A new report out of South Korea indicates that LG may be the only provider of OLED displays for Apple’s upcoming iWatch, claiming that Apple plans to sell some 9 million smartwatches this year. Naver seems to confirm that the device will be available in various sizes, backing up KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s recent report about the smartwatch.
Kuo said the iWatch will come in two sizes, with 1.3 and 1.5 inch displays, and will feature flexible AMOLED panels protected by Sapphire crystal display covers. The analyst also said the iWatch will be available in multiple configurations, suggesting that Apple may charge “several” thousands of dollars for a premium model.
Kuo said that Apple may sell 5.5 million iWatch units this year, and as many as 50 million units next year.
Previous reports claimed that the iWatch will pack a variety of sensor capable of measuring health parameters, with Apple expected to include in iOS 8 a special Healthbook app to collect the readings. These unconfirmed leaks have prompted an analyst to suggest the iWatch may be subsidized by health insurers.
Meanwhile, LG is working on its own G Watch smartwatch model, which should be available in various markets later this year. Even though LG is now rumored to be the main iWatch display provider, the South Korean giant isn’t equipping its own Android Wear-based device with a curved display of its own, at least according to the press and hands-on images it released so far.
