14 DAY TRIAL // Sources in the Far East say Quanta Computer is beefing up on staff at its plants in Changshu, China, after scoring a massive order from Apple to build the all-new smartwatch.
According to sources from the upstream supply chain, Quanta has “started hiring workers for mass production of the Apple Watch.” DigiTimes cites market watchers as saying that sales are expected to reach 36 million units per year.
Apple has chosen its path
Unlike with other devices, the Cupertino giant has contracted a single manufacturer to produce the all-new watch. It’s a risky decision, considering that it has no one to turn to in case Quanta’s factories hit roadblocks.
According to the sources, “Quanta is the sole supplier of the Apple Watch [while] Inventec also tried to obtain related orders but failed. Quanta is also the supplier of Apple's Mac series products,” these people note.
It is unclear how many employees currently work at Quanta’s factories, but according to the sources, the plants are expected to increase their number of workers to a total of 40,000.
February launch
Apple has already confirmed that its revolutionary smart-watch is coming early next year. That means the end of spring the latest. Now, according to a new report by feng.com, it appears that the company wants it ready to go by February, likely in time for Valentine’s Day (February 14).
The Mac maker has provided very few details regarding pricing, availability, or demand for the various models. All we know is that it will start at $349 (€275), which means that the mid- and high-level models will probably go well beyond that mark.
Sapphire woes
Two of the three planned models use sapphire crystal both on the back (where the optical sensors are located) and on the front, covering the AMOLED display. The sapphire is for keeping the watch scratch-proof, as well as for other benefits. The entry-level model will be using strengthened Ion-X glass, according to the Cupertino mammoth.
Sapphire production is being handled by GT Advanced (abbreviated GTAT). The contracted company has been cooking up sapphire in hundreds of furnaces since early last year, but apparently there is still isn’t enough of the exotic material to fulfill demand. Either that, or the cutting process is taking longer than expected.
Either way, you can expect mile-long queues on launch day, just like with every other Apple product. In the meanwhile, hit the comments and tell us what model you’re after, or even if you’re getting one at all.