The iWatch is slowly but surely moving from abstract rumor to concrete reality.
A new patent filed by Apple reveals some new information about the technology that the company is hoping to incorporate in its device.
Some of the iWatch information lines up accurately with rumors that have been floating around the Internet, and the patent also reveals some clever new scientific advancements.
The Apple patent details how kinetic energy (energy from movement) can be converted and used by the iWatch to recharge itself. Throughout the day, the various wrist movements you make expend energy; if you're wearing an iWatch, that energy will somehow be translated by the watch to power itself, at least well enough to slow decreases in battery life until you charge the device at home.
The patent also covers the ability of the watch to be snapped into a wristband onto your wrist.
Filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last August, the copyright calls for a "bi-stable spring with flexible display." The watch would feature a continuous display and also be able to connect to iPhones and other devices via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Functionality would include responding to text messages, viewing recent calls and tweaking playlists.
Apple is said to have a 100-person team working diligently on the iWatch, and rumors suggest numerous features. Some of them seem to be confirmed in this patent ( a curved screen display and phone functionality), but others remain speculative for now.
If the smartwatch can connect to iPhones, perhaps that's a sign the device will run on iOS, as reports have suggested. Other rumored features are heart rate monitors, voice control, map features, Siri capabilities and a 1.5-inch OLED display.
Although the patent application does show off a concept sketch of the underside of a watch, the final iWatch design could change significantly.
Potential iWatch designs have started cropping up around the Internet recently, although obviously, none of them is official.
