’s company has already captured the attention of the industry. With prominent exposure in the Apple Store and the resolve of its CEO, Hard Candy Cases is poised to provide some serious competition to other popular case manufacturers, like Belkin, Speck and Incase.

If you’ve already pre-ordered your iPad, check out some Hard Candy Cases’ products so your iPad will be protected from day one. If you’ve used any of their other products, let us know what you think!

Browsing through this gift guide you’ll find a handpicked selection of some of the most luxurious Apple-related items from across the globe. There’s something for everyone, from a handmade iPod case and chic designer MacBook sleeve for her, to a solar powered iPod dock and OS X-themed photo frame for him.

So it’s time to forget that last minute flurry of festive purchases and set aside your gift hunting woes as you browse the alternative Apple gift guide.

Hard Graft’s 2UNFOLD Laptop Bag ($564)

One of the most luxurious items in the gift guide, each limited edition 2UNFOLD is assembled in Italy, individually handmade and numbered. The bag is immaculately constructed but also fervently utilitarian: with a few simple folds it can be re-configured from backpack to shoulderbag, briefcase to clutch. There’s room for a couple of Monocle back issues alongside, of course, ample space for your 13″, 15″ or even 17″ MacBook.

ReNu’s Solar Powered iPod Dock (from $199)

Unlike other iPod docks, this one makes use of ReNu’s solar module, charging your iPhone or iPod by harnessing the power of the sun. After charging up using this elegant device, you’re also left with that warm smugness that can only come from being environmentally friendly. If you’ve got this item in mind for the Christmas season, potential purchasers should note that the docks are set to ship in February 2010. However, order now and you can take advantage of ReNu’s early supporter price.

Byrd & Belle’s Felt and Leather iPhone Case ($19)

Handmade from soft wool felt, these cases are a classic look ideal for both guys and girls. The soft felt outer and cotton fabric inner will protect your precious iPhone from dust and scratches while the hand-dyed leather strap will make sure it’s always secure inside the case. Byrd & Belle’s iPhone cases are produced in limited runs. If there’s none left in stock it’s worth checking out the other beautiful items available in their store too, all worthy additions to any Apple connoisseur’s collection.

ThinkGeek’s Image.jpg Photo Frame ($24.99)

This clever photo frame mixes digital with analog. Styled after OS X’s Aqua aesthetic, the Image.jpg photo frame is a quirky item that’s sure to draw attention to whatever photo it happens to be housing. As ThinkGeek point out, it’s totally analog, which means no registering and no software updates — just slide a photo in to the wooden frame and you’re good to go.

Mulberry for Apple (from $180)

If there’s a lady in your life who’s looking for a true taste of British style then Mulberry’s new range of Apple bags, cases and clutches may be the perfect gift. Established in 1971, Mulberry has moved with the times ensuring that its items always stay fashion-forward while capturing the original essence of the brand. Highlights of the Mulberry for Apple range include the chic Drew sleeve for the 15″ MacBook and the Bayswater Mini Messenger clutch for iPhone.

iamhuman’s MacBook Covers (from $30)

With MacBook’s becoming a mainstream notebook, it’s becoming increasingly important that we’re able to give our digital companions a twist of individuality. This brand new range from iamhuman offsets the generic stylings of your MacBook with a natural finish. Alongside a range of textile covers, made from materials such as denim, there’s also a premium range created from the finest rosewood, ebony and cork.

Twelve South’s Bookarc ($49.99)

The BookArc is a neat solution for keeping your MacBook in pride of place on your desktop while giving you the clarity of thought that a clutter-free workspace brings. Your MacBook can be placed comfortably and securely in the BookArc. All the ports and plugs are still accessible too. For those looking to spread a little clarity throughout their workspace, the BookArc is available at a discounted rate as a 6-pack.

The Griffin + Threadless Collection ($34.99)

Threadless, purveyor of fine t-shirts, has collaborated with Griffin to create a pair of iPhone cases which simultaneously protect and ooze cool. The first design, entitled Birds of a Feather, comes in white while the second, Clouds within Thunder, is a dazzling hipster yellow. Both designs are available as t-shirts too, presenting the possibility of an excellent combination gift. The cases themselves are snap-on shells, protecting from scratches, dust and, according to Threadless, boringness too.

