Details of the iWatch’s features have been trickling out the rumor mill in the lead up to next week’s event shedding light on the new fitness, homekit, and payments features Apple’s first wearable will include, but according to a report from The Information, all those special features are going to take a big toll on the iWatch’s battery.
After speaking with sources inside Apple, Jessica Lessin writes that iWatch battery life might be “disappointing.”
“People who have talked to Apple about the watch said that Apple employees have set low expectations,” writes Lessin, who has been a solid source of Apple leaks during 2014’s iPhone rumor season.
Making a smartwatch with decent battery life has been one of the biggest obstacles for tech companies so far, and while Apple is reportedly ready to embrace OLED screens to save on battery consumption, the company’s first wearable is unlikely to sip its battery slow enough to impress wearers.
Apple reportedly experimented with the use of solar charging in its wearable, but supposedly ditched the plans after it proved unreliable. The iWatch will instead boast wireless charging to make juicing up your device easier.
The iWatch is expected to raise the bar for smartwatches when its revealed on September 9th in Cupertino. Along with the shoddy battery life, the wearable is expected to have NFC for mobile payments, fitness sensors galore, and will come in two sizes.
Via: Business Insider
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
8 responses to “iWatch battery life might be disappointing, source claims”
I highly doubt that the watch that will bury the Swiss guys has a battery that is “disappointing”. Apple is not going to release something that people have been speculating on for over a year and say “Ooops, the battery life suck though.”
It’s a case of being realistic and probably apple is tempering expectations down.. It isnt going to last months or years like we’re used to in the classic watch.
Probably won’t last days either or weeks like the Pebble.
In case you don’t understand Apple culture, even employees except those directly work on the device don’t know sh.t about upcoming products seriously.
Unless, this iWatch comes with NFC and finger print reader for mobile payment system, I won’t buy it at $400.
I wouldn’t bet the bank on all those features being available upon one product release. That is so un Apple like. They have to willfully withhold something for the next release. And at $400 Apple is out of their mind. I can see the profit margins will be exceedingly high for them if this will be the pricing.
I have inside information that the iWatch battery is charged by having the device on your wrist as you shake your arm back and forth quickly for about three minutes, as if you are trying to get ketchup out of a bottle or mix a bottle of creamy salad dressing. The recharging maneuver must be completed every few hours to ensure the iWatch is fully functional.
He he he ! I was just imagining people suddenly shaking their hand middle of nowhere vigorously (if thats true) … Will certainly help ketchup manufacturers revive the “hard to get it out” bottles LOL !
If so I’m sure plan B involves a clever (fast maybe or extraordinarily convenient) charging solution or its not ready for primetime and battery life won’t be mentioned till the 2015 release