According to a rather dubious rumor published by MacRumors, citing a source familiar with an internal Apple Retail Store meeting, a senior Store Leader allegedly told staff that the whole month of October will be very busy for Apple Stores and the company itself, singling out October 14 as a particularly "immense" day for Apple.
Furthermore, the company is apparently planning a media event for Tuesday, September 16, nearly a month ahead of the iPhone 6's assumed October 14 launch...
The iWatch, Apple's alleged fitness/health wearable device, may not launch in November alongside a 5.5-inch iPhone 6, as previously rumored.
If a revised guidance for the third calendar quarter of 2014 by Apple supplier TPK Holdings is an indication, ongoing production issues are to be blamed that the gizmo is running behind schedule and is now said to launch by the end of the fourth quarter.
Although TPK during its quarterly conference call with analysts did not mention Apple by name - nor has the Taiwanese supplier blamed Apple for its poor third-quarter performance - the iPhone maker is its biggest client and the rumor-mill did identify TPK as a supplier of flexible iWatch displays...
I don't think anyone in their right mind would seriously question Apple's motivation to reportedly market and sell bigger iPhones this year.
Moreover, many pundits and watchers are in agreement that Apple will indeed enter new product categories this year with a rumored iWatch wearable device, said to combine health and fitness functions.
What's unclear though is the timing for these product launches. We already know it's going to be action-packed Fall, but you'd be wise not to keep your fingers crossed for a simultaneous launch of both new iPhones and iWatches...
Some silly rumor made the rounds last week claiming Swatch was in talk with Apple to produce a line of iWatch devices. This was quickly denied by Swatch, who's now saying it will bring its own smart watch/fitness tracker to market by next year.
Swatch CEO Nick Hayek recently told Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag (via Reuters) that the company will soon update its Swatch Touch line, which will be equipped with features appealing to athletes:
For those of you still skeptical that Apple is gearing up for a blockbuster fall, check out this report from Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty. The analyst dug through its just-released 10-Q filing, and she says it reveals a lot about its upcoming plans.
Huberty explains that the company's significant increase in spending all-but-confirms that we'll see some major new products this year. In fact, its quarter-over-quarter increase is the largest we've seen since it introduced the first iPhone in 2007...
Just as I'd suspected, Apple isn't really partnering with Swiss watchsmiths on developing and producing multiple iWatch devices.
That's according to Swiss watchmaker Swatch which today issued an outright denial of the rumor in the form of a statement issued to Reuters.
In it, a spokesperson categorically states that the Swatch Group is not working with Apple on iWatch devices although the company has supplied components like integrated circuits to certain mobile phone makers...
VentureBeat is out with a new report this afternoon, claiming it has learned that Apple has partnered with Swatch to produce an entire line of 'iWatch' devices. Apparently these devices are going to come in multiple styles, and at a variety of price points.
Citing sources familiar with the project, the outlet says that while the current consensus is that Apple is building one or two iWatches by itself, the firm may actually be preparing a variety of smartwatches with several partners from the watch industry...
With no physical evidence supporting the ongoing 'iWatch' rumors, we continue to search for other forms of proof that Apple is indeed working on a smartwatch. And today, we are adding a new piece to the puzzle with the 'iTime' patent.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the Cupertino company a patent today for a new device called the 'iTime.' It's described as a smart wristband that contains various sensors and wireless radios, so it can talk to other devices...
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...
For the past year or so, Apple executives have been teasing new product categories coming in 2014.
“There will be new categories,” Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal back in February, for example. “We’re not ready to talk about it, but we’re working on some really great stuff.” Sadly, six months have already passed without a single major Apple product launch, let alone a new product category.
I'm referring to a mythical iWatch, of course, although Apple is rumored to enter new markets other than smartwatches, such as home automation accessories.
A report earlier today by KGI Securities' pretty reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has hinted that Apple has been forced to push mass production of the iWatch back more than a month. He now expects the device to enter production as late as November.
Assuming Kuo is right, when can we expect iWatches to hit store shelves? Read on...
KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo issued a new note to investors this morning, stating that Apple may have to push mass production of the iWatch back more than a month. The highly revered analyst originally predicted that production for the device would ramp up in September, but due to the complexity of the project, he now believes it could begin as late as November...
A few months ago, word got out that Nike was significantly downsizing its FuelBand team. The company's CEO later confirmed the move, saying that it would be transitioning the focus of its FuelBand project from hardware to software.
The news sparked speculation that the strategy shift had something to do with Apple's rumored wearable, and today more fuel was added to that fire. Apparently the iPad-maker has added two ex-FuelBand engineers to its iWatch team...