Apple's smart watch project is still in development.
What We Expect
Apple has been rumored to be working on its "iWatch" smart watch for a while now, but the company is now accelerating work on the project as it tries to expand its family of mobile devices to the wrist. Apple has already started work on trademarking the name in a number of countries.
We don't yet know what an Apple iWatch will look like, so the photos we've included here are either mockups or existing non-Apple products. For example, the red watch at the top of the page is the Lunatik iPod nano watch.
The iWatch will serve as an accessory to the iPhone and other iOS devices, giving users easy at-a-glance access to common functions without having to take their larger devices out of their pockets or bags. It should also incorporate a number of its own sensors and software features to help stand on its own as a must-have device for users. Rumors have also suggested that the iWatch could serve as a control device for home automation and there are reports suggesting it could come in multiple sizes for a customized fit.
Few specific details about the iWatch have surfaced as the project apparently remains in the early stages, but reports say that the watch will include a 1.5-inch display and that it might possibly run a "full" version of iOS.
Apple has recently signed a deal with GT Advanced that will see the company greatly ramping up its production of sapphire glass. It is likely that Apple will use a sapphire glass display for its smart watch, as sapphire is already extensively used in high-end watchmaking for its extreme durability.
Sensors and biometrics are said to play a key role in the iWatch. Apple has made multiple health-related hires in the past year, snapping up people with expertise in both health sensors and other mobile health devices to join its smart watch team.
Reports have indicated the iWatch may possibly include the ability to measure health-related metrics like glucose levels, heart rate, sleep quality, and movement. Apple is said to be aiming to make the health-tracking experience more accessible to the general public, so it remains to be seen how complex the included sensors will be.
The iWatch will integrate with the iPhone and other iOS devices, likely allowing users to check caller ID, place calls, and access maps as an accessory to the larger devices. It may also include inductive wireless charging capabilities, allowing the device's rumored 100mAh battery to charge from up to a meter away.
Apple is reportedly designing iOS 8 with the iWatch in mind, and the two are said to be heavily reliant on each other for health-tracking purposes.
Initial chatter indicated that the iWatch would launch in late 2013, but it now looks like a debut in the second half of 2014 is more likely.
iPod nano watch.
In More Detail
Rumors of Apple working on a smart watch first surfaced in a December 2012 report claiming that the company was working with Intel on a Bluetooth-enabled watch carrying a 1.5-inch OLED display. According to the report, the device was originally scheduled to launch in the first half of 2013.
The rumor mill remained quiet for a number of weeks following that report, but by early February 2013 reports began surfacing in the mainstream media and other publications claiming details on Apple's smart watch project. The flurry was led by a report from The New York Times claiming that Apple was working on a smart watch device running iOS and taking advantage of curved glass materials.
Reports of a curved glass smart watch had included speculation that Apple could be using Corning's new Willow Glass as a material given its flexible nature and Apple's existing partnership with Corning for the high-strength Gorilla Glass used on Apple's mobile devices, but Corning president James Clappin indicated that the material had only just begun hitting the market and that it would take at least three years for complex components such as flexible displays using Willow Glass to reach the market.
Former Nike creative director Scott Wilson also revealed that he had sent Apple design chief Jonathan Ive a "ton" of Nike watches back in the mid-2000s, with Apple's staff following up with a number of questions about materials and processes related to the device, suggesting that Apple was indeed looking into the possibility of its own watch project at that time.
Building the iWatch Team
That first NYTimes report was quickly followed by a Bloomberg article revealing that Apple had a team of approximately 100 product designers working on the project. The size of the team, which was said to be at least partially under the leadership of senior director of engineering James Foster, suggested that the project was moving beyond the experimental phase.
In mid-April, it was reported that former Adobe executive Kevin Lynch, who had joined Apple as a vice president of Technologies the previous month, was heading up a team of engineers with experience on Apple's iPod projects, suggesting that the division may be involved with Apple's smart watch project.
Features under consideration include letting users make calls, see the identity of incoming callers and check map coordinates .... It would also house a pedometer for counting steps and sensors for monitoring health-related data, such as heart rates... Peter Burrows & Olga Kharif - Bloomberg
Apple then hired Paul Deneve, former CEO of French luxury label Yves Saint Laurent, to work on "special projects", with many speculating that his fashion background would make him a natural fit to work on wearables such as the iWatch. Financial Times followed that with its own report indicating that Apple has begun another round of hiring for the project, looking at acquiring smaller firms and moving to retain key employees already on the project.
Apple's hiring efforts were also detailed in a report from 9to5Mac, revealing how Apple pursued employees at a number of companies involved in biometrics and health sensors while noting that the wide-ranging iWatch team is indeed being headed by Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield, Kevin Lynch, and James Foster, with other teams contributing as needed.
During the last few months of 2013, Apple hired two new sensor experts, who may be working on the iWatch. Nancy Dougherty, formerly at Sano Intelligence, worked on designing a device to measure blood chemistry through microneedles. Ravi Narasimhan, Apple's second hire, formerly worked at biosensor technology firm Vital Connect, where he served as a vice president of research and development, responsible for "biosensor technology and algorithms for remote physiological monitoring with wearable medical devices."
Apple has also hired Michael O'Reilly, M.D., the former Chief Medical Officer and EVP of Medical Affairs at Masimo Corporation, a company that specialized in pulse oximetry, and it has hired Roy J.E.M Raymann, a sleep expert from Philips Research. Before joining Apple, Raymann headed up several sleep-related research products studying sleep and activity monitoring.
Marcelo Lamego, former chief technology officer of Cercacor, has also joined Apple to work on biometrics. At Cercacor, Lamego worked on sensor-based medical technologies like those used in the Pronto-7, a non-invasive, portable device that measures hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and more.
Further fueling rumors that the iWatch will include a number of health and fitness-related sensors, Apple recently posted a now-removed job listing for an exercise physiologist to oversee cardiovascular fitness and energy expenditure tests at its Cupertino campus.
Apple may also bolster its iWatch development with the purchase of Basis, the company behind the Basis Health fitness tracker. The smart watch includes a number of health-related sensors that measure heart rate, sleep activity, movement, perspiration levels, and skin temperature. Basis is currently for sale and reportedly entertaining a buyout from several tech companies including Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft.
'Slap Bracelet' Patent
In late February 2013, an Apple patent application surfaced revealing a new "bracelet" accessory with a wraparound display covering the entire outer surface of the device. While the word "watch" was not used anywhere in the filing, the idea of the "wearable video device" as a smart watch lent credibility to claims of Apple's interest in the area.
Features and Battery Life
In early March, another flurry of reports about Apple's iWatch plans arrived, with Bloomberg claiming that the device could include biosensors and mapping features and launch "as soon as" 2013. The Verge followed up with its own report claiming that the iWatch was indeed planned to run a "full" version of iOS rather than a simpler operating system such as that seen on the iPod nano. That report also indicated that Apple was struggling with battery life on its prototype devices, achieving only a day or two between charges while striving for a four- or five- day battery life.
Hardware-based rumors resurfaced in May with claims that Apple was sampling 1.5-inch OLED displays and that Foxconn had already received a low-volume iWatch order of around 1,000 units, suggesting that Apple was moving into more significant testing. Early October saw the arrival of new claims of flexible OLED display for the iWatch, with a separate claim suggesting Apple was working on two display sizes: 1.3-inch and 1.63-inch flexible OLED displays at 320 x 320 pixels.
A recent February 2014 rumor also points towards flexible OLED displays, suggesting Apple may use flexible AMOLED panels from touch panel supplier TPK for the iWatch, utilizing silver nanowire touch screen technology.
In January of 2014, 9to5Mac reported that Apple is developing a new health-related app called "Healthbook" that it expects to launch as part of iOS 8. The app is said to be heavily reliant on the iWatch, serving as a way to aggregate data gathered from the health and fitness sensors in the device.
The report suggested that the iWatch will be able to measure statistics like glucose levels, movement and activity, heart rate, hydration, and more, but nothing concrete is known at the current time. Apple has also reportedly developed a way to combine several different sensors into a single, smaller chipset.
According to supply chain sources, Apple's iWatch may incorporate optical sensors to measure functions like heart rate and oxygen levels. Pulse oximeters, which measure oxygen saturation in the blood, use optical sensors and light to take readings.
While monitoring heart rate is typically done with a chest band, technology has advanced to allow an optical sensor to measure blood flow through capillaries to determine heart rate. The Mio Alpha, a heart rate measuring watch, uses this technology, but it does require the band to fit tightly onto a wrist. Apple's iWatch could function in the same way.
Though the iWatch is said to be heavily reliant on the iPhone, a supply chain source indicated to Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White in early October that it may also serve to integrate with home automation systems, allowing users to control heating and cooling, lights, and audio/video systems right from their wrists.
