Apple considers wristwatch-styled device using curved glass

According to a couple of sources with inside knowledge of what is going on at Apple, the company is using its knowledge of how glass can curve around the human body to produce a wristwatch that will run on iOS. While Apple didn't comment on the plans, the report opened up a number of interesting questions. Will Siri be included? It would seem to make sense to have the voice-activated personal assistant aboard. Other features that the watch could include would be the ability to send and receive texts, and a version of mobile payment system Passbook.

Corning already has a bendable glass that it has developed which it calls Willow Glass. This glass can bend like paper in the wind without breaking. And considering the relationship (albeit secret by mutual agreement) that Corning has with Apple, we could see Willow Glass commercialized the same way that Gorilla Glass has become a household name.

Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst with Forrester whose specialty is wearable computers, says that Apple has done some hiring in this area, and through its partners who make accessories for the Apple iPhone, Epps says that "This makes Apple potentially the biggest player of the wearables market in a sort of invisible way."

No stranger to these pages, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says that he can envision a day when people carry a tablet and wear a smartwatch that takes care of the light housekeeping like making calls, text messaging, quick searches and navigation. Munster sees such a product as a cheaper solution to the iPhone, especially in emerging markets. And Apple might have some competition in the wearable computer space. Google says that it hopes to make Google Glass 3% of its annual revenues by 2015.

If Apple does make a decision to go full steam into smartwatches, it seems to have the right guy at the top; current CEO Tim Cook wears a Nike FuelBand which tracks his activities.


source: NYTimes via AppleInsider