iWatch Release Date: Apple's Wearable Device to Hit Stores in October, According to New Report
ByApple could be releasing its iWatch just after the iPhone 6 hits stores and iOS 8 arrives on users' mobile devices.
According to a new report from Nikkei, Apple's first ever wearable device will be in stores in Oct. and if they keep up their annual trend, it will be released a month after the new iPhone and mobile operating system.
One of the main features of iOS 8, which Apple unveiled Thursday at their annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), will be a health-centered app. Healthkit is designed to record a user's medical information in one place, simplifying visits to the doctor's office.
But Apple most likely had the iWatch in mind when crafting Healthkit. Being worn around the wrist, the iWatch will likely be able to measure blood pressure and heart rate. Apple also has a partnership with Nike, meaning the iWatch would be an exercise tool for users.
Nikkei cited unnamed sources who said the device will have "a curved organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touchscreen." The sources also said the iWatch will be able to blood glucose and blood oxygen levels, as well as read text messages and make calls on behalf of the iPhone in the user's pocket.
The sources said Apple is finalizing the iWatch's final specifications and will eventually begin shipping about three to five million units per month. That sort of output would surpass the global sales last year of any similar device currently on the market, such as the Pebble SmartWatch and the Samsung Galaxy Gear.
In recent months, Apple has also formed partnerships with the Mayo Clinic in Minn. and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio to develop the iWatch's health management features. Apple is hoping to take health-related wearable devices out of mediocrity while surpassing the growing popularity of smart-watches, like the Galaxy Gear.
Apple has also hinted at the tech giant having a huge year starting in the fall, the Wall Street Journal reported. Apple has released a new iPhone around the same time every year in Sept. along side its new iOS mobile operating system. This year, Apple is gearing up to release "the best product pipeline" the company has seen in 25 years, Eddy Cue, the company's senior vice president of Internet software and services, said at the WWDC.
"We don't try to do too many things. We want to do a few really incredible things," Cue said. "I believe certain products we've got coming are great."