Trademark Applications
Public evidence of Apple filing for "iWatch" trademarks began to surface in June, first in Russia and later in Japan and a number of other countries. Apple's initial filing was apparently made in Jamaica in December 2012, but in early June the company began making much broader efforts to protect the name, although it will face competition from existing marks in a number of major countries including the United States.
Production Issues
Apple is reportedly working to overcome several issues with its iWatch development, which has hit snags in battery life, display technology, and manufacturing technique.
According to a recent report from The Information, battery issues caused Apple to consider a new screen technology for the iWatch in late 2013, though it is unclear whether Apple has indeed made a switch from OLED, the technology largely favored for the display in rumors throughout 2013. Early reports indicated that prototypes of the iWatch were seeing just one to two days of battery life, with Apple hoping to increase that duration to at least four or five days.
A report from The New York Times has indicated Apple is experimenting with a number of charging methods for the iWatch, including induction charging, which would allow users to recharge their watches wirelessly. The company is also exploring more far-fetched options that are likely to be viable for a product that will be released this year, including solar and motion-based charging methods.
Along with inductive charging, Apple may incorporate LG's "stepped" batteries into the iWatch. Designed with a slight ridge, the technology increases a battery’s capacity by 16 percent over a standard battery. Stepped batteries can be made in a variety of shapes and such a design could help Apple eke out extra longevity in the iWatch.
Early iWatch production is said to be seeing low yields, primarily due to the surface finish treatments for the body of the device. Apple is reportedly using metal injection molding methods for the iWatch, with the surface treatments being used to improve the look of the device.
Concept Images
There have been no hints on what form factor Apple's iWatch might take on, but that hasn't stopped people from speculating. Several different iWatch concept images have surfaced, mimicking the design of existing products or adopting futuristic curved displays.
Release Date
Despite early reports of a 2013 target date and even reports of early production runs, the reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that Apple's smart watch project was not as far along as previously believed, with Kuo indicating that a late 2014 launch would be more likely. This later target date is also corroborated by sources of the Financial Times as well as supply chain sources, all of which are pointing to late next year as more likely. Quanta has been rumored to be lined up to begin production of the iWatch in the second quarter of 2014, which would line up with a public launch later in the year.
What We Expect
Apple has been rumored to be working on its "iWatch" smart watch for a while now, but the company is now accelerating work on the project as it tries to expand its family of mobile devices to the wrist. Apple has already started work on trademarking the name in a number of countries.
We don't yet know what an Apple iWatch will look like, so the photos we've included here are either mockups or existing non-Apple products. For example, the red watch at the top of the page is theLunatik iPod nano watch.
The iWatch will serve as an accessory to the iPhone and other iOS devices, giving users easy at-a-glance access to common functions without having to take their larger devices out of their pockets or bags. It should also incorporate a number of its own sensors and software features to help stand on its own as a must-have device for users. Rumors have also suggested that the iWatch could serve as a control device forhome automation and there are reports suggesting it could come inmultiple sizes for a customized fit.
Few specific details about the iWatch have surfaced as the project apparently remains in the early stages, but reports say that the watch will include a 1.5-inch display and that it might possibly run a "full" version of iOS.
Apple has recentlysigned a deal with GT Advanced that will see the company greatlyramping up its production of sapphire glass. It is likely that Apple will use a sapphire glass display for its smart watch, as sapphire is already extensively used in high-end watchmaking for its extreme durability.
Sensors and biometrics are said to play a key role in the iWatch. Apple has made multiplehealth-related hires in the past year, snapping up people with expertise in both health sensors and other mobile health devices to join its smart watch team.
Reports haveindicated the iWatch may possibly include the ability to measure health-related metrics like glucose levels, heart rate, sleep quality, and movement. Apple is said to be aiming to make the health-tracking experiencemore accessible to the general public, so it remains to be seen how complex the included sensors will be.
The iWatch will integrate with the iPhone and other iOS devices, likely allowing users to check caller ID, place calls, and access maps as an accessory to the larger devices. Itmay also include inductive wireless charging capabilities, allowing the device's rumored 100mAh battery to charge from up to a meter away.
Apple is reportedly designing iOS 8 with the iWatch in mind, and the two are said to be heavily reliant on each other for health-tracking purposes.
Initial chatter indicated that the iWatch would launchin late 2013 , but it now looks like a debut in the second half of 2014 is more likely.
iPod nano watch.
