Reports of Apple building an iWatch have gained a significant amount of traction over the past couple of months, and naturally, there have been plenty of suggestions that several rivaling companies could be about to make similar arrangements. Following on from reports that both Google and Samsung are considering this particular branch of wearable tech, The Wall Street Journal has chimed in news that Redmond-based software giant may too be working on such a device.
The seemingly ongoing rumors of an Apple iWatch, which go back many years, gained a degree legitimacy when it was revealed in February that the Cupertino had a dedicated team of over 100 devs and engineers working on the project. Having seen the success of the Pebble Smartwatch, which took the Kickstarter world by storm and has since sold in the tens of thousands, it looks as though the biggest names in tech have been enlightened as to the possible benefits of a techie wristwatch.
With Apple, Google and Samsung all having shown an interest, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Microsoft wouldn’t want to sit around waiting, and according to executives within the Windows maker’s supply chain, the company is "working on designs for a touch-enabled watch design."
Another executive claimed to have met with members of Microsoft’s research and development team at the company’s Redmond HQ, and although it’s not set in stone whether the software specialist is going to press ahead and develop the watch into a consumer product, it’s fair to say the wheels are in motion.
As well as the Pebble Smartwatch, Nike’s FuelBand has also taken the tech / fitness world by storm, and although information is naturally scarce when companies are looking to bring new categories of product to market, it looks as though there may be a quiet battle between industry titans going on behind the scenes in preparation for a surge in smart watch demand.
Image: Nike FuelBand
With Google also preparing its Glass product for release later this year, the way we interact with our technology could be about to change significantly, and soon, portable gadgets may well be something we predominantly wear, as opposed to something we squirrel away in the pocket.
(source: WSJ)
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