Instructables’ Sewable iPod Remote (DIY)

Getting your hands dirty with a DIY gift might not immediately sound like the most luxurious prospect but there’s nothing quite as classy as creating your own handmade item. This ten-minute tutorial, available from Instructables, walks you through creating a delightful Hello Kitty iPod remote. You’ll need a basic grasp of electronics and a dash of confidence too but making this yourself means that you can give someone special a genuine one-off piece with a personal twist.

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Snow Leopard isn’t the only exciting release this week, as ever there are tons of new additions to the App Store. Here are my top picks from the week’s releases.

This week I’ve been looking at iWound, Star6, Gangstar: West Coast Hustle and Tasker.

iWound ($4.99)
If I’m not in the mood for gaming or tweeting, I tend to head over to the ‘reading’ section of my iPhone. Amongst others, I can keep up with the latest global happenings using the official New York Times app, pore over the pages of a classic book with Kindle or jump headfirst into an adventure with Comics. However, there’s nothing there to sate my creative appetite if I’m looking for a little art, fashion, architecture or design. Created by Wound, this app presents the perfect platter of visual creativity, a feast for the eyes and nourishment for your brain, all packaged in digital magazine form. The app’s current theme is ‘La Grande Illusion’, a concept which manifests itself by exploring awesome electro lady Peaches, New York artist Amy Bessone, London designer Marios Schwab and David Rockwell, award winning architect behind the Kodak Theatre.

Star6 ($6.99)
It’s always a good week when a new sound toy worthy of recommending is released on iPhone. While RjDj and Bloom have the artistic sound-installation side of things covered, Star6 has arrived twirling its glow sticks and stomping its feet — this is a sound toy for folk who just want to dance. The app packs in a stack of samples, alongside an array of different options for manipulating the onslaught of audio. Although you can upload and play with your own samples, there are six sample packs included, covering hip hop, drum and bass, electro and other mild headache-inducing (yet sonically adorable) sound effects. Those familiar with music production and sound manipulation will be pleased to hear that there’s a granular synthesis-powered audio engine, allowing you to control pitch, speed, gate, sample order and randomness. However, even the last sentence sounded like jargon to you, you’ll still find it’s fun to open the app, start tapping buttons and see what kind of weird rhythms you’re able to generate.

Gangstar: West Coast Hustle ($6.99)
A few months back Payback was released for iPhone. The app did a convincing enough impression of GTA 2 to warrant recommending, however after extended play it left me wanting so much more. With the release of the iPhone 3GS, games can now push previous technological boundaries even further. Gangstar uses the iPhone’s usual touch ‘n’ tilt interaction, but takes advantage of the iPhone 3GS — a faster device that’s packing better graphics than its predecessor. What results is the iPhone’s answer to GTA3: a fully 3D, free roaming, automobile heist adventure. The game includes 50 missions, an armory of weaponry, and an entire city to cruise around in — more than enough for a lazy Sunday of iPhone gaming.

Tasker ($2.99)
If you’re all about productivity but you’ve got a hectic on-the-go kinda lifestyle, Tasker may be just the app for you. The app touts itself as a “simple, yet powerful task manager”, yet it’s so much more than that. By keeping the app’s focus solely on task lists, the app’s designer, Scott Sykora, has excelled in creating a task manager that’s easy to use and incredibly powerful. Tasks can be ordered by date or place, allowing you to drill-down to a specific day and plan out your schedule on a map, viewing and sorting tasks in specific locations. As if that wasn’t enough, task-entry has been refined into a fast, yet effective process. There’s a variety of tools out there for managing your tasks via the iPhone, Tasker is certainly worth considering for it’s simplicity and potential effectiveness.

That’s all for this week. I’ll be back in seven days with more news from the week and picks from the App Store.

In the meantime, what apps have you been using this week?

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This week I’ve been looking at Comics, Coat Hangr, Coins and Album Shuffle.

Comics ($0.99)
It was released back in June and yet, due to the deluge of apps I deal with on a daily basis, I never quite got to spend time getting into Comixology’s Comics app. Having been hit with a sudden hankering to read some good comics, coinciding with a friend’s recommendation of The Walking Dead series, I decided to spend some quality time with Comics. The app is 99 cents and includes a growing stack of free comics – usually first issues – plus, and here’s the really special thing, you can purchase and download new issues from within the app. The content is utterly fantastic and the interface incredibly accomplished. In fact, it’s easily the best I’ve seen for comic reading on the iPhone. This is absolutely essential for anybody into comic books. Also, if you’re looking to dip your toe in before committing, you can also pick up issue one of The Walking Dead for free as a dedicated app.

