“Taiwan’s Quanta Computer Inc. will start mass production of Apple Inc’s first smartwatch in July, a source familiar with the matter said,” Michael Gold reports for Reuters. “The watch, which remains unnamed but which company followers have dubbed the iWatch, will be Apple’s first foray into a niche product category that many remain skeptical about, especially as to whether it can drive profits amid cooling growth in tech gadgets.”
“While the watch is widely expected, the start date of its mass production and the extent of Quanta’s involvement were not known until now. Mass production will start in July and the commercial launch will come as early as October, according to the source and another person familiar with the matter,” Gold reports. “Apple will introduce a smartwatch with a display that likely measures 2.5 inches diagonally and is slightly rectangular, one of the sources said. The source added that the watch face will protrude slightly from the band, creating an arched shape, and will feature a touch interface and wireless charging capabilities.”
“Apple’s watch will be able to perform some functions independently, but tasks like messaging and voice chat will require a paired smartphone, according to the source. The device will only be compatible with gadgets running Apple’s iOS, like its flagship iPhone, one of the sources said,” Gold reports. “A third source said LG Display Co Ltd is the exclusive supplier of the screen for the gadget’s initial batch of production. It also contains a sensor that monitors the user’s pulse. Singapore-based imaging and sensor maker Heptagon is on the supplier list for the feature, two other sources said… Many are hoping that Apple’s entry into the field of so-called smart wearables will be a game-changer that transforms the industry like the company’s iPhone did in 2007.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
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Apple’s iWatch said to come in two sizes, high-end model to cost several thousand dollars – April 10, 2014
Apple iWatch to sport 1.52-inch curved OLED, set for summer launch, report claims – January 20, 2014
Apple to make two iWatch models: 1.7-inch display for men, 1.3-inch for women, sources say – November 13, 2013
I call BS
A lot of articles and news points to this being true… However there are more sensors that will be incorporated into this band. Articles that have been showing up for the past 2 years 😉
I honestly don’t think that Jony I’ve would accept a 2″ screen on your wrist as a viable concept.
I call major BS on this.
No name….?
Since most Apple products have the ‘i’ before them to indicate ‘internet’, I say it’s ‘time’ (see what I did there…) to use other letters for other uses. Therefore, the Apple’s watch should be christened-
tWatch!
As in….
“I can’t wait to get that tWatch around my wrist”
“Damn, Look at her tWatch! Nice…”
“I can get just about anything I want by touching a tWatch”
“That tWatch holds waaaay more than I ever dreamed!”
“Hah! I’ve got a picture of a tWatch on a tWatch!!!”
Yes, I think I’m onto something here…and it’s a tWatch!!!!
so slow. had to read 3 times.
I think I’ll just wait and see what comes out. A ‘hide and Watch’ kind of thing.
. . .
> 2.5 inches diagonally and is slightly rectangular
I’m not buying this rumor. A 2.5″ screen (measured diagonally) that is close to being square (if that’s what “slightly rectangular” means) is ridiculously large for something that sit on your wrist. It would look and feel like a clown watch.
The 2.5″ size makes more sense, if it is a narrow curved screen that is part of a “band” that goes around the wrist. That would make Nike’s Fuel Band Apple’s secret prototype for iWatch. This seems most likely.
But I’m still rooting for the seemingly discarded “round” rumor, where the iWatch screen (device “face”) is round (like an “real” watch), using circular and radial gestures… the ultimate evolution of an iPod click wheel interface on a circular touch screen. The previous rumors of a 1.7 and 1.3-inch display then make perfect sense, if the dimension being measures is the diameter of the circle.
You’re a square Ken.
No, someone who imagines wearing a “slightly rectangular” iWatch with a 2.5″ screen would be kinda “square.” 🙂
The original (through 4S) iPhone has a 3.5″ screen. I did some calculations… if you cut that iPhone screen in half, the resulting screen has very close to a 2.5″ diagonal. So, if you believe wearing half an iPhone on your wrist is desirable… you can already get that from Samsung.
I can’t imagine Apple making something like THAT. If THAT is iWatch, it would have been released already. Samsung will accuse Apple of copying. That’s everyone else’s concept of a “smart watch,” because they just scaled down an iPhone to fit your wrist, and called it “innovation.”
Smartphones before iPhone were scaled-down PCs, with a tiny built-in keyboard and stylus to “point” instead of a mouse. It “worked,” but then Apple invented a TRULY usable (multi-touch) interface for iPhone. It’s a similar situation now. The TRULY usable (and innovative) solution is NOT to scale down the iPhone’s interface to fit the wrist. It’s to invent an interface that is entirely new, for a new class of device. And THAT is what Apple does… 😉
Seriously have you not seen the Motorola attempts at that concept, totally style over substance. When you have a small screen area the last thing you need is to further reduce its practicality by making it round, sorry.
