Apple’s device to look a lot like the upcoming Motorola smartwatch, says Brian Blair

May 28, 2014 13:23 GMT  ·  By

If you were hoping to see Apple introduce an iWatch that looks a lot like the Nike fuelband, don’t. According to Brian Blair of Rosenblatt Securities, who just visited some suppliers in Taiwan, Apple has different plans for its revolutionary smartwatch.

Citing supply chain people, which is the only way to get your followers to listen whenever you have an Apple-related rumor to dish out, Rosenblatt Securities’ Brian Blair says the iWatch will have a round face, like a regular watch.

Quoting the analyst himself, Business Insider reports, “Motorola has announced plans for its own circular smartwatch that runs on Android. Blair's sources say the iWatch will have a similar look, but a ‘slimmer profile’.” The Motorola device is pictured above.

Blair doesn’t have his name encrusted in the Analysts’ Walk of Fame, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be right this time around. Supply chain chatter gives off as much bad intel as it reveals genuine details about Apple’s upcoming plans, so his intel is worth considering.

He has other tidbits to share as well, albeit less technical ones. For example, Blair claims he’s learned from his trip to Taiwan that Apple plans to start production as early as this summer – around July/August. If you’re wondering who in Taiwan manufactures Apple devices, the answer is of course Hon Hai Precision Industry (under the trade name Foxconn), the world’s biggest electronics assembler.

Terry Gou’s Foxconn makes everything from smartphones and tablets to game consoles and full-fledged computers. Apparently, they’ve been tasked with producing the elusive iWatch as well, something we should hear more about as Apple assigns specific orders (total of units, yields) to each supplier.

Other Taiwan-based Apple suppliers include Pegatron, which also assembles iDevices, like the iPad mini and the plastic-encased iPhone 5c, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which produces the Touch ID fingerprint sensors destined for the iPhone 5s (and soon for the rest of the iDevice ecosystem).

Echoing earlier rumors that Apple will create two different versions of the smartwatch, Blair tells BI that “there will be ‘models’ of the iWatch.” According to some reports, the company plans to make a version for male customers and one tailored specifically towards the female user base.

Finally, Blair says Apple is seeking an aggressive entry into the wearables industry with as many as 18-21 million iWatches scheduled to be produced by the end of 2014.