Coat Hangr (free)
Hunting for vintage apparel is one of my favorite pastimes. I regularly visit a multitude of flea markets, on a constant mission to construct the perfect understated retro chic outfit: not too hipster, not too trashy, just right. And yet, once I’ve purchased some new threads, short of wearing them on my wanderings, they’re hidden in the closet. That’s where Coat Hangr comes in, a social fashion app that allows you to share your style with other fashion conscious folk. Opening the app, you’re able to take photos of your new apparel and post your pics to their network. It’s still early days for the site, which itself doesn’t look so hot and is in desperate need of a re-skin, but the app is good fun and certainly a compelling way of constructing a virtual clothing closet.

Coins ($0.99)
It seems that when it comes to pachinko games, I suffer from the entirely unexpected, but apparently quite natural compulsion to waste hours of time playing for very little actual reward. Pachinko is so irrational — it’s chance-based, play is mechanical, there’s no skill — and yet the experience is just so very moreish. On iPhone, I devoured both Peggle and Rockchinko in days. As such, for a month or so, there’s been a pachinko-shaped hole in my gaming schedule, waiting to be filled with just the right app. Coins is that app, constructed pixel-by-pixel it combines 8-bit artwork with deliciously back-to-basics pachinko gameplay. This is something for everyone, perfect for wasting moments that unwittingly extend into hours.

Album Shuffle (free)
A friend of mine from England came to visit me in Helsinki a few weeks back, bringing along with him an iPod classic. We spent some time comparing his classic to my iPhone, discussing the different interfaces and options available. Expecting the iPhone to be the feature-rich option, I was surprised to discover that the device is actually lacking in one playback option that the iPod classic touts: album shuffle. The album shuffle feature seems so obvious – rather than shuffle track-by-track, you’re able to shuffle album by album. In essence, the iPod classic can play a given album in its entirety before randomly selecting the next one. Filling this feature-gap on the iPhone is Album Shuffle. The app allows you to browse through albums in a novel way, as if sifting through records, and physically shake the iPhone in order to pick an album. It’s a one-trick pony to be sure, but nevertheless an occasionally useful pony to have around.

That’s all the picks for this week. I’ll be back in seven days with more picks from the App Store.

In the meantime, what apps have you been using this week?

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Today, Mozilla has released Fashion Your Firefox, a new Web application that enables Firefox users to customize their browser based on their interests and online activities. It provides a simple way to find appropriate add-ons that fit your lifestyles, showcasing them in a simple and easy-to-install way.

“One of the best parts about Firefox is the amazing richness of our 5,000-plus free add-ons,” said Mike Shaver, vice president of engineering at Mozilla. This new venture aims to personalize the browsing experience, allowing you to select a category of web user you feel you fit into. The categories you might fall into with Fashion Your Firefox are:

• Shutterbug: View and share pictures and videos online
• Rock Star: Listen to music while surfing, working, emailing or researching online
• News Junkie: Get the most up-to-date news and weather
• Shopaholic: Shop and take advantage of online deals
• Digital Pack Rat: Keep track of favorite sites, bookmarks and blogs
• Social Butterfly: Share, bookmark, and e-mail web pages via an array of social networking & bookmarking sites
• Finder and Seeker: Find and make information on the Web more relevant
• Decorator: Apply browser themes
• Executive Assistant: Organize online activities

Mozilla has also announced that, to date, there have been over 1 billion downloads of Firefox add-ons. That’s an awfully large number of downloads, and undoubtedly shows that any new way to organize popular and relevant add ons will be welcome by users. Fashion Your Firefox seems set to be a great way of ensuring that Firefox users aren’t overwhelmed by the sheer number of add-ons available.

Developers are also excited at the potential of reaching a wider target audience. Garrett Camp, co-founder and chief architect at StumbleUpon, stated:

StumbleUpon helps millions of users discover new Web content based on their interests. With Fashion Your Firefox, we look forward to introducing personalized Web discovery to a much larger audience.

It’s great news for developers who are fortunate enough to have their application featured in the list, but not so great for those left out. It will be interesting to see how often Mozilla updates this catalog of add-ons to reflect changes in demand and popularity, along with giving exposure to a wider range of developers.

It once again raises the question of whether Apple will choose to introduced some type of add-on system to Safari in future years. One billion downloads of Firefox extensions would certainly suggest that the demand would be there.

Take a look at the site and see what you feel you’d benefit from. You might just find a tool that improves your browsing experience dramatically.

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