iLounge

iLounge today announced the creation of iLounge NYC, a curated special event and exhibition area at CE Week 2013. Working with CE Week and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), iLounge will bring the Apple accessory world to Manhattan, beginning with a special event for trade and media members on June 25, and a curated exhibition space on June 26 and 27. iLounge NYC will be the back-to-school/holiday-focused version of the incredibly successful winter iLounge Pavilion at CES in Las Vegas, which now occupies over 120,000 square feet of floor space — the largest unified exhibition area at the show.

“Apple accessory makers know that the iLounge Pavilion is the best place to debut their winter and spring lineups,” said Jeremy Horwitz, iLounge’s Editor-in-Chief. “We’re thrilled to curate a new iLounge NYC event to preview the year’s biggest back-to-school and holiday releases—at a great venue, within a city known for its love of Apple products.”

The full press release follows. Companies interested in additional details on iLounge NYC and the iLounge Pavilion should contact Jeremy Horwitz today.

iLounge proudly announced this morning that the iLounge Pavilion—the unified exhibition area at the International CES dedicated to iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Mac products—is officially the largest in CES history, by a wide margin. Now featuring over 120,000 square feet of new products, the Pavilion will stretch from the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center to the adjacent Las Vegas Hotel, hosting a record number of exhibitors: over 500 from around the world. Both in size and exhibitors, this represents a major jump from 2012’s CES, which saw a then-record 350 third-party Apple vendors occupy 85,000 square feet of space.

The 2013 International CES officially opens on January 8, 2013. iLounge will feature live coverage before and during the show, with a brand new mini-site devoted to all of the show’s Apple-related announcements.

Calling all developers: If your company is interested in participating in iLounge’s 2013 Best of Show Awards, and has not yet received an e-mail from us containing this year’s submission rules, please send an e-mail to Nick Guy today. The rules are now available, and if you’re exhibiting brand new iPad, iPhone, iPod, or Mac products for the first time at the 2013 International CES in Las Vegas, they may be eligible for Awards consideration. Our deadline for submissions is December 21, 2012.

Our annual Awards honor the very best new Apple-related products debuted at CES, and are limited in number; they are open solely to official exhibitors with booths at the Las Vegas Convention Center or LVH. Contact Nick for details today.

Among the usual plethora of cases, speakers, earphones and other accessories, we also occasionally see a few products that are a bit unique in their design or approach. Below we’ve highlighted some of the most interesting of these products that we’ve seen.

Sound Egg Chair: Designed with an eclectic look that may remind some of Mork from the classic seventies sitcom, the Sound Egg Chair provides a 5.1 channel surround sound system built into an enclosed, egg-shaped chair.  A swivel arm provides a mounting point for a TV screen and ports on the back provide for audio input from an external amp. A variety of colors and interiors are available, and the Sound Egg Chair price ranges from $1,400 for a base model to $3,000 for a fully-loaded model with leather interior and included HDTV.

i-Dice Speakers: Vaguely reminiscent of the fuzzy dice you might find in a car windshield, the i-Dice speakers provide a dock for an iPhone, iPod or iPad and are available in black, white and red versions.

3DLuxe’s Cases go beyond the usual 2D designs, incorporating raised relief 3D embossed artwork.

The Crystal Pirate optical mouse from Pat Says Now is joined by a variety of other unique and eclectic optical mouse designs.

TekChick Designs turns computer parts into jewelry and fashion accessories, recycling old Mac keyboard keys, RAM chips, and other appropriate into earrings. While the designs may not be for everyone, it’s an interesting idea and a good use for components that might otherwise end up in a landfill somewhere.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has just confirmed a staggering statistic: after selling out its entire original footprint last year in two hours—eventually leading to an even larger, 85,000-square foot space—the 2013 iLounge Pavilion just sold over 95,000 square feet of exhibit space in three hours. According to CEA, demand for additional space is at an all-time high.

This year’s Pavilion, which featured over 350 exhibitors, reportedly benefitted from exceedingly strong CES attendance of more than 153,000 people—conservatively measured prior to an official final number—which, if accurate, would represent an all-time attendance high for the world’s largest consumer technology trade show. Designed as a dedicated area for Apple’s iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Mac products, the iLounge Pavilion has been receiving rave reports from exhibitors. Thousands of new products were shown inside the Pavilion, top picks from which were spotlighted in iLounge’s 2012 Best of Show Awards.

One of the Apple accessory areas of particular interest to iLounge’s editors are products for kids—speakers, cases, and headphones if they’ve been designed to be safe for little ears. Here are a few of the more noteworthy items we saw at this year’s CES, which is just now winding down in Las Vegas.

Case-Mate: Showed off a huge collection of kids’ cases, including many made from multi-layered rubber with different cool artwork—ice cream, animals, and the like. Some of the cases are abstract versions of animals, others are obviously so. Case-Mate also showed Marvel/Disney-licensed hard shells that had great iconic art from the comic company’s biggest-named series.

