“Apple has been working with at least one partner, Swatch, to release a line of smartwatches in variety of branded styles and price points,” Mark Sullivan reports for VentureBeat citing “a source with knowledge of the situation.”
“While most Apple-watchers and media have been laser-focused on one or two ‘iWatches’ from Apple itself, the Cupertino, Calif.-based electronics and media giant may actually be working a number of partners in the watch business,” Sullivan reports. “Apple and its partners will offer a family of smartwatches to suit all tastes ‘from geek to chic,’ our source says. The tech giant is interested in pushing its iOS, iTunes, and Health Kit ecosystems to millions of wrists, our source says; and in this case it’s not particular about sharing the branding glory to do so.”
“Our source also said ‘he would be shocked’ if Apple weren’t also working with Timex on one or more smartwatches,” Sullivan reports. “Despite the partnerships, our source points out that Apple may also be developing a smartwatch or smartwatches that will have its own branding exclusively. So the iWatch may be real, after all… So the iWatch, if it’s called that, might hit the market alongside watches from Swatch, Timex, or others that are compatible with Apple’s Health Kit and may even contain Apple’s technology.”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Note: UPDATE: 8:27am EDT: Swatch Group denies working with Apple on smartwatch
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz,” “Dan K.,” and “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
ESAD Samsung
The Timex models will feature the retro Aqua GUI so it can take a licking and keep on ticking.
Go to your room
… and be prominently promoted in James Bond films even though a real JB wouldn’t be seen dead in such tat.
Would be interesting to see what they are planning, most likely a Nike fuelband replacement with biometric sensors, which shows time as well 🙂
As I previously said, this makes the most sense: add Apple technology to watches. I’ve been wearing a Jawbone Up band. It’s days are limited. But my watch is different and adding technology to a real watch is far cleverer than building another device to out on my wrist instead of the “jewelry” I out on it now. Will the luxury brands have the foresight to have Apple on their side? How many
Bell & Ross watch wearers don’t have an iPhone? My guess is 3. The rest around the world do.
— I must admit never expected this (if this is true)
can’t remember a launch where apple had multiple models with some designed by other companies
— I think watch companies have learnt from watching other industries like phones it’s better to work with Apple than fight.
Look at Palm and Rim and Nokia…
IBM is working with Apple and probably will boom…
Perhaps they are thinking if the smart watch thing takes off maybe Apple might even buy their companies at a nice price (like Beats) to get their designers.
Fight Apple and die , cooperate and thrive
I’m not sure I believe Apple would partner again with a third party to produce a product with that company’s branding. Apple tried this once before with Motorola, I believe, to include iPod functionality, and it was a disaster.
Since then, Apple’s been about controlling the whole user experience. Unless those third party companies turn over complete control for the electronics and user experience to Apple, I can’t see this happening. How much cachet would Swatch branding really bring to a new Apple wearable product? And why would Apple do all the work, and then allow a third party brand to be stuck on the product?
Sounds fishy to me.
The Motorola ROKR of which you speak was a disaster because it was a Motorola product; it was not at all meant to be anything like an iPod or have any similar functionality other then the ability to play FairPlay (iTunes) music and only had storage for about 100 songs. That was a meager attempt by Apple to expand iTunes music into other devices.
My first thought but this won’t be like that. If Home & Car equivalents are open to other companies to exploit then I guess iHealth is likely to be open too. Makes a lot of sense to me whether Apple produces its own products or not.
yes, yes; the watches etc.
The big news this morning: iTunes Preview is back in full form! It no longer sends you straight to to iTunes, you can browse thru author (or whoever) pages in your browser.
Guess some folks got ticked at the change a few weeks back. If Apple got smarter they’d sell web via browser OR iTunes app. Let’s everyone hold our breath till they grow enough brains to realize they should do this! (takes a big lung full of air, gives everyone a big thumbs up)
It will not be an iWatch unless it is tied to the Apple TV (watch a “screen.”)
I believe Apple will continue the iP naming series by calling it the iPulse and marketing it as the center (pulse) of your “connectedness”. The pulse name will fit in with all the obvious health applications but also can be thought of being core to “the pulse (beat or Beats) of your daily life.” Many very moving commercials showing that theme will immediately follow its announcement.
Stupidest thing I’ve read in ages, and the idiot behind MDN evidently bought it hook, line and sinker… What a maroon.