Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve been hearing about a mythical Apple “iWatch” for a while now, to varying degrees of credibility, but this one from the April issue of MacUser magazine is probably the prettiest—and most plausibly Apple—interpretation we’ve seen. More »

Apple is rumored to reveal the iWatch by the end of the year, or that’s what the rumors are claiming. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen, but the question we’re sure many are asking is if such a device is truly necessary, and if smart watches could be the next big thing. Well speaking as someone who knows watches, Swatch CEO Nick Hayek has stepped forward and expressed his belief that the iWatch is not the next revolution that we’re sure many are hoping it will be. Hayek believes that that “replacing an iPhone with an interactive terminal on your wrist is difficult”. Swatch’s CEO also claims that watches are considered a fashion item and that customers prefer versatility. Considering that the previous generation of the iPod nano was a fashion statement of sorts with interchangeable straps and downloadable watch faces, we’re not sure what Hayek is trying to say. In any case what do you guys think? Will Apple’s rumored iWatch device be a big hit, or do you think Apple’s efforts would be better off focused elsewhere?

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Apple’s often-rumored iWatch has been the topic of discussion for tech enthusiasts for years now, but it seems we’re closer to hearing about an actual product than we originally anticipated as Bloomberg is reporting we could see it debut by the end of 2013.

Bloomberg’s sources, which happen to be the same sources that leaked Apple’s iWatch team stands at around 100 people, has informed them Apple hopes to have it available “as soon as this year.”

The news organization also notes Apple has filed for a total of 79 patents that include the word “wrist” in them, the most recent patent being for a “wearable accessory device” which would display video. Some of these patents even show off an illustrated iWatch-like device, which has also been adding fuel to the rumor fire. (more…)

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Apple’s iWatch is the new primary focus of speculation for the company’s unannounced products, and a new article at Bloomberg today detailing its market potential also let slip that the wrist-mounted computer could arrive by the end of this year. Bloomberg’s source, which is one of the same that leaked details about the team within Apple working on the iWatch, said Apple hopes to have the device out to market “as soon as this year.”

Bloomberg’s report today adds a bit more color about what we might expect to see from an Apple iWatch, too. The still-unconfirmed device would be able to make calls, check caller ID, relay map coordinates and carry a built-in pedometer and health monitoring sensors, according to the news publication’s source. That might mean another partnership with Nike for built-in fitness tracking, as we’ve seen in iPods and iPhones from the company to date.

The news comes after reports from Apple supply partners and Gorilla Glass manufacturer Corning said that products based on its flexible Willow Glass product wouldn’t come to market for another three years, prompting many to assume that meant an iWatch was also at least three years out. Apple had patented a wrist-mounted computer based on flexible display tech, but that’s far from the company’s only option for producing an iWatch – it could easily take a more traditional form, like the Pebble smart watch.

Bloomberg also notes that Apple’s chief product designer Jony Ive has also long had an interest in watches, and previously paid a visit with his Apple design team to Nike’s own watchmaking operations. Previously, Bloomberg reported that Apple has an internal team of as many as 100 individuals working on the iWatch project.

Of course, despite the growing number of reports around the iWatch, Apple keeps its release timelines purposefully close to the chest for a reason: even if it was targeting a 2013 launch for the iWatch, missing that date wouldn’t actually constitute a delay since nothing has been officially announced. Accordingly, it’s always a good idea to treat rumors at this stage in the game with a healthy dose of skepticism, even when sourced from reputable publications. Still, Google wants to launch its own wearable computing product by year’s end, so there’s at least one reason for Apple to target the same time frame.

There have been rumors of Apple making a device called the iWatch. This isn’t too far-fetched considering that smart watches aren’t exactly new, and not forgetting that Apple did explore the concept of a wearable device in a recently discovered patent. Now many believed that Corning could be the one who supplies Apple with flexible displays for the alleged iWatch using their new Willow material. Considering that Corning supplies the glass for Apple’s iPhone, this was a natural assumption, but it might not necessarily be the case.

The folks at Patently Apple have pointed out that LG could be a potential supplier. If you recall, back in 2012 LG announced that they were working on flexible and unbreakable OLED display which could be ready by the end of 2013. This is compared to Corning’s Willow glass which the company stated might take three years before companies would be able to take advantage of it. What this means is that if you were looking forward to an iWatch type of device, Apple could always turn to LG for their glass panels which could arrive earlier than Corning. Of course this is pure speculation since such a device has yet to be officially announced, but it’s worth thinking about.

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