Sources close to the matter have revealed that the mass production of the first SmartWatch of Apple Inc. will be started in July by Quanta Computer Inc. of Taiwan. This new product is an attempt by the American giant to prove that it still has the innovative capability that gave it fame and can compete with its rival, Samsung Electronics. The watch that has been dubbed as the iWatch by the company’s followers, even though it remains officially unnamed, will be the first foray of the iPhone maker into a niche product category that has given rise to a lot of skepticism. Experts aren’t sure if it can actually boost profits amidst the cooling growth seen in smartphones and other tech gadgets.
This production will give Quanta a boost, as up till now, the company has been working on iPods and laptops of Apple Inc., two product lines that are declining gradually. However, questions will be raised by the role of Quanta concerning the involvement of Apple’s biggest supplier, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. and the part that they will play in the production of the SmartWatch. Even though it was widely expected that Apple would launch this product, it wasn’t known as to when mass production would begin and the suppliers that would be involved.
Now, July has been marked for mass production as per the source familiar with this matter and the commercial launch of this product is to be made sometime in October. The sources further detailed that the watch, which will be a bit rectangular, will measure about 2.5 inches diagonally. Also, an arched shape would be created by the watch as it will be protruding a bit from the band and will boast wireless charging capabilities and a touch interface as well. It was also asserted that the Cupertino, California based firm expects to ship 50 million units in the first year of the watch’s release.
However, these initial estimates can also change. The source said that Quanta will remain the main manufacturer of the watch and the product is currently there in trial production. The Taiwanese firm will be responsible for about 70% of the assembly of the watch. Similar to other SmartWatches that have been launched by tech firms, Apple’s device will have the capability of performing several functions independently, but it will have to be paired with a smartphone for tasks like voice chat and messaging. Nevertheless, the SmartWatch will only be compatible with devices operating on the company’s iOS such as its iPhone or iPad.
Another source has also mentioned that the supplier of the screen of the device is LG Display Co Ltd., which is also a South Korean firm like Samsung. A sensor has also been incorporated into the screen that will be able to monitor the pulse of the user. This functionality has already been introduced by Samsung in the latest set of SmartWatches that it introduced this year. No comment was made by Apple Inc. regarding these reports of its device.