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Gadgets Apple's Wearable Device to be Released Later this Year
Tiffany Kaiser - March 4, 2013 1:09 PM

41 comment(s) - last by poohbear.. on Mar 10 at 12:59 AM

Bloomberg said it could be more profitable than the TV

Apple fans rejoice: the next addition to your iCollection -- the so-called "iWatch" -- will reportedly be available later this year.

Apple has been testing designs for a smart watch, which would act like a small-scale iPhone. According to Bloomberg, the wearable device will be available later this year and will run iOS.

Apple is currently tweaking certain features, such as increasing battery life to last four or five days (it currently only lasts a couple of days) and working on the iPhone's iOS so it can support the device. Apple also wants to build the watch's iOS from the ground up instead of starting with the iPod nano's touch operating system (which has a screen about the size of a watch).

The tech giant has been talking with manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. about the new device, and Hon Hai has been working on new technologies for wearable devices (such as more efficient displays and chips at that size).

^{[Image Source: Lunatic]}

Last month, a patent application for a "Bi-stable spring with flexible display" was filed by Apple in 2011. It described a bi-stable spring that would be made out of thin steel and wrapped in fabric covering, then heat-sealed. The display would be located on one side of the bracelet (overlaid with an adhesive) and the logic board and battery would be placed on the other side. It also showed a universal fit, a plethora of onboard sensors, wireless charging, etc.

No matter what the end result is, Bloomberg believes Apple could rake in the cash on this new venture. In fact, the report stated that the iWatch could be more profitable than the TV it's been working on.

According to Bloomberg, the global watch industry will generate over $60 billion in sales in 2013, where gross margins are about 60 percent. The TV industry will generate about $119 billion in sales this year, but with gross margins about four times less than watches. If Apple were to take a 10 percent share in each market, it'd be a gross profit of $3.6 billion for watches and $1.79 billion for TVs.

Sources: The Verge, Bloomberg

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RE: Someone please explain to me

By TakinYourPoints on 3/8/2013 5:35:31 AM , Rating: 2

The chart you linked backs up my point, the iPod never made more than the Mac did.

It made more than iTunes, but I should have made clear that I was talking about hardware and not services. iTunes makes nothing really, but nobody makes money being a middleman for music, apps, and movies. It is there to provide value to hardware, which is where the money is.

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"Well, there may be a reason why they call them 'Mac' trucks! Windows machines will not be trucks." -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer