Apple iWatch will come with 10 sensors
The smartwatch will reportedly come in different sizes
If you’ve been holding off on buying either a smartwatch or a health tracker because you’re waiting for the Holy Grail of wearable devices to drop into your lap, your wait may soon be over.
New reports have come out to provide a few more juicy details about the iWatch—which actually has no official name at the moment. A report from the Wall Street Journal says that it will come in multiple screen sizes and will have no less than 10 sensors to monitor health stats and vitals, thereby setting itself apart from other smartwatches that seem to act as little more than crappy wearable smartphones that don’t do that much.
A report from Reuters released last night doesn’t say anything about multiple sizes, but it does say that the iWatch will have a 2.5-inch screen and will protrude slightly from the band, giving the watch an arched look. It will reportedly also feature a touch interface (because obvs) and—intriguingly—will come with wireless charging capabilities.
Previous reports have noted that the iWatch could be solar-charged, or even kinetically charged via magnets that swoosh around when you swing your arm while walking.
WSJ’s source says that final details of the iWatch are being finalized before mass production begins in July, and Apple expects to ship between 10 and 15 million units by the end of the year. Reuters’ source says that Quanta—which makes Apple’s Mac parts—will produce the iWatch, which is currently in trial production now and is expected to ship 50 million units in its first year.
Apple has had a rocky few years since Steve Jobs died, and this could be the product that defines Tim Cook’s legacy at Apple. It’s been four years since Apple has introduced a new product category, and the closest its come has been the iPad mini and the iPhone 5C, the latter of which is considered a resounding flop. Cook has promised that Apple will break into new product categories by the end of this year, and the iWatch is believed to be it.
Apple is already dipping a toe into the health space with the debut of “Healthkit,” with its corresponding “Health” app, which more or less curates your health data points from various third party apps. The company is working with the Mayo Clinic to integrate the app so that when a patient gets a blood pressure reading, for example, the app automatically updates to include that data and compare it with the patient’s typical blood pressure readings.