Apple is reportedly planning to launch its much-rumored iWatch in several versions, with various screen sizes, according to a new report.
Rumors of an upcoming Apple smartwatch have been making rounds for quite some time, and the purported iWatch is expected to make its debut as soon as this fall, rocking the company's newly-unveiled iOS 8 operating system.
According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources familiar with Apple's plans, the company may be readying several iWatch versions.
"Apple Inc. is planning multiple versions of its smartwatch, likely to be launched in the fall, people familiar with the matter said, as the company tries to counter wearable devices from rivals such as Google Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.," the WSJ reports.
"The new wrist device from Apple will include more than 10 sensors including ones to track health and fitness, these people said. Apple aims to address an overarching criticism of existing smartwatches that they fail to provide functions significantly different from that of a smartphone, said a person familiar with the matter."
According to one source, Apple's highly-anticipated smartwatch could arrive as early as October, with production set to begin in two to three months at Apple supplier Quanta Computer. Quanta will reportedly start some trial runs as soon as July.
When Apple unveiled its new iOS 8 at this year's WWDC, the company introduced a new Health app designed to collect all fitness and health-related data in a single place, but announced no hardware to take advantage of this feature. This further fueled expectations of a smartwatch launch this year and, if this new report turns out to be accurate, we may see several iWatch models.
The WSJ learned that the purported iWatch will likely sport multiple screen sizes, and shipments of the devices are estimated to be between 10 million and 15 million units in total by the end of the year.
The publication's sources further noted that Apple has yet to finalize the exact specifications of its iWatch before mass production starts.
With nothing officially confirmed, however, it's best to take all rumors, leaks and reports with a grain of salt for now. While Apple is bound to launch a smartwatch this year, it remains to be seen when, with what features, and in how many versions the gadget will debut.
