back to article It's JUST possible, but Apple MIGHT not make an iWatch in 2013

What's better than smartphone that is not strapped to your wrist? A smartphone that IS strapped to your wrist. In what is a strange rumour even by the standards of supply chain rumours - Chinese manufacturing news site iPhone.TGBUS says that Apple is planning to release a watch in 2013, and the story has been widely circulated …

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  1. Mage Silver badge
    Coffee/keyboard

    Intel chip?

    What sort of Intel Chip?

    I'm expecting Mac to switch away from Intel. Maybe Intel does useful chips apart from CPUs.

    1. Naughtyhorse

      Re: Intel chip?

      i7

      :-)

      it would look great on a watch

      1. Bush_rat

        Re: Intel chip?

        For all of 3 minutes before the battery gave out.

        1. Simon Harris
          Flame

          Re: Intel chip?

          For all of 3 minutes before the battery gave out.

          Would that be before or after it's burned a hole through your wrist!

          1. A J Stiles
            Boffin

            Re: Intel chip?

            During.

            You're turning potential energy (stored in chemical bonds) into heat.

        2. Matt Bucknall

          Re: Intel chip?

          For all 3 minutes before it burnt down to the bone.

          1. Rukario
            Joke

            Re: Intel chip?

            You'd need an iHand to wear it on. (See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg3g7W8NENg)

        3. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: Intel chip?

          Wouldn't it be self winding - it could generate power from a simple pendulum like rythmic movement of the fanboi's wrist

          1. Gaz Jay
            Thumb Up

            "Wouldn't it be self winding"

            I'm surprised this only has two thumbs up!

            Also, you owe me a new keyboard.

            1. Dave 126

              Re: "Wouldn't it be self winding"

              Hmmm...

              I'm not an Apple user, but they interest me because they have control over both their OSs and hardware and so are in a position to unilaterally bring devices to market and better integrate them to each other.

              For this reason, I'm sometimes surprised that there hasn't been tighter integration of iPads and Macs- using the iPad as a control surface for a Mac, for example (though iOS devices have had MIDI support from the get-go), or as a place to keep your Photoshop tool palettes. I would have assumed that Apple would have an easier job of doing things like than rivals who use somebody else's OS.

              The 'watch like' iPod Nano seemed notable because it didn't integrate with the iPhone. Call alerts would be an obvious application, as would audio playback controls when an iPhone is in a dock on the other side of the room.

              Another observation: on one tech site about an e-ink watch, I was surprised by the number of comments about "Who wears a watch these days?", but anecdotally, it appeared that more Europeans wear watches than our US cousins. Not only that, but Sony- who do have a phone-connected watch on the market, are Japanese. Why is that relevant? Because some Japanese cities are notorious for having over-crowded public transport systems, overcrowded to the point where reaching into ones pocket for a phone to check a call can be inconvenient (there are some hard figures on the net that support this reputation crowded subways).

              Obviously, a watch is not in a good position for either making phone calls or for plugging earphones into. It is, however, in a good position for operating other devices. Rotating the scroll wheel bezel of my watch to make a note of when my my parking ticket expires is so much quicker, easier and less fiddly than setting a reminder on my phone.

              The issue with an Apple watch would be aesthetic- watches come in all shapes, sizes and colours, and making a 'one watch to suit everybody' would be tricky- the exception being the £5 Casio F91W 'terrorist' watch, but it is tiny. At least the common watch materials of stainless steel, glass and sapphire wouldn't break from Apple's current choice of materials.

              Another issue is power consumption, and charging. Charging every couple days is not ideal. Wireless charging would partially mitigate this issue, but Apple haven't embraced it yet- though they are certainly giving it thought. One of their patents describes a method of selecting the priority in which desktop peripherals receive power wirelessly, but obviously for the watch to be charged this way the wearer would have to sit at their desk for an hour every other day. That said, if the watch is limited in functionality (e-ink call/text alert, call/call end control), the battery could be eeked out for some time. There is also the possibility that if the watch were simple enough, the phone itself could supply the power required for a display state-change, through resonance.

              Can anyone here comment on how much power watches like the Seiko Kinetic can generate? My uninformed guess would be 'not enough'.

              Watch controls could be completely mechanical- imagine a bezel mechanism that when rotated produced ultrasonic clicks that could be heard by a phone.

            2. Moonshine
              Paris Hilton

              Re: "Wouldn't it be self winding"

              Paris, a woman with the potential to keep thousands of iWatches wound.

          2. noboard
            Thumb Up

            Re: Intel chip?

