Apple might enlist Swatch to give iWatch fun faces

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(an iWatch concept design)
(an iWatch concept design)

We’ve been waiting all year for Apple to finally reveal its long-rumored wearable creation, but if the big iWatch event ever does happen this year, we might be getting a lot more smartwatches than expected.

Swatch and other watch makers will supposedly team up with Apple to bring a variety of stylish iWatches to consumers, according to a rumor from VentureBeat, that claims Cupertino wants to partner with companies in the watch business to expand the smart watches’ appeal.

“Apple has been working with at least one partner, Swatch, to release a line of smartwatches in a variety of branded styles and price points. Apple and its partners will offer a family of smartwatches to suit all tastes ‘from geek to chic,’ our source says.”

The source of the rumor also claims they’d be shocked if Apple isn’t also working with Timex on a smartwatch or two, citing the company’s line of Ironman branded watches with bio-sensors as the perfect fit for Apple’s iWatch ecosystem.

Although Apple has partnered with companies in the past, such as Nike to build the Nike+ fitness sensor, you should probably season this rumor with a fair bit of skepticism, as Swatch’s CEO was just asked about the possibilities of making a smartwatch last month and said we won’t see his company, “participating in a race of who’s going to introduce what first. There’s still big resistance from the consumer, so we’re going to wait.”

Maybe partnering with Apple would give Swatch and others the courage to jump with smartwatches of their own if Apple has already developed a tiny system-in-package module that can be easily adapted for third-parties.

Reports have claimed Apple and Swatch have been working together for years, but Apple has also stolen away some of Swatch’s top employees to add to its collection of top talent from Nike, Burberry and YSL.

The iWatch is expected to launch by the end of 2014 with some reports claiming the device will come in two or three different sizes, one of which could be have a 1.6-inch display, or a 1.8-inch display, or even a 2.5-inch display. Although with zero iWatch hardware leaks hitting rumormill yet, it seems like no one really has an idea what Apple’s doing with the iWatch.

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