Apple Inc plans to launch smartwatches with multiple screen sizes and designs this fall, the Wall Street Journal on Friday cited a person familiar with the matter as saying.<\/p>\n
Taiwan’s Quanta will begin mass production of Apple’s first smartwatches from July, in time for an October launch, several sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The Wall Street Journal on Friday also cited sources saying Quanta would manufacture the device.<\/p>\n
One of the sources told Reuters on Thursday that Apple expects to ship 50 million units of the so-called iWatch within the first year of the product’s release, although these types of initial estimates can be subject to change.<\/p>\n
The smartwatch will come with a slightly rectangular display that likely measures 2.5 inches diagonally, the source added. The watch-face will protrude slightly from the band, creating an arched shape, and feature a touch interface and wireless charging capabilities, according to the source.<\/p>\n
Another source told Reuters that LG Display Co Ltd is the exclusive supplier of the screen for the gadget’s initial batch of production.<\/p>\n
The iWatch will also contain a sensor that monitors a user’s pulse. Singapore-based imaging and sensor maker Heptagon is on the supplier list for that feature, two sources said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Apple’s smartwatch will follow similar devices by Samsung, Sony Corp, Motorola and LG Electronics Inc – gadgets that tech watchers say have not been appealing or user-friendly enough for mass adoption.<\/p>\n
But the market is growing fast. Data firm IDC estimates that worldwide shipments of wearable computing devices, including smartwatches, will triple this year over 2013.<\/p>\n
Apple has declined to comment on reports about upcoming products.<\/p>\n
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