Apple Looking to Jump Head First Into Wearables with Multi-Sensor Smartwatch Apple's first wearable tech offering will have more than 10 sensors and be designed to work on its own or paired with other Apple devices.
By Benjamin Kabin •
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No one expected Apple to stand on the smartwatch sidelines and now that they have decided to jump in the game, they are coming out swinging.
The company is reportedly planning several different designs for its upcoming smartwatch, one that will feature more than 10 sensors to track health, fitness and medical information. The wellness components should come as no surprise. Last month Apple launched Health, an app that gathers user's fitness and health information, along with its HealthKit platform, an application focused on tracking. The company has also applied for patents pertaining to health and fitness.
The device will be able to perform many functions independently as well as messaging, voice calling and video calling when paired with an iPhone and other iOS devices, Reuters reports.
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The smartwatch could become available as soon as October, as production will most likely begin in July at Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc 2382, the longtime supplier of Apple's computers, media outlets state. Estimations vary with some speculating that Apple will produce between 10 and 15 million units by the end of year and others stating 50 million units will ship within the first year.
The new device is aimed at beating competitors in terms of usefulness and functionality. The wearable tech that's currently on the market from Google and Samsung has been criticized for not being meaningfully different from smartphones, an obstacle that Apple hopes to overcome as the company prepares to make good on Tim Cook's promise to break into new product categories before year's end.
Several other companies including Sony, Motorola, LG and Samsung have released smart watches that analysts have dubbed mostly as failures, but Apple thinks it has the answer.