            And when they all break from over winding, Apple can tell them they're doing it wrong.

          3. JDX Gold badge

            Re: Intel chip?

            >>Wouldn't it be self winding - it could generate power from a simple pendulum like rythmic movement of the fanboi's wrist

            I dunno, it's typically frustrated teenagers who provide the biggest power supply and Apple is not the OS of choice for nerdy friendless teens.

            Plus, put Linux on a watch and the watch itseklf would be a source of arousal for said teens. And Reg readers... if the latter isn't a subset of the former.

        4. Naughtyhorse

          Re: Intel chip?

          i was thinking of the opportunities to bling up the heatsink

    2. LarsG
      Meh

      Ferrari and Porsche

      Make watches as do other prestige names, but that doesn't make them any less tacky.

      An iWatch will be perfect for the Chav in your life, to go with his Burberry hat and Aston Martin key ring.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Maybe

      They should concentrate on putting a retina screen in the mini ipad before they have these wonderful ideas.......

      1. Bob Vistakin
        FAIL

        Re: Maybe

        "They should concentrate on putting a retina screen in the mini ipad"

        I dunno, watching your movies the minecraft way has a certain kind of retro appeal - all those mario style blocky pixels and gaudy colors certainly do it for the die hard fanbois. Perfection is, after all, anything with an apple logo on it.

        1. John Gamble
          Angel

          Re: Maybe

          Perfection is, after all, anything with an apple logo on it.

          Well said. I am going to use this every chance I get.

          Yes, ironically of course.

        2. Simon Harris
          Happy

          Re: Maybe

          Oops, I read that last sentence as 'Perfection is, after all, anything with apple Lego on it.'

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Angel

      Re: Intel chip?

      When I was a kiddy of mid - teen years....

      I used to go "Oh it's a Harley Davidson!" - which is worse than admitting that you masturbate over the virgin Mary...

      But anyway, many years later, I happened into a rather big "Harley Davidson store" and this is when my admiration for the big motor sickles, turned to contempt.

      Harley Bandannas.

      Harley Leathers.

      Harley Boots.

      Harley Zippo Lighters.

      Harley Shot Glasses.

      Harley Fridge Magnets.

      Harley Cuff Links.

      Harley Runners, with the Harley Davidson logo embedded as tread, on the soles, akin to Harvey Firestone, making the first non smooth tyres for the Automobile.

      And I thought, aside from the "Great Australian Gouge" on imported shit boxes, really the Harley is just a piece of mechanised shit that is designed to get one from A to B and hopefully back again.

      Nothing more... and all the righteous bro biker bullshit is just marketing an image, like boys and toys and girls and dollies....

      It's just a fucking vehicle. It's 2 cylinders sliced off the end of a V8 engine, stuck in a motorcycle frame and it gets sold at 3 x the price of an average car.... like less the other 20 odd cylinders, pistons, 3 gear boxes, 12 doors, 12 seats, 15 wheels, etc., It's like, Corporation USA and it's profitably "selling an image" = "Oh duh."

      It was at that point that I lost ALL respect for the Harley Davidson as a corporation, and their products.

      Now the people who run Apple are going the same way, apparently.

      What next?

      Apple Hats.

      Apple leather hand bags.

      Apple LED keyring torches.

      Apple Wine Glasses.

      Apple Fridge Magnets.

      Apple Cuff Links.

      And of course, what jerks life would be complete without a set of Apple running shoes, with the Apple logo embedded in the shoes tread pattern.

      Back to the shit box corner store generic parts computer, selling at 1/5th the price of an Apple PC.

      1. Lallabalalla
        Meh

        Re: Apple Cuff Links.

        Yep.

        Their days of innovating are done. They will now leverage their existing IP into crap like this until the brand is as degraded (degrading?) as Harley, Triumph, Ferrari, Porsche, Burberry and all the rest.

        But hey. It's a business, the shareholders will be happy and ultimately, so what?

        Original technology companies are like buses, there'll be another one along in a while, though it may not come from the direction you expected.

        Shame, really, still it was good while it lasted.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Intel chip?

        Bitter? Guess you object to anyone with a better car or clothes or house than you as well. It's life and people can make their own choices.

        Guess a Ferrari is just another car. A diamond ring is just expensive glass and why bother with gold at all when gold plated will do.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Intel chip?

        Xmas must have been fun in your house. Turkey - why bother it's just an expensive chicken.

        1. JDX Gold badge

          Re: Intel chip?

          Turkey isn't a more expensive chicken, Turkey is generally cheaper meat (because it's not very nice).