Electric Friends: This division of Noetic showed four different animal speaker systems targeted at a sub-$60 price point, and they were seriously cute—like Chew Chew the Dog, each has its own name and backstory, with two big speaker grilles protecting eye-shaped audio drivers. The price is right, the design is right, and the sound is respectable.

More images and details are below.

While our focus tends to be on mainstream consumer products, there are several companies here at the iLounge Pavilion that are aiming at the higher end of the market, including the ones we’re spotlighting below.

Known for their carbon fiber cases, Moncarbone is taking the material to the next level with its Art Collection, which features graphics that are subtly integrated into the material using dye injection methods. A nice change of pace from standard carbon fiber cases, which have become a bit stale recently. The cases are priced at $60 each.

We’ve seen loads of leather cases for the iPhone over the years, but few as simple or elegant as Eblouir’s slim pouch. Made from high-quality leather, it features two interior slots—one for the iPhone and one that’s cash-sized—as well as a simple closure that uses a long strip of leather to hold the entire thing closed. It sells for $45.

Continuing an ongoing trend, there are a number of exhibitors here focusing on female users—and among them is Tyla Rae. This fashion-focused brand offers a wide range of bags for the iPhone , iPod, and iPad. The bags are made primarily from leatherette, and range in price from $60 to $220.

We can tell you it contains over 350 companies. We can tell you it’s over 80,000 square feet in size. But until you see the iLounge Pavilion with your own eyes, it’s hard to understand its enormousness. This panoramic, birds-eye shot shows you the whole of our North Hall area in all its glory, including overhead booth shots of a wide variety of familiar companies from the Apple accessory universe. Click on the image above to view it full-size, keep reading for more photos from the Pavilion, and don’t forget to check our dedicated mini-site for more coverage from the 2012 International CES!

It’s been a busy last few days here in Las Vegas, and we’ve now posted a YouTube video highlighting the best items we’ve seen at the 2012 International CES. The video contains pictures and details of all 25 award winners—the highest number in recent memory—including exciting new products and the best booths we saw at the show. It’s the best five minutes you’ll spend checking out new Apple products this week.

Other World Computing (OWC) is here at CES showing its well-known line of SSD and Mac expansion products, among them its new miniStack Max expansion unit for the Mac Mini. Building on last year’s miniStack, the new Max version adds an optical drive and SD card slot to the front while maintaining the same general industrial design to match Apple’s recent Mac Mini models. The miniStack Max also includes internal hard drive storage available in capacities of up to 4TB and in integrated USB 3.0/2.0, FireWire 400/800 and eSATA hub.

iSkin is expanding its Q-West line this year into a wider range of fashionable bags and cases. Going forward, the company is taking a more boutique approach, focusing on fashion trends in its product designs.

Case maker Incipio had no shortage of new cases to show off at this year’s International CES, with release dates peppered throughout the year. LGND Kickstand and Hive Response, both for the iPhone 4 and 4S, will launch between January and March of this year with a price tag of $35 each. The first is a rare folio-style case for Apple’s phone. It’s composed of a polycarbonate shell attached to a leather cover that can be positioned for use as a landscape orientation stand. Incipio will be offering the case in black. Hive Response is a take on the company’s Hive gaming case. This new one continues to utilize the honeycomb pattern we’ve seen in the past, but adds a polycarbonate shell for further protection. Coming between April and June are Bentley for iPad 2 ($70) and The Specialist for iPhone 4/4S ($35). Bentley combines polycarbonate, leather, and aluminum to make one unique looking case. It can transform into a stand, and utilizes magnets to activate the tablet’s automatic sleep/wake feature. Finally there’s The Specialist. Although it’s the simplest looking of the cases, it combines plastic and rubber to offer superior protection against drops and scratches; we’re usually big fans of this style case. We’ve also posted additional coverage of some of the company’s more striking designs in the linked article.

Canadian company Helium Digital is showcasing four new products at the 2012 International CES. First up is KeyCover Folio for iPad ($80), a Bluetooth keyboard case that works with both generations of Apple’s tablet computer. The keyboard is only 4mm thick, and the entire case is just 7mm thick when closed. It will be available in the spring. Next is SlimJacket for iPad 2. A protective sleeve, it can also fold into a stand for landscape or portrait viewing. Also shipping in the spring, it will cost $20. ViewPoint Headrest Mount for iPad 2 does just what it sounds like; it attaches to a carseat’s headrest with metal brackets to hold an iPad 2 in place. The accessory can rotate 360°, allowing for video viewing, gaming, and more. Coming at the same time as the other two pieces, it’ll cost $25. Finally, there’s PureView Screen Cleaner for Touchscreen Devices, which will be available February 1. A 120ml bottle of the alcohol and ammonia free solution will cost $17.

If wireless is the unofficial theme of the 2012 International CES, Soundfreaq is certainly on board. The company has unveiled its Sound Kick (SFQ-04) Bluetooth speaker, set to be available in March for $99. Designed for travel, the speaker has a compact design that opens up to boost the sound. It has a built-in rechargeable battery for up to seven hours of playback that can also be used to charge your iOS device, a metal grille, an auxiliary input, and a matte finish. It will also be available in a case model, details of which have yet to be announced.

