Production Problems May Delay The iWatch
According to recent reports, Apple encountered a few problems while developing the much rumored iWatch. The problems mentioned are related to battery life being too short, display tech options and manufacturing issues and it seems that they all contributed to Apple’s decision to stop development of the rumored smartwatch that was supposed (according to rumors) to be released this year.
Problems with short battery life are not new; in fact rumors about battery life issues appeared since early last year and it seems that they are related to the smartwatch’s display. The first iWatch prototypes had a battery life of just two to three days before requiring a charge. That was not satisfactory so Apple had to find alternative display technologies to use inside its smartwatch, displays that will offer a longer battery life. OLED technology offers very good power consumption, especially when compared to the usual LCD screens but it seems that Apple was searching for other kind of panels than OLED.
Apple knows that a wearable device with extremely short battery life doesn’t stand a chance in today’s market, hence the decision to halt the production of its iWatch. Some of you may remember that more than two years ago, when Apple released both the iPhone 4S and the fifth version of its mobile operating system, iOS 5, the company had to deal with a lot of unhappy customers that had battery related issues with the iPhone 4S. At the time the problem was easy to fix and it only required a software update. It is understandable that Apple does not want to go through the same problems with the iWatch, given the fact that the company’s fans are known for their love it or hate it attitude towards iDevices. Regarding the battery of the iWatch it is rumored to be a 100 mAh battery not unlike the one that powers the sixth gen iPod nano.
Besides the battery life related issues, production of Apple’s smartwatch encountered many other problems. An important member of the iWatch team, Bryan James, apparently left Apple for Nest Labs as the VP of New Product Engineering. Even so, Apple’s iWatch team is rumored to be very big and it probably includes Ben Shaffer, ex Nike design director that played a very important role in the production of the Nike Fuelband. Besides Ben Shaffer, Apple is rumored to have hired many fitness and wearable experts.
However, despite the numerous and talented team, Apple’s iWatch production was not going smooth. There were also important manufacturing problems that slowed the production process. It is rumored that at the end of 2013, Apple halted halted “advanced prototyping” as the company stopped production of iWatch components with a supplier; unfortunately it is not known what was the manufacturer that Apple hired to make the iWatch components. We do know however that Apple has a contract with Quanta (a manufacturer from Taiwan) for the production of a larger iPad that is rumored to be launched later this year (probably at the end of the year, when Apple usually releases new devices in its iPad line).
Last year in March it was rumored that Apple would launch its first new device since the iPad by the end of 2013. That didn’t happened, but it is worth noting that Apple CEO Tim Cook did mention several times that this year the company will release a new product category. While the above mentioned issues may not actually delay the release of Apple’s smartwatch, they do paint a very good picture of the troubles the company encounters before releasing the firs new product category since the iPad. Are you excited about Apple’s upcoming smartwatch? Leave a comment in the dedicated section below.
