Ashleigh Allsopp rounds up the latest rumours
Rumours about an iWatch have been circulating
since as far back as 2011, when it was believed
that Apple had employed several new
wearable computing experts to work on such device.
In 2013 though, the speculation soared, with reports
suggesting that Apple has a team of 100 people
working on an iWatch, other reports claiming Apple
has hired the Nike FuelBand developer, and rumours
that two sizes of iWatch are in the works.
Additionally, the wearable tech market is
exploding. Companies including Samsung, Pebble,
LG, Wellograph, Razer, Sony, ZTE and more have
released or unveiled wrist-worn smart-devices, and
2014’s Consumer Electronic Show was dominated
by wearable devices. This begs the question: is it
too late for Apple? If Apple does decide to launch
an iWatch now it will be way behind its rivals, at
least time-wise (no pun intended). Apple will need
to make its iWatch exceptional with all-new,
neverbefore-seen technology that blows competitors
out of the water. Thankfully, the rumours suggest
that’s exactly what Apple intends to do. We’ve
heard that the iWatch will have wireless charging
capabilities and a curved display, and that it will
change mobile health and fitness tracking forever.
Wireless charging
On 2 February, the New York Timespublished a
report that suggested Apple’s iWatch will have
inductive wireless charging technology, as well as
a curved display and maybe even solar panels.
The report cites people familiar with the project,
who say Apple is investigating ways to make its
iWatch energy e fficient. “Apple has been testing
a method to charge the battery wirelessly with
magnetic induction,” the report reads, pointing to
similar technology used in Nokia’s Lumia 920.
The NYTalso suggests that Apple has been
experimenting with ways to charge the iWatch
battery using the movement of the wearer’s arm. An
Apple patent fi led in 2009 covers such technique,
which involves pushing power generated by the
swinging of a persons arm into the device’s battery.
Health and fitness tracking
In addition to the reports of new charging techniques
in the iWatch, rumours have been circulating the
web about a new health application that could arrive
with iOS 8 and work with the iWatch.
Apple plans to introduce a health and fitness
tracking application with iOS 8 later this year,
according to sources cited in a 9To5Mac report.
This application is likely to work closely with
Apple’s rumoured iWatch, which the sources say
is “well into development.”
The sources claim that the iOS 8 app is
codenamed ‘Healthbook’ and will be used to
collect data such as how many steps you’ve taken,
how many calories you’ve burned and the distance
you’ve walked. The app will also allegedly be
able to monitor blood pressure, hydration levels,
heart rate and more. In addition to the monitoring
and tracking features, the report claims Apple’s
Healthbook app will o er users the ability to set
medication reminders.
The rumours of a Healthbook app arrive alongside
reports that Apple executives have been meeting
with medical o fficials including the Food and Drug
Administration. Apple has also hired several people
from the medical field. Most recently, Apple hired
former chief medical o cer at pulse oximeter fi rm
Masimo Corporation Michael O’Reilly. Apple has also
hired Nike FuelBand developer to join its team.
Apple experts have noticed that Apple has
poached sta from Accuvein (a medical sensor
fi rm), C8 MediSensors (which monitors blood)
and Senseonics (whose work focuses on glucose
monitoring), all of which point to health-related
features on the iWatch. )
In addition, Apple has hired Nancy Dougherty
from startup Sano Intelligence and Ravi Narashimhan
from general medical devices fi rm Vital Connect,
reports 9To5Mac. Both of these new hires could
benefit the iWatch team thanks to their expertise.
It’s also believed that hires absorbed into Apple’s
iWatch team during its Authentec acquisition will
bring their fi ngerprint scanning expertise to bear on
the iWatch project.
Perhaps the strongest evidence to support the
theory that Apple is looking into introducing a
health app is the M7 chip it introduced with its latest
iPhone. The M7 chip measures motion data, enables
the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass, and, as
pointed out by Apple when the chip was announced,
enables a new generation of health and fi tness apps.
Apple could use similar technology in the iWatch,
with the addition of further health monitoring
capabilities, which would work with iPhones and
iPads running iOS 8.
Manufacturing issues
It’s not all good news, though. The fi rst iWatch
reports to hit the web in 2014 claimed that Apple
is struggling with iWatch manufacturing issues. On
2 January, Digitimes published a report that claims
that the Apple is su ffering from weak yields of
the iWatch due to the di cult process of applying
surface treatments to the metal injection moulded
chassis (MIM).
Later in January, further reports surfaced to
suggest that screen technology, battery problems
and manufacturing issues have been plaguing
Apple’s iWatch. Sources cited by The Information
say that there are several snags in Apple’s iWatch
plan, but that the company has a “sizeable team”
working on the device.
Plus, reports have been speculating about the
price of the iWatch, which could pose a problem for
Apple. Find out why by scrolling down to the “How
much will the iWatch cost” section of this article.
Launch date
Rumour has it that Apple’s iWatch could arrive this
year, many suggesting the latter half of 2014.
In December 2013, Chinese analysts C
Technology claimed that the iWatch would launch
in October alongside the iPhone 6. C Technology
claims that sources have said Apple is testing two
prototypes of the wearable device. Earlier in 2013,
reports from DisplaySearch suggested that Apple
has put the rumoured Apple Television on hold while
it focuses on the iWatch for 2014.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has hinted that Apple is
working on new product categories ahead of a
2014 launch, too, and in December sent out an
email discussing “big plans” for 2014 that it believes
its customers will love.
