What do we really, really know for certain about the iWatch? At this point, not much — including whether it will even be called the iWatch. Apple has done a much better job at keeping the iWatch under wraps than it has keeping the iPhone 6 a secret and there’s precious little concrete information about what features the device will or won’t have. That said, we’ve decided to take a look at all the recent information we’ve seen and have categorized it into three groups: Things we know for sure, things we feel confident about and things that are still huge question marks.
Things we know for sure: That Apple will unveil some kind of wearable computer tomorrow. And that’s pretty much it.
Things we feel confident about: Given The Wall Street Journal’s track record, we feel very confident in its report from last week claiming that the iWatch will come in two sizes and will use NFC technology to power Apple’s mobile payments platform. We also feel very confident in a New York Times report from last week claiming that the device will come with wireless charging and feature a flexible display.
We also feel confident that, based on both leaks and certain iOS 8 features, that the device will put a heavy emphasis on fitness tracking and will include a heart-rate monitor, a step tracker and sensors that can track your hydration levels, blood pressure, and sweat. We’re also pretty sure that the iWatch will have its own unique App Store that will let you download and install apps that are designed specifically to take advantage of the device’s capabilities.
We’re also pretty sure that you won’t be able to buy the device until January 2015 at the earliest — no supply chain sources have claimed that Apple has started mass production of the device and the almost total lack of leaked pictures indicates that the device’s release is still a long way off.
Things that are still huge question marks: The device’s final specs are still up in the air. Although we’re confident Apple will release two different versions of the device, we still don’t know for certain how big each model will be. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who nailed most of the details around the iPhone 5s last year, chimed in with a report claiming that Apple will release one model with a 1.3-inch display and another one with a 1.5-inch display. However, we’ve also heard reports claiming that the iWatch’s display will be as big as 1.8 inches or even a whopping 2.5 inches, so we’ll put Kuo’s report in the realm of still unconfirmed information.
Kuo also says both devices will apparently come packed with 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which are both very impressive specifications for a device that will be so tiny.
On the other side of things, we read reports late last week claiming that the iWatch would have “disappointing” battery life that would require users to charge the device at least once a day. Given how most smartwatches released so far have c0me out with weak battery life, it wouldn’t be surprising if Apple’s had subpar battery performance as well.
And finally, we still don’t know for sure about what the device’s design will look like. Leaked pictures of schematics from earlier on Monday seemingly show that the device will have a square face with rounded corners, which would be a disappointment to anyone who had been hoping for a device with a round face like the Moto 360.
That said, it’s entirely possible that these schematics are either inaccurate or outdated and Apple’s device will come with a round face after all, as many earlier rumors claimed.
All told, there’s a lot more about Apple’s first wearable computer that we have to learn and thankfully we only have to wait one more day to find it all out.
