The ‘iWatch’: is Apple working on a bendable smartwatch? [Rumour]

Apple should start patenting rumours, as yet another one is leaking from its offices. This time the Cupertino tech giant is working on a smartwatch concept, the New York Times reports.

The “smartwatch” concept is nothing new as Gearburn has reported previously, but with Apple stepping to the front it should be considered as major news.

According to people-in-the-know, Apple is dabbling with a wrist-like device made of bendable glass. Could it be Corning Willow Glass? Corning Incorporated recently announced that it had developed a bendable glass that could “wrap around a cylindrical object which could be someone’s wrist”.

As early as last year, Chinese tech site Tech.163 reported (translated) on an Intel and Apple partnership rumour for the design of a Bluetooth smartwatch with a 1.5-inch PMOLED display.

But Apple will not be introducing something new. Smartwatches have been around for a while now, piggybacking on smartphones via Bluetooth. The difference with Apple is that it is known for capitalising on innovations (Apple wasn’t the first to invent the tablet PC but claims that it was), so if it does happen, expect Apple to own the smartwatch market. It would literally be a squashed version of an iPhone. The technology to cram so much tech into a small device is already available. Think of the iPod Nano. Put a watch strap on it and you are basically in Blade Runner.

But why would you want a smartwatch? Because it’s like Dick Tracy, that’s why. Jokes aside, a smartwatch could be seen as a bit of a gimmick. Yet when the first tablets arrived, the prevailing thought was it could never take over PCs and change the way we compute. That is, until the iPad made its appearance.

For an interesting look at what an “iWatch” could be like, check out Mashable’s concept designs.

Image Credit: Mashable