Today the Chinese site C Technology published a report saying that Apple’s rumored iWatch is coming next October and will have wireless charging. C Technology has gotten stuff wrong about Apple in the past, but it has also leaked parts for future products that ended up panning out.
The point isn’t C Technology’s track record, but what its latest report says about the iWatch: no one has any real clue what Apple is up to.
Sure, we know that Apple is working on wearables, as has been widely reported by publications like The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, but the closest “watch” confirmation we’ve gotten from Apple is that Tim Cook thinks the wrist is “interesting.”
Rumors surrounding the iWatch started picking up steam at the beginning of this year when the Times said Apple was experimenting with “wristwatch-like devices made of curved glass.” The Journal jumped on the bandwagon and added that the company was talking to suppliers about the mysterious product.
Then it was rumored that Apple had a large number of designers working on the project because it wanted to release it before the end of 2013. If you’ve been following the rumors closely, you know that it was then reported that Apple had run into complications over the summer and was on an aggressive hiring spree for the project. Predictions for the release were pushed back to late 2014. Apple reportedly bought up a bunch of small sensor firms and poached fitness experts, including talent from Nike.
Along the way, Apple has patented flexible displays and batteries. A Korean site recently claimed that Apple was working on larger and smaller screens to be marketed to men and women separately. 1.7-inch and 1.3-inch OLED displays are being tested, according to NPD DisplaySearch, who also said Apple has put its TV plans on hold to focus on wearables for 2014. Now wireless charging is in the works, although C Technology reiterates that Apple has been having trouble with battery life.
The point of rehashing all this is to show that there’s definitely enough smoke for there to be a fire, but no one really knows what the iWatch (if it’s even called that) will be like, much less when it will come out. Sometime in 2014? Probably, but don’t bet on it at this point. Remember, Apple supposedly wanted to release it in 2013.
Image: CiccareseDesign
