Apple iWatch – Features, Rumors and Release Dates

Is reaching for your iPhone to text and email someone is the most tedious thing in the world? None other than Apple themselves seem to think so, if many rumors on a proposed iWatch are to be believed. Wearable computing seems to be the next big thing, and iWatch could be the first among many attempts by Cupertino camp to make the ideal wearable computing gadget. Would iWatch be revolutionary? We can’t know that yet. Would there be an iWatch at all? That we suspect to be true. The online rumor mill has picked up great deal of information on the speculated product. The following is a summary of the details we’ve gathered based on many rumors and reports. It is advised however to take everything with a pinch of salt, as rumors could just be rumors.

Display

If many rumors are to be believed Apple iWatch will feature a flexible Corning Gorilla glass on its 1.5 inch display. The rumors are mainly based on several patents Apple has filed over recent times. Willow glass is a bendable, strong type of glasses manufactured by Corning, and according to its chief technology officer Pete Bocko these glasses are ideal for a wearable gadget like a watch in particular. However its relation to the speculated iWatch is just a yet another hypothesis based on the rumor mill. Considering the fact that Apple’s previous iPod Nano was used by some enthusiastic Apple fans as a wrist watch, some speculate the iWatch would probably resemble previous iPod Nano. Creative people from around the world have come up with conceptual prototypes of their own. Though they might never reach Cupertino Apple head quarters, they are indicative of the interest blooming in consumers’ minds towards this speculated accessory.

Connectivity Options and Battery Life

Apple iWatch will essentially be an accessory to the more prestigious gadgets by the manufacturer, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Therefore iWatch will incorporate several connectivity options to communicate with the other iDevices. Main wireless connectivity option would be Bluetooth. It is speculated that Bluetooth v.4.0 will support the new gadget. Seemingly battery life is a crucial factor determining the success of the iWatch. According to numerous sources Apple is planning on achieving a battery life which lasts for about 5-6 days per single charge but have only managed to go as far as couple of days per single charge yet.

Operating System

An iWatch is an Apple baby. So it will essentially enjoy the heirloom iOS ecosystem. If numerous speculations are to be believed iWatch will feature a native iOS environment rather than a stripped down propriety version. The challenge in equipping a tiny gadget with an advanced OS is its massive consumption of power and reportedly Cupertino engineers are busy finding fixes to extend the decisive battery life. Also there is some talk on Apple upgrading the iOS features in iPhone to integrate this new accessory. Reportedly this includes introduction of a new interface and settings to communicate with the iWatch.

Software Features

An iWatch is supposedly an accessory to integrate with your iPhone or iPad to do some basic tasks more conveniently while you are on the go. At least that’s what the exiting rival products like Sony smart watch do for now. Therefore it would be safe to assume that iWatch too would serve similar purposes like reading emails, text messages and social media notifications integrating with the iPhone in your pocket. You might be able to even answer incoming calls using a headset. Weather widgets and navigation apps like Google maps or controversial Apple maps too would dress up the tiny display. Most probably iWatch would equip a pedometer and would serve like a Nike FuelBand as well. It is interesting to note here that Apple’s arch rival in smartphone arena, Samsung equipped their latest galaxy S4 smartphone with bunch of accessories including SBand to keep track of steps, calories burnt etc. Who’s to say Apple won’t care?

Release date and conclusion

Wearable computing seems to be the future. Projects like Google Glass and much expected iWatch are examples. While Google Glass sounds innovative and exciting, how far are you really excited to wear yet another wrist watch just to read text messages and emails when you could simply pull your phone off pocket? If iWatch is to be a success Apple has to convince us why we need to wear this ornament, why we must wear this thing. And smart watches of this type are not strangers to the market either. Sony SmartWatch and Pebble SmartWatch are for example some popular smart watches offering you the ability to remotely integrate with your smartphone. If Apple is planning to unveil this iWatch, there is a slight competition already. But the most significant challenge would be to create a market for the strange gadget by convincing public to buy it. Given Apple’s track record of making revolutionary gadgets we could expect something new. Yet there is no official confirmation on the proposed product. Rumor mill too has failed to pick up a line or two about release dates.