We’re live from the floor at the 2012 CES, and there’s an overwhelmingly huge collection of new Apple accessories and apps on display. Rather than saturating you with thousands of new products, we’re going to focus on the big new debuts: things that are catching our Editors’ attention and really making a dent in the Apple ecosystems.

One of the most striking booths we’ve seen thus far is the Ferrari + Logic3 partnership, which has launched a large collection of gorgeous-looking headphones and speakers with Ferrari branding and styling. Half of the collection is devoted to Ferrari’s pro racing vehicles, and the other half to consumer cars, each with distinctive design touches including metal grilles and logos, leather accents, and other premium finishes. The headphones start at around $125 and climb from there, with speakers ranging up to a 250-watt $750 model with AirPlay, Bluetooth, and promised power in the multiples of Bowers & Wilkins’ Zeppelin Series. Lower-end speakers drop the wireless features and wattage, with $400-$500 prices.

FiberShell is showing both its iPhone 3-D printed cases and handsome new MacBook versions.

iDevices is showing a shower-mounted Bluetooth speaker system called iShower that promises to allow users to hear iPod, iPhone, or iPad music—safely—while washing off.

Incipio is previewing the world’s first active suspension case, here made for the fragile glass iPhone 4/4S. The case uses a special compressing and expanding foam to provide anti-shock, anti-drop protection for the iPhone; different styles and colors will emphasize the foam element inside the case’s core.

LightSpeed is demonstrating a complete point of sale system for businesses, featuring Mac and iOS-powered apps that let a store manage inventory and transactions with Apple-like design sensibilities.

MacLocks has a large collection of different iPad security kiosk systems in different styles, enabling the iPad and iPad 2 to be used safely in businesses without fear of theft.

Our growing photo gallery from the show is available here. Much larger photographs are available there!

iLounge is proud to announce the release of the official iLounge Pavilion app. The app features a news feed of our latest stories, iLounge Pavilion maps, a complete, searchable exhibitor listing, a listing of our most recent Tweets from the show floor, buttons for sharing your iLounge Pavilion experience via Facebook or Twitter, and a section dedicated to our Best of Show awards. Even if you’re not at the show, it’s the easiest way to keep up with all our coverage from the 2012 International CES on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. It’s a free download from the App Store, and is propagating through various stores right now. Grab your copy today!

As usual, iHome is making a major splash at CES, expanding its traditional lineup of speakers and clock radios to include a major new Bluetooth keyboard, new AirPlay models, and additions to its ColorTunes family of glowing speakers. Most striking are new introductions to the iW AirPlay series: beautiful white with silver chrome versions of the previously announced iW1, iW2, iW3, and iW4, as well as a totally new model called iW5.

While iW2 and iW3 were originally shown at last year’s show, both have undergone significant internal improvements, with the iW2 now clearly serving as a $179 miniature version of the iW1 without a battery, and the $199 iW3 re-engineered to add a rechargeable battery pack like the iW1’s. iHome also is showing multiple beautiful fabric color options for the new models, which could conceivably let users swap off the fabric speaker grilles for different decor-matching looks. Each unit is now being shown with an optional iPod/iPhone charging dock. A new version called iW5 is being previewed as well, smaller than the rest and simpler with swappable front speaker grilles.

The iDM5 Executive Workstation is an all-in-one iPad-focused Bluetooth keyboard with speakers, a microphone, and charging ports built in, capable of playing music, handling FaceTime/VoIP calls, and letting you type on an Apple-style chiclet keyboard. It’s expected to debut in March for $130. Additionally, a low-end portable speaker extension to the ColorTunes family of color-shifting LED units caught our attention: tiny pocket-sized speakers that glow in their centers, at a very low price point.

Dexim will be showing off its Click Stick Bluetooth remote package for the iPhone and iPod touch. The Package consists of a flexible-leg adjustable device mount, a small, matte-black Bluetooth remote shutter control, and a companion camera app that works with the remote and also offers various filter, editing, and sharing features. Click Stick will be available in late February and will sell for $40.

At the 2012 International CES, Hex will be showing off its new Fleet Collection of bags, backpacks, and sleeves. Encompassing 12 different options, the collection includes the Cross-Body bag designed to carry an 11-inch MacBook Air and an iPad, complete with a PadPort that allows for use of the iPad while still encased, a 13-inch Messenger Bag for iPad, and a 15-inch Messenger Bag for iPad, as well as other sleeves and cases dedicated to the 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air, and other bags and backpack.

At this year’s International CES, Supertooth is following up its win for Car Accessory of the Year in our 2012 iPhone + iPod Buyers’ Guide with the introduction of two new products.

The first is Disco2, which will be available at the end of the first quarter of this year for $99. A nicely designed Bluetooth speaker, Disco2 is portable and rechargeable, and can be used alone or in a pair for a stereo setup. Next up is Crystal, a car speakerphone. Made to clip to a sun visor, it allows for handsfree calling and supports voice features such as Siri. It will be available for $69 around the same time as Disco2.