In More Detail
Rumors of Apple working on a smart watch first surfaced in a December 2012 report claiming that the company was working with Intel on a Bluetooth-enabled watch carrying a 1.5-inch OLED display. According to the report, the device was originally scheduled to launch in the first half of 2013.
The rumor mill remained quiet for a number of weeks following that report, but by early February 2013 reports began surfacing in the mainstream media and other publications claiming details on Apple's smart watch project. The flurry was led by a report from The New York Times claiming that Apple was working on a smart watch device running iOS and taking advantage of curved glass materials.
Reports of a curved glass smart watch had included speculation that Apple could be using Corning's new Willow Glass as a material given its flexible nature and Apple's existing partnership with Corning for the high-strength Gorilla Glass used on Apple's mobile devices, but Corning president James Clappin indicated that the material had only just begun hitting the market and that it would take at least three years for complex components such as flexible displays using Willow Glass to reach the market.
Former Nike creative director Scott Wilson also revealed that he had sent Apple design chief Jonathan Ive a "ton" of Nike watches back in the mid-2000s, with Apple's staff following up with a number of questions about materials and processes related to the device, suggesting that Apple was indeed looking into the possibility of its own watch project at that time.
Building the iWatch Team
That first NYTimes report was quickly followed by a Bloomberg article revealing that Apple had a team of approximately 100 product designers working on the project. The size of the team, which was said to be at least partially under the leadership of senior director of engineering James Foster, suggested that the project was moving beyond the experimental phase.
In mid-April, it was reported that former Adobe executive Kevin Lynch, who had joined Apple as a vice president of Technologies the previous month, was heading up a team of engineers with experience on Apple's iPod projects, suggesting that the division may be involved with Apple's smart watch project.
Features under consideration include letting users make calls, see the identity of incoming callers and check map coordinates .... It would also house a pedometer for counting steps and sensors for monitoring health-related data, such as heart rates... Peter Burrows & Olga Kharif - Bloomberg
Apple then hired Paul Deneve, former CEO of French luxury label Yves Saint Laurent, to work on "special projects", with many speculating that his fashion background would make him a natural fit to work on wearables such as the iWatch. Financial Times followed that with its own report indicating that Apple has begun another round of hiring for the project, looking at acquiring smaller firms and moving to retain key employees already on the project.
Apple's hiring efforts were also detailed in a report from 9to5Mac , revealing how Apple pursued employees at a number of companies involved in biometrics and health sensors while noting that the wide-ranging iWatch team is indeed being headed by Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield, Kevin Lynch, and James Foster, with other teams contributing as needed.
During the last few months of 2013, Applehired two new sensor experts , who may be working on the iWatch. Nancy Dougherty, formerly at Sano Intelligence, worked on designing a device to measure blood chemistry through microneedles. Ravi Narasimhan, Apple's second hire, formerly worked at biosensor technology firm Vital Connect, where he served as a vice president of research and development, responsible for "biosensor technology and algorithms for remote physiological monitoring with wearable medical devices."
Apple has also hired Michael O'Reilly, M.D., the former Chief Medical Officer and EVP of Medical Affairs at Masimo Corporation, a company thatspecialized in pulse oximetry , and it has hired Roy J.E.M Raymann,a sleep expert from Philips Research. Before joining Apple, Raymann headed up several sleep-related research products studying sleep and activity monitoring.
Marcelo Lamego, former chief technology officer of Cercacor, has alsojoined Apple to work on biometrics. At Cercacor, Lamego worked on sensor-based medical technologies like those used in the Pronto-7, a non-invasive, portable device that measures hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and more.
Further fueling rumors that the iWatch will include a number of health and fitness-related sensors, Apple recently posted a now-removed job listing for anexercise physiologist to oversee cardiovascular fitness and energy expenditure tests at its Cupertino campus.
Apple may also bolster its iWatch development with the purchase of Basis, the company behind theBasis Health fitness tracker . The smart watch includes a number of health-related sensors that measure heart rate, sleep activity, movement, perspiration levels, and skin temperature. Basis is currently for sale and reportedlyentertaining a buyout from several tech companies including Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft.
'Slap Bracelet' Patent
In late February 2013, an Apple patent application surfaced revealing a new "bracelet" accessory with a wraparound display covering the entire outer surface of the device. While the word "watch" was not used anywhere in the filing, the idea of the "wearable video device" as a smart watch lent credibility to claims of Apple's interest in the area.