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Intel chip?

          You mean turkey, it's just a large tasteless chicken. As it happened I had a BBQ on xmas day and we all had fun before going to the beach.

          I'm glad you had fun copying everyone else.

      4. Lamont Cranston
        Pint

        @Oh4FS

        Do you need to go for a lie down? You seem to have gotten yourself quite worked up over nothing.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    There's no way they'd Intel for the CPU in this thing. It's only really a small leap away from an iPod nano and wrist strap.

    Not really going to be much use really. Basic phone and messaging, music player.

    1. Sandtitz Silver badge

      "Intel chip"

      The Intel chip mentioned in the rumour could very well be a bluetooth chip or some other IC that Intel also produces. Not necessarily a CPU.

      1. stanimir

        Re: "Intel chip"

        for a phone you most likely want all-in-one, i.e. bluetooth and cpu on the same die.

        1. stanimir

          Re: "Intel chip"

          no edit: for a phone = watch

    2. SuccessCase

      Re: Not going to be much use really

      Are you sure about that?

      This is where screen tech is being divorced from the computing and network comms. components. Now one of the most often encountered small annoyances is having to grab your phone from your pocket whilst on the move (with the risk of dropping it or getting it knocked out your hand when in busy locals), just to check who has sent that message and what it says. It will provide a very practical, "here and now" step towards the kind of instant access, always available information Google glasses will be offering. It will probably be possible to set it to buzz when a new message comes in or when some information relevant to the current locale is displayed. It will be an adjunct to your phone or (interestingly) to an iPad mini.

      Google glasses are in concept very exciting, but in practical reality the technology isn't ready yet. They are still too unwieldy to be worn by the average Joe and people aren't likely to be buying them in the next 1 - 2 years. On the other hand, a watch, though far less "tech of the future" is a very practical way to ensure a subset of the similar kinds of information can be easily accessed when on the move and can be made relatively cheaply. Additionally, it may be possible to go for an iPad mini + watch + bluetooth headset combination. This could also be a "secret weapon" against the carriers - a way to telephony enable a 3G iPad mini (a "secret weapon" because iPads are currently being purchased outside of a telecoms plan and if they start being used for telephony they user will opt for sim free plans - from which the carriers earn far less per user and which represent far better value for the user). The carriers won't like it because it will mean the bundling of phone purchase and monthly payment plan, which the carriers are currently using to line their pockets, will be eroded.

      1. Paw Bokenfohr

        Re: Not going to be much use really

        Agreed. My partner had (has, actually, though of no use now as doesn't have a Sony phone any more) one of the original Sony MBW-100 and misses the "see who's calling" or "see who's messaged me" or "see battery level" type functions which are great to be able to take a quick look at your watch to see without needing to take the phone out for, which is more useful than you might think when it's built in to something you wear every day anyway.

        Assuming they do it right (that is - battery that lasts 10-14 days with normal use - you don't want to have to charge your phone every two days, no 3G, crisp display, configurable) and keep it relatively affordable (people who have an iPhone are arguably willing to spend a bit more obviously) then I think it'll be a hit.

        We're rapidly entering a phase where the mobile OS providers try to lock us in even harder (eg: the very nice Nokia MD-50W speaker which while bluetooth works best with Nokia phones, and I'm guessing the google glasses won't work with WinPho8 or iOS) beyond just the apps not being cross-compatible, and this seems like a workable and sensible device for Apple to be releasing, and should have a bigger market appeal than the google glasses too.

      2. Dave 126
        Happy

        Re: Not going to be much use really

        @SuccessCase

        Thank you for some interesting ideas. Obviously the main issue with Google Glasses is power consumption for the display and the CPU. I wear glasses, and it easy to imagine some far simpler ways of using them to display information to me. Even just three pixels mounted at the top of the lenses would be enough to, for example, act as navigational aid or digital compass, and my Android phone currently uses a single pixel (well, the composite LED) to denote and differentiate between texts, emails, missed calls, charging status and low battery warnings. I am assuming the simpler the device, the lower the power consumption (the current issue with Google Glass, and with 'smart watches'). KISS.

        In the mean time, you might want to look at the snowboarding goggles that integrate an HUD, GPS etc... a more obscure brand has been doing them for a couple of years, but now Oakly have picked up the idea (though they were, AFAIK, the first to integrate an MP3 player into some sunglasses... why, I don't know)

        I have commented before with the idea of a watch (or even a ring) with a Subscriber Identification Module in it... it could be made so that any device you pick up becomes 'yours' for the period that you are holding it (of course, this would have a impact on the business model of selling everybody a phone, so it is probably unrealistic). This wouldn't require the watch or ring to have its own power supply. The line of thought that got me there was an extension of "simple dumbphone with 3G>WiFi, used with tablet when required" as being a good solution for those who find small screens fiddly.

