iWatch

As iWatch anticipation builds up, smartwatch market to grow tenfold in 2014

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

The smartwatch market is about to explode - never mind not a single device from Apple or Samsung has shipped. Despite all those troublesome facts, one analyst firm is out with a prediction that five million "smartwatches" will ship in 2014, ten times the current number. How can this be? Welcome to defining tech 2.0. The research firm Canalys defines smartwatches as "smart wearable bands" that are worn on the body and run third-party apps...

Microsoft’s Surface Watch to come housed in exquisite translucent aluminum chassis?

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 15, 2013

Microsoft's rumored smartwatch will reportedly compete with Apple's rumored iWatch by designing the product around Surface and Xbox technology, while giving it a cool translucent shell along with a variety of colorized removable wrist bands for a dash of fashion statement. Oh, and it will supposedly do LTE on its own.

Sources familiar with the matter told The Verge that prototype smartwatch testing at Microsoft has moved over to the Surface team. The move is likely in line with a recent company-wide reorganization effort that saw Xbox and Surface hardware divisions folded into a single unit, with former Windows chief Julie Larson-Green now responsible for all of Microsoft's hardware efforts...

Report: Apple hiring aggressively to tackle iWatch design problems

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

According to people familiar with Apple’s wearable technology roadmap who spoke to Financial Times, the company is in search of "fresh expertise" and has begun hiring engineers “aggressively” to help with the rumored smartwatch project.

Now, Bloomberg said in February Apple had tasked 100+ engineers with iWatch work.

According to one source who spoke to The Financial Times on the condition of anonymity, the project has faced “hard engineering problems that they’ve not been able to solve”, prompting the leadership to look for outside help...

Apple invents flexible batteries, likely for iWatch

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 5, 2013

With iWatch trademarks linked to Apple spotted in places like Japan, Russia and a slew of other countries, it is no surprise speculation is intensifying that the iPhone maker is secretly developing a wearable gizmo of some sort. Another piece of the Apple smartwatch puzzle has now fallen into place as The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) published Friday a patent filing detailing a flexible battery design specifically conceived for a wristwatch and/or other bendable mobile devices...

Apple could face hurdles applying for iWatch trademark in US and UK

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Apple's iWatch trademark filing world tour could hit major roadblocks in the United Kingdom and over in Apple's home turf of the United States, it has been discovered.

According to two separate reports, a small California firm has taken steps to trademark 'iWatch' in the United States.

And over in the United Kingdom, a network services firm owns a Community trademark on 'iWatch', basically a trademark that applies across the European Community, which includes Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, France,, Netherlands, West Germany, Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

As a result, Apple is likely going to have to either pay these companies to buy the trademark or face a legal battle should it in fact decide to launch a rumored wristwatch product...

Apple patents smart bezel display

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 2, 2013

Apple may have found a way to maximize display space for touch input while minimizing the size of wearable devices such as the long-rumored iWatch. What's more, the innovation could be thanks to Kodak, a photography pioneer which Apple's iPhone and other smartphones, largely put out of business.

In a patent granted Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple describes a touch-sensitive bezel that surrounds a device's main display. The smart bezel is able to offer users additional space for a display area or even cover portions of a display, providing greater flexibility...

Apple continues with iWatch trademark filings in Mexico and Taiwan [updated]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 12, 2018

It appears that Apple is really interested in securing the 'iWatch' trademark on a global scale. Hot on the heels of this morning's report that it filed for the name in Japan, comes word that it has filed similar paperwork in both Mexico and Taiwan.

And the filings in these three countries follow a bid for the trademark in Russia, which was reported last month. So it would seem that there is at least some truth to the ongoing rumors that Apple is working on a wearable, smartwatch-like device...

Apple moves to trademark ‘iWatch’ in Japan

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 1, 2013

If you needed proof that Apple is actively researching a wearable device akin to a smartwatch, look no further than a Japan Patent Office filing from early June for an ‘iWatch’ trademark. As discovered by Bloomberg, the filing specifically mentions a “watch device” and a “handheld computer”. While this by no means such a product will see the light of day, it certainly fuels speculation that an Apple-branded smartwatch is in the works...

Foxconn showcases its own smartwatch ahead of Apple’s iWatch

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Could Apple's largest contract manufacturer also become a competitor? Foxconn's parent company, Hon Hai, unveiled a smartwatch that connects to your iPhone, displaying phone calls and Facebook messages. The news comes as the Taiwan-based assembler of iPhones seeks ways to diversify income as the industry undergoes some uncertain times.

The watch, unveiled by Hon Hai Chairman Terry Gou Wednesday, appears to compete against the iWatch, a rumored device that Apple may introduce. Despite not being an actual iWatch, Foxconn reportedly received 1,000 orders for its product...

Apple allegedly files for iWatch trademark in Russia

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple reportedly has filed in Russia to trademark 'iWatch', the supposed name of the rumored wearable computing device. However, some in the tech media are skeptical, suggesting the report in a Russian newspaper follows none of Apple's usual steps preceding a product launch, such as in the case of the iPad.

The newspaper Izvestia this week reported Apple filed for the trademark under the 9th and 14th classes of the International Classification of Goods and Services. The report asserts Apple could face competition from similar local products. However, one Apple blogs has failed to find the trademark registered with the official Russian Federal Services for Intellectual Property...

Tim Cook talks iTV, iWatch, iOS 7 and more at D11 conference

Cody Lee ∙ May 28, 2013

Tim Cook just kicked off AllThingsD's D11 conference with an on-stage interview with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. The conference has become a major event for Apple, with Steve Jobs attending several of them, and Cook now a returning veteran speaker.

And he didn't disappoint. The CEO was surprisingly candid, answering all kinds of questions from what he thinks of Google Glass, to his thoughts on the state of the TV market. He even confirmed Jony Ive is working on iOS 7. We've got a full recap after the break...

Concept imagines iWatch maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Renowned 3D artist Martin Hajek today shared a new batch of interesting conceptual renderings that strive to envision how Apple's rumored iWatch might seemingly lend itself to maps, which have long been the killer app category on mobile devices.

Indeed, with power-savvy Bluetooth Smart technology and iOS allegedly powering the device, a smartwatch from the people that brought you the iPhone could theoretically retrieve a user's geographical location by tapping the iPhone's GPS sensor, simply acting as a second screen for turn-by-turn directions...