Why should I want one?
Because.
yes, but is it waterproof?
Because it F$#@! cool mr. anti tech roeland… question is why are you even reading this news if you are so bored with this stuff… go watch little cats and puppies on YT.
I’d like to say thank you. (Long winded explanation below)
I have been watching n waiting for the watch solution from Apple and have been tempted to buy pebble mainly for one main feature – caller id and SMS without having to have to go to the phone (which for me is a hassle where it has to sit to get signal for hotspot). But of course iOS 8 / Yosemite will solve that even better than the watch. So unless Apple come up with something I need that I haven’t thought of (!) I don’t need the watch solution. I hadn’t registered this though until I read you rhetorical question…now I can ignore watch rumours 🙂
If you don’t already have an answer to that question, then you probably don’t. Healthkit will do it for my wife. Notifications without pulling my phone out of my pocket will do it for me. And who knows what else Apple has up its sleeve?!
If Apple keeps to their accessibility commitment, it will definitely be on my wish list.
David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA Email: dchittenden@gmail.com Mobile: +64 21 2288 288 Sent from my iPhone
>
What is this supposed to be? Spam bait?
Bring it on! I’m on a low carb diet and some of the foods I’m eating have 0 carbs on the packaging, but I’m not so sure if this is reality. It would also be cool if the device reported my body was using stored fat for energy, instead of muscle or something else.
The current diet I’m on has boosted my overall energy level, but the weight loss seems slower compared with a different diet I was on a few years ago. The problem with that previous diet is I felt lethargic most of the time. It would be great if the device could help tailor a custom diet plan for my body type in order to achieve optimal health.
Whats with the rumours about iwatch? Does anyone notice that there is not a single photo of mock up of this device?
Compare that with iPhone 6.
I just wonder why no care cares to show a mock up of iwatch.
Here is my conspiracy theory about the iPhone 6 images: Apple released the images on purpose. Think back to the iPhone 4. Its design was a major departure from the curved back design of the previous phones. The design change generated a lot of “I don’t believe Apple will be changing the design” to “The new design will not be comfortable in my hand”. The “leaks” give the customer base time to become comfortable with the new design. When the device ships all shock is gone and, if timed right, excitement is at its peak.
Enter the iPhone 6. Apple knows the white bands at the top and bottom are ugly but it is not possible to eliminate them because they are an important structural feature and they cannot be colored to match the surrounding metal. Apple knows that a large portion of their customer base is uncomfortable with a 4.7” screen. Solution: leak images and parts to acclimate your customer base to the new look. By the time the phone goes on sale all the negative about the looks is gone and they will sell millions.
Notice that only the phone back is in the wild.
Why no iWatch images? Because Apple does not have any pre-existing standard acclimate the customer base to a new look. The mystery of what it will look like is creating more excitement then the reality of what it will look like. Also since this is a new product category then keeping it secret prevents the competitors from rushing to market a look-a-like before your product is released.
Can only presume all pre production/prototyping work is being done Stateside as per Mac Pro. Letting concepts and I aver yes ape would certainly be a disaster as Samsung et al would reproduce the concept almost before it was launched.
a source familiar with the matter said
a source familiar with the matter said
a source familiar with the matter said
zzzzz
I really hope Apple prices this Rev A a tad on the high side. I would really like one, but I have a feeling this device would be one to wait a revision or two before buying.
Go Apple!
Everyone was skeptical when Apple introduced the iPod as well.
Apple is using its iPod playbook — build a device that’s cool and easy to use, but also build the ecosystem to support it and make it really functional. That’s HealthKit, probably HomeKit, and maybe an upcoming FitKit or something like that. What these moronic analysts don’t get is that the device is the cool factor to pull people into the Apple ecosystem, get them invested in it, so they never leave and keep buying new devices.
Android users are free to switch from Motorola to Samsung to LG to at any time without any real cause for concern over lost apps, data, etc. But iOS users don’t switch lightly. That’s a lot of time and money invested in devices, apps, music, etc.
Plus, it’s just not cool.
“without any real cause for concern over lost apps, data, etc.”
as in very little if any of this data ports to the new phone. This would be the basis of Android users not paying for apps. When they upgrade most of what they had on their phone is gone.
With Apple the contents are backed up making the hardware just hardware. When you upgrade it is simple to restore your contents to a new phone. Buying an application has no risk of loss of the application (or its data) on upgrade replacement.
It’s the difference between owning the application on Apple and renting the application on Android.