        In the wake of recent tragic news, I have come across some Youtube vids of US gun owners who have had RFID chips implanted in their hands so they can open locked gun boxes quickly, without risk of children playing with them.

        I'm still waiting for those glasses that turn opaque at the first sign of a threatening situation, so that I don't see anything that might worry me. Anyway, happy new year everyone, and hope you're not feeling like someone has wrapped a slice of lemon around a gold sledgehammer and bashed your brain with it. ; D

        (need icon for Obligatory Douglas (Noel) Adams Reference... if it was DNA it could do double duty in biotech article comments)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Not going to be much use really

          for those of us that aren't specky twzts and are fortunate enough to have good eye sight, and also don't live in a country where sun glasses are required year round, it would seem a bit of an imposition to have to wear something that marks you out as a genetic failure just to access a few non essential functions that are also available on the phone in your pocket.

  3. stragen001
    Joke

    Come get me KITT!

    Will you be able to control a camp voiced sentient car from the 80s with it though?

    1. Oninoshiko

      Re: Come get me KITT!

      I was thinking a little older, Dick Tracy is what came to mind for me.

      1. Simon Harris
        Coat

        Re: Come get me KITT!

        Talking to your wrist...

        There's a fine line between looking like Dick Tracy...

        ... and looking like a dick!

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    needs shake-up in own apps

    i have a forearm-band for my iPhone (for while on inlines). This requires that the app supports landscape mode, and you'll be surprised how many apple apps don't support it (phone, settings - these are those that bother me most). One of the rules in the winpho programming guidelines was to always support both orientations.

    so they would have to enable this first in their own apps. or maybe the watch will be portrait only mode.

    1. Andrew Moore

      Re: needs shake-up in own apps

      It's hilarious that Apple strongly recommend that you do not design 'Portrait only' Apps and then go and break their own rules- The Camera App is another that only works in Portrait too.

      1. Bush_rat

        Re: needs shake-up in own apps

        Actually the camera works great in landscape, you can use one of the volume buttons as the take-photo-button (what is the technical term for that component?)

        1. Graham Dawson Silver badge

          Re: needs shake-up in own apps

          The shutter control.

        2. frank ly

          @Bush_rat re. the take-photo-button

          It's called the shutter release. You can often hear the noise made by the shutter as it exposes the digital film inside the phone. I assume that because it's a rapidly moving mechanical part, it's difficult to make a silent one.

          1. BXL

            Re: @Bush_rat re. the take-photo-button

            I'm pretty sure that the iPhone doesn't have mechanical shutters, they take up a large amount of space. Pretty much all camera phones, and a lot of compacts, uses electronic shutters. The only phone I know of that has mechanical shutters was the old Nokia N93. The Shutter noise is generated by the phone, in some countries, (Japan ?), it's a requirement by law to have such a sound.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: @Bush_rat re. the take-photo-button

              Let me guess - you're from the 'Land of the Free' (sic), right?

            2. Simon Harris
              Happy

              Re: @Bush_rat re. the take-photo-button

              The Konica-Minolta Xg compact camera from 2004 had a programmable shutter release sound.

              Once I set mine to say 'Paedo' every time I pressed the shutter release. Pity I forgot to reset it before I lent it to a girlfriend to take on her holiday! ... oops.

            3. The Infamous Grouse
              Pint

              Take-photo-button

              "I'm pretty sure that the iPhone doesn't have mechanical shutters..."

              Ah, the first "Whoosh!" of 2013. Happy New Year everyone.

            4. Hungry Sean
              Unhappy

              Re: @Bush_rat re. the take-photo-button

              why the down votes for BXL? What he/she/it says is exactly correct-- most cell phone cameras use a rolling shutter with some interesting resulting artifacts.

            5. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: @Bush_rat re. the take-photo-button

              can't quite understand why anyone would vote your post down. Clearly they don't like the truth and would rather believe that they have mechanical shutters on their phones.

      2. Ian Watkinson
        FAIL

        Re: needs shake-up in own apps

        Rubbish, the Camera app works better in Landscape, allowing you to use a physical button to take the photo.

    2. Steve Knox

      Re: needs shake-up in own apps

      or maybe the watch will be portrait only mode.

      or just square.

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