Rumor: iWatch to come in three models and two sizes, one featuring sapphire screen

iwatch rolex 2

Apple’s rumored iWatch is said to come in three different models and two sizes: 1.6 and 1.8 inches. That’s the gist of a new report from the Economic Daily newspaper which claims that one 1.6-inch model and two 1.8-inch models are in the works, with one of the bigger models incorporating a sapphire-strengthened screen.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo speculated back in April that the iWatch would come in two sizes, one for men and the other for women. That being said, this is the first time we heard that the device would come in both sapphire and non-sapphire varieties…

GforGames passes along the Economic Daily report [Google translate] which mentions that all three models will release in the third quarter of the year. “The main difference between the two 1.8-inch units is that one of them will make use of sapphire glass for its display,” writes GforGames.

The 1.8-inch sapphire-made iWatch should pave the way for a sapphire-strengthened iPhone 6, as per the Economic Daily report.

According to Kuo’s April 2014 note to clients, the Apple smartwatch models will have flexible AMOLED screens with sapphire covers to protect from scratches and feature various biometric sensors and an NFC chip.

The same analyst yesterday pushed back his estimates regarding both the iWatch and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6, claiming mass production of the former has been delayed from September until mid-November, contradicting today’s third-quarter launch theory.

As for the 5.5-inch iPhone 6, Kuo now thinks the device could be delayed until after October and possibly until 2015, due to purported yield issues with its in-cell touch panel and metal casing.