14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is targeting a Q3 launch for the iWatch this year with Quanta Computer lined up as the manufacturer of the gizmo, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report cited by DigiTimes.
The news comes as a rumor, but the translated report says Apple wants 65 million units of the thing deployed this year alone. Set to enter manufacturing in the coming months at Quanta Computer, the iWatch will be equipped (among other things) with chips from Taiwan-based Richtek.
As for the screen, which is reportedly touch-sensitive, it will be supplied by TPK, a company that has previously done business with Apple.
“Apple will design the iWatch's processor and outsource production to Samsung. To meet its launch schedule, Apple has demanded suppliers deliver their products starting August,” the paper reportedly added.
Packed with sensors, the iWatch will further boast hardware from Austin, Texas-based Silicon Labs, according to a research note from Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis. One particularly new addition to the iWatch rumor mill is a single-chip digital UV index sensor, an industry-first, according to the analyst.
“These chips measure UV exposure to aid those with elevated risk of sunburn or just a general concern about excessive sun exposure, and we believe they may be of appealing [sic] to OEMs looking to differentiate in a crowded market,” Curtis wrote in his research note.
Analysts at Morgan Stanley are equally convinced that the iWatch announcement is finally going to happen this year. In a research note sent to its clients last week, the investment bank made a strong case for the wearable device, pointing to key Apple hires and acquisitions started as early as 2012, and ending with more recent ventures.
More evidence that Apple is looking to put a health-monitoring device on our wrists comes from iOS 8, or portions of an application destined to make its way into the mobile software. Dubbed Healthbook, this iPhone-bound app would aggregate data on blood pressure, oxygen levels, hydration levels, even glucose, from sensors that are currently not found in any existing Apple devices.
While it’s possible some of these sensors will make their way into future iPhones, the most plausible scenario for all-in-one functionality is the rumored iWatch.
The announcement could come as early as June 2, the opening day of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. The keynote address could include, among other things, a preview of the device and an estimated public launch date.