Until recently, things were quiet on the matter of Apple’s so-called iWatch. It was as if the rumor stew had boiled dry, or left on simmer while consumer attention was caught by the vast, exciting menu of other wrist-based computers hitting the market.
Well, in the last few days alone, things started cooking again. At the start of the week, a report from China’s Economic Daily, spotted by tech news publication DigiTimes, suggested the Cupertino company’s smartwatch would land in Q3 of this year, and that Apple expects to ship some 65 million units by the beginning of 2015.
Backing this up is another DigiTimes report, published Tuesday, suggesting three companies in the supply chain – specifically Flexium Interconnect, Zhen Ding Technology Holding, and Career Technology – have delivered samples of flexible circuit boards to Apple for inspection.
The report even goes for a more specific unveiling date, naming September as the month when Apple boss Tim Cook is most likely to take to the stage with the iWatch up his sleeve.
It’d be fair to say that a blind assassin would have a reasonable chance of achieving a more impressive hit rate than DigiTimes. But the Taiwanese publication, which is located close to firms involved in making parts for many of Apple’s tech products, has called it right on several occasions in the past, and for the last nine months has continued to maintain that Apple plans to launch the iWatch in the second half of this year.
In January we heard that Apple engineers were struggling with screen technology for the device, an issue apparently related to the iWatch’s battery life. Judging by this week’s reports, however, things are back on track, with Apple looking to launch in the next five months.
One thing’s for sure: If the company is intending to launch a smartwatch, we can imagine – with all the devices currently coming to market – it’ll be keen to present its own effort to consumers sooner rather than later.
For a more detailed look at all things iWatch, be sure to check out DT’s dedicated page here.