Features and Battery Life
In early March, another flurry of reports about Apple's iWatch plans arrived, with Bloomberg claiming that the device could include biosensors and mapping features and launch "as soon as" 2013. The Verge followed up with its own report claiming that the iWatch was indeed planned to run a "full" version of iOS rather than a simpler operating system such as that seen on the iPod nano. That report also indicated that Apple was struggling with battery life on its prototype devices, achieving only a day or two between charges while striving for a four- or five- day battery life.
Hardware-based rumors resurfacedin May with claims that Apple was sampling 1.5-inch OLED displays and that Foxconn had already received a low-volume iWatch order of around 1,000 units, suggesting that Apple was moving into more significant testing. Early October saw the arrival of new claims offlexible OLED display for the iWatch, with a separate claim suggesting Apple was working ontwo display sizes : 1.3-inch and 1.63-inch flexible OLED displays at 320 x 320 pixels.
A recent February 2014 rumor also points towards flexible OLED displays, suggesting Apple may useflexible AMOLED panels from touch panel supplier TPK for the iWatch, utilizing silver nanowire touch screen technology.
In January of 2014,9to5Mac reported that Apple isdeveloping a new health-related app called "Healthbook" that it expects to launch as part of iOS 8. The app is said to be heavily reliant on the iWatch, serving as a way to aggregate data gathered from the health and fitness sensors in the device.
The report suggested that the iWatch will be able to measure statistics like glucose levels, movement and activity, heart rate, hydration, and more, but nothing concrete is known at the current time. Apple has also reportedly developed a way to combine several different sensors into a single, smaller chipset.
According tosupply chain sources , Apple's iWatch may incorporateoptical sensors to measure functions like heart rate and oxygen levels. Pulse oximeters, which measure oxygen saturation in the blood, use optical sensors and light to take readings.
While monitoring heart rate is typically done with a chest band, technology has advanced to allow an optical sensor to measure blood flow through capillaries to determine heart rate. TheMio Alpha , a heart rate measuring watch, uses this technology, but it does require the band to fit tightly onto a wrist. Apple's iWatch could function in the same way.
Though the iWatch is said to be heavily reliant on the iPhone, a supply chain source indicated to Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White in early October that it may also serve to integrate withhome automation systems , allowing users to control heating and cooling, lights, and audio/video systems right from their wrists.
Trademark Applications
Public evidence of Apple filing for "iWatch" trademarks began to surface in June, first in Russia and later in Japan and a number of other countries. Apple's initial filing was apparently made in Jamaica in December 2012, but in early June the company began making much broader efforts to protect the name, although it will face competition from existing marks in a number of major countries including the United States.
Production Issues
Apple is reportedly working to overcome several issues with its iWatch development, which hashit snags in battery life, display technology, and manufacturing technique.
According to a recent report fromThe Information , battery issues caused Apple to consider a new screen technology for the iWatch in late 2013, though it is unclear whether Apple has indeed made a switch from OLED, the technologylargely favored for the display in rumors throughout 2013. Early reports indicated that prototypes of the iWatch were seeing just one to two days of battery life, with Apple hoping to increase that duration to at least four or five days.
A report fromThe New York Times has indicated Apple isexperimenting with a number of charging methods for the iWatch, including induction charging, which would allow users to recharge their watches wirelessly. The company is also exploring more far-fetched options that are likely to be viable for a product that will be released this year, including solar and motion-based charging methods.
Along with inductive charging, Apple may incorporate LG's "stepped" batteries into the iWatch. Designed with a slight ridge, the technology increases a battery’s capacity by 16 percent over a standard battery. Stepped batteries can be made in a variety of shapes and such a design could help Apple eke out extra longevity in the iWatch.
Early iWatch production is said to beseeing low yields , primarily due to the surface finish treatments for the body of the device. Apple is reportedly using metal injection molding methods for the iWatch, with the surface treatments being used to improve the look of the device.
Concept Images
There have been no hints on what form factor Apple's iWatch might take on, but that hasn't stopped people from speculating. Several different iWatch concept imageshave surfaced , mimicking the design of existing products or adopting futuristic curved displays.
Release Date
Despite early reports of a 2013 target date and even reports of early production runs, the reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that Apple's smart watch project was not as far along as previously believed, with Kuo indicating that a late 2014 launch would be more likely. This later target date is also corroborated by sources of the Financial Timesas well assupply chain sources , all of which are pointing to late next year as more likely. Quanta has been rumored to be lined up tobegin production of the iWatch in the second quarter of 2014, which would line up with a public launch later in the year.
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