One rumour is that there could be a three year
wait for Apple’s iWatch. This speculation is based
Corning, which makes the Gorilla Glass used in
Apple’s iPhones, doesn’t expect its new flexible
Willow Glass to find its way into consumer products
until at least 2016. However, some suggest that
Apple will need to be quicker than that, and ex-CEO
John Sculley believes Apple is experiencing a “lull in
innovation” and needs a “creative leap”, which could
arrive in the form of an iWatch.
Cost
The CIMB Group analyst who believes that the new
Apple iWatch will launch in the second half of 2014
also expects the iWatch to be priced between $149
to $229 (£95 to £146).
However, it’s unlikely that Apple will want to price
its iWatch higher than its flagship iPhone, which
starts at £549 ($649), so it could find that generating
profit from a smartwatch di fficult. However, this is
Apple, so launching a product into the watch market
will shake things up significantly and is likely to
change the shape of the watch industry.
iWatch rivals
Some companies have previously experimented
with wearable technologies, including watches.
Microsoft, for example, launched a smart wristwatch
around a concept called Smart Personal Object
Technology it unveiled in 2002, but withdrew it
after a lacklustre performance.
Toshiba also unveiled a prototype smartwatch
that can pair with an iOS or Android phone and
provide notifications during CES this year. The
watch can alert users to calls, emails and calendar
notifications, and can pull in news, weather, or GPS
directions. It can also recognise the user’s pulse
pattern to disable the smartwatch’s functions should
a thief attempt to access it.
Other similar devices already on the market are
the Pebble (page 39), Nokia and Fossil Bluetooth 4.0
watches, and the Sony SmartWatch that pairs with
Android devices. A Bluetooth smartwatch was also
demoed by Martian Watches at CES in 2013.
Apple’s biggest rival, Samsung, launched
its Galaxy Gear in 2013 (below), but the device
was deemed a flop by many.
In June, rumours that Google is working on
a smart watch, as well as an Android gaming
console, surfaced on the web, suggesting that
the company wants to widen Android’s reach
beyond smartphones and tablets and stay ahead of
competition such as Apple.
In addition, Foxconn, a major supplier for Apple,
is believed to be working on its own smart watch.
Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White has said that
he believes the wearable tech market won’t reach a
‘meaningful’ level until Apple’s iWatch arrives.
We imagine that Apple is learning from the
current market and its failures, and will only launch
its iWatch if and when it becomes something that
people will be amazed by.
Name
Apple recently grabbed the rights to the iWatch
name in several countries, but two countries
conspicuous by their absence were the UK and
the US. Why? Because the iWatch name is already
taken there. We did some detective work to find
out who owns the iWatch trademark in the UK and
Europe, and what Apple’s chances are of nabbing
the iWatch brand in the US too.
In other words, Apple most likely faces a tricky
choice: fi ght for the iWatch trademark here and in
the US, or think of something else. And the iWatch
could be called... iBand? Suggestions on a postcard.
Sales forecast
The CIMB Group analyst referred to by Digitimes
believes Apple’s will ship 63.4 million iWatch units in
2014. In March, estimates indicated that Apple could
make more from an iWatch than it would from an
Apple television set. However, one report has even
suggested that the rumoured iWatch might not be a
watch at all. Instead, the article, written by Benzinga
Insights, suggests that iWatch could be the name
that Apple gives to its rumoured television set,
dubbed iTV.
Flexible display
Corning, the maker of the iPhone’s Gorilla Glass,
has already unveiled Willow Glass, the bendable
glass that can wrap around cylindrical objects such
as a wrist. The company’s chief technology o cer
Pete Bocko told NYT: “Right now, if I tried to make
something that looked like a watch, that could be
done using this flexible glass.”
In April, an Apple patent filing and job listing
hinted that the company is interested in flexible
displays for products that could include the iPhone,
iPad and the iWatch.
Then, in June, Apple won a patent for a curved
battery that could be used for the iWatch.
Research fi rm DisplaySearch has suggested
that the iWatch could use an AMOLED display
technology, with a fl exible 1.3in or 1.5in display
with a 320x320-pixel resolution equating to a pixel
density of 348- or 278ppi.
Alternatively, a separate rumour from Korea’s
Digital Daily suggests LG will be making 1.52in
flexible P-OLED displays for the iWatch, with
production set to begin in the second half of 2014.
Former Apple designer Bruce Tognazzini has
said in a blog post that the iWatch’s value will be
“underestimated” at launch, but will “grow to have a
profound impact on our lived and Apple’s fortunes.”
He has several ideas about the features he thinks
Apple’s iWatch will have, including:
Siri
Tognazzini also thinks that Apple will remove the
need for buttons and menu trees in the iWatch by
including Siri functionality. He believes that there
will be some touch aspects to the device, but that
Siri will handle the more complex tasks such as
setting a timer or alarm, or forecasting the weather
in particular locations.
NFC
Near Field Communication (NFC) “belongs in the
iWatch, not in the iPhone!” says Tognazzini, who
says that such feature would allow users to quickly
and easily pay for things. Alternatively, perhaps the
iWatch will have AirDrop instead, as introduced to
iOS with iOS 7.
Music features
It seems likely that Apple will incorporate some sort of music
feature into its iWatch, what with the popularity of iTunes.
Tognazzini suggests that the device could act as a controller
for an iPhone to enable users to choose tracks, rather than
storing music itself.
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