Two iWatch sizes: 1.7 inches for men and 1.3 inches for women

iWatch concept (MacUser magazine, Martin Hajek 003)

If you believe research firm DisplaySearch, the Apple smartwatch project, the iWatch, has taken the front seat as the company sharpens its focus on wearable technology, allegedly at the expense of a full-on television set which one reliable analysts now thinks is more of a 2015-2016 thing.

According to a new report by The Korea Herald, DisplaySearch thinks the iWatch will come in two sizes accommodating for men and women’s wrist. In the case of men, the iWatch should have a 1.7-inch display, the research firm said. On the other hand, women should get a tinier device outfitted with a smaller 1.3-inch display…

The Korea Herald quoted DisplaySearch’s Vice President of the Greater China Market, David Hsieh, who said at a conference today in Taiwan, citing Apple sources, that both screens will be OLED.

It is yet to be confirmed whether the displays will be flexible but sources said it was a possibility, since Apple will want to upstage Samsung’s Galaxy Gear.

On Monday, DisplaySearch claimed Apple has prioritized the iWork project over iTV:

It appears that Apple’s long-rumored TV plans, which were far from concrete anyway, have been put on hold again, possibly to be replaced by a rollout of wearable devices.

As you know, the organic light-emitting diode technology, or OLED, doesn’t require a backlight so it’s more power efficient than the traditional LCD IPS displays Apple uses on iPhones, iPads and Macs.

iWatch cocept (Martin Hajek, MacUser April 2013 issue 011)

Moreover, OLED can display deeper blacks and is thinner and lighter, an important feat in devices where space is at a premium, like wrist watches, permitting thinner and lighter wearable gadgets. Finally, an OLED screen in low ambient light conditions typically achieves a higher contrast ratio than an LCD.

Conveniently enough, Apple recently hired an OLED display expert away from LG Display. And back in October, it was reported that LG Display was nearing an OLED deal for an Apple smartwatch.

The iPhone maker recently filed for a patent titled ‘Organic light diode having photodiodes’ which describes an OLED embedded sensor.

iWatch concept (Martin Hajek, multiple 001)

The invention not only allows for greater accuracy of light and color, it also could replace ambient light sensing, proximity sensing or to compensate for aging OLEDs by coupling the photodiodes with OLEDs.

As for the two iWatch screen sizes: as strange as it may seem, I think the idea has legs.

Traditional makers have long produced wrist watches for men and women as one size doesn’t fit all. And Apple certainly has a guy who knows what men and women want.

Back in July, the company made a big-name hire by announcing that the CEO of the luxury French fashion label Yves Saint Laurent, Paul Deneve, will be jumping ship to work on “special projects,” reporting directly to Apple CEO Time Cook.

iwatch concept ios 7

We previously heard Apple was testing 1.5-inch iWatch screens so I’d take The Korea Herald report with a grain of salt. Earlier this year, Bloomberg said Apple had 100+ engineers working on the iWatch project.

The device is being described as a health/fitness wearable accessory incorporating biometric sensors and running iOS. The reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the iWatch to hit store shelves in the second half of 2014.

The question is: do you fancy yourself wearing a device like this?