Apple's rumored 'iWatch' said to have different screen sizes for men, women
Apple's widely rumored entry into the wearable device category will feature an OLED display and come in two screen sizes --?1.7 inches for men and 1.3 inches for women --?according to one industry analyst.
AppleInsider was first to discover an Apple patent filing describing a watch design with flexible display.
David Hsieh, head of the the greater China market for supply chain analysis firm DisplaySearch, cited sources inside Apple when sharing the information at an industry conference in Taiwan on Wednesday, according to The Korea Herald. Hsieh is well-connected in the display industry and has a history of accurately predicting Apple's moves in the field.
An October report from the same publication suggested that South Korean electronics giant LG was nearing an agreement to supply OLED displays for Apple's so-called "iWatch." If true, it would mark Apple's first use of the relatively new display technology.
Rumors of a wearable device from the Cupertino, Calif.-based company have been circulating for years, and have picked up significantly in 2013. Apple is said to have a team of more than 100 employees working on the project, and has snapped up industry experts in fashion, wearable devices, and fitness throughout the year.
The "iWatch" is rumored to carry a wide array of biometric sensors, and many believe it will function as a stand-alone product, rather than be dependent upon another Apple device in the way Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch is. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in May that he expects the "iWatch" to hit shelves in the second half of 2014.
AppleInsider was first to discover an Apple patent filing describing a watch design with flexible display.
David Hsieh, head of the the greater China market for supply chain analysis firm DisplaySearch, cited sources inside Apple when sharing the information at an industry conference in Taiwan on Wednesday, according to The Korea Herald. Hsieh is well-connected in the display industry and has a history of accurately predicting Apple's moves in the field.
An October report from the same publication suggested that South Korean electronics giant LG was nearing an agreement to supply OLED displays for Apple's so-called "iWatch." If true, it would mark Apple's first use of the relatively new display technology.
Rumors of a wearable device from the Cupertino, Calif.-based company have been circulating for years, and have picked up significantly in 2013. Apple is said to have a team of more than 100 employees working on the project, and has snapped up industry experts in fashion, wearable devices, and fitness throughout the year.
The "iWatch" is rumored to carry a wide array of biometric sensors, and many believe it will function as a stand-alone product, rather than be dependent upon another Apple device in the way Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch is. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in May that he expects the "iWatch" to hit shelves in the second half of 2014.
Comments
I'll believe it when I can buy it.
I'm still convinced the whole "iWatch" rumor is a ruse by Apple designed to get Samsung et al to waste resources developing something nobody really wants.
But
As usual I am prepared to be convinced.
Yep.
I don't see it either. I think this is a niche market and too small to have any effect.
Does the M7 co-processor give any hints about this kind of product? Can it function on it's own and run the whole device or is it limited to the co-processor role? I bet if Apple does come out with an iWatch it's only called that because of where it is worn. There will be more to it than a time piece and notification screen for your phone. The whole talking into your watch like Dick Tracy thing isn't that appealing either.
Traditional watches are an extension of one's style too, their appearance can be just as important as their function. I didn't wear the same watch to a wedding as I did to work. Apple is very aware of how things appear. I guess they could use parallax on the display and make it look like anything from a Swiss quality watch with moving hands to a Casio digital
Personally I don't look forward to wearing a watch again! I have seen the Samsung mini wrist brick and am not impressed. The Pebble watch also didn't seem very impressive (haven't seen one in real life yet).
I don't see it either. I think this is a niche market and too small to have any effect.
In fairness, that's what they said about the iPad. I guess we will find out if it is a niche market or open up something new for Apple. Assuming that the thing actually comes out, I mean.
I have often wondered about that and same of 'Smart TV' ... Really they are working on WiFi enabled cufflinks and tie pins in reality
I truly wish -- if the watch happens -- that Apple will de-genderize the categories to say "Large Wrist" and "Small Wrist." They can sell more watches, to large-wristed women and small-wrested men.
If you have wrists like mine, a 1.7" watch looks like a dinner plate attached to my arm.
The LUXURY watch market ALONE - lead by Rolex and Omega - is a $16 BILLION market.
This is larger than the movie industry. And this is close to the size of the video game market.
As a NICHE market, it is substantial. The leaders only have to sell a few thousand watches. And the buyers are those Apple is interested in - the affluent consumers.
And if Apple were able to generalize the sales to a larger set of consumers - to include sport watches, Timex watches, etc., particularly with a higher price point similar to the iPod - then it stands to make a substantial amount of money.
Certainly it is a potentially LARGER amount of profit than Apple would gain from AppleTV.
This is the motivation behind the iWatch.
In fairness, that's what they said about the iPad. I guess we will find out if it is a niche market or open up something new for Apple. Assuming that the thing actually comes out, I mean.
And the iPod before that.
It's all about ubiquitous computing that you don't even think of as computing (see iPhone). It won't be a "watch" any more than the iPhone is a "phone." I used my iPhone maybe 50-100 times a day and make about 3 phone calls a week.
That's true but I already have a watch. We'll have to wait and see.
There are only a few million people who buy luxury watches in the world. But they also are the wealthiest.
The LUXURY watch market ALONE - lead by Rolex and Omega - is a $16 BILLION market.
This is larger than the movie industry. And this is close to the size of the video game market.
Those are impressive figures! 1.6 million $10,000 watches every year (or 16 million $1,000 watches)? The mind boggles.
While neither I not anyone else can say where this rumor comes from I think it's clear that Apple is not only interested in wearable computers but have already spent much time and resources exploring the options.
Wearable computers are coming and coming hard and Apple would be remiss to ignore this inevitable market. I'm using my Fitbit Force right now. Simple, sleak, connects to my iPhone 5S via BT4.0, and the battery lasts a week between charges (but I do it during showers so it's always full).
This rumor of two sizes does make sense and if the technology isn't yet here it's almost here. OLED also makes sense for power use of controlled display; not for a smartphone where you're not trying to maximize blacks at all times.