Apple may postpone launch of 'iWatch' to 2015 due to production difficulties
Apple may postpone the launch of its long-rumored wearable device, the so-called “iWatch,” to 2015, according to noted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a new research note to investors (via MacRumors), Kuo cites the attendant difficulties of building the hardware and software of the first-generation Apple product as the primary factors in the delay of the device’s release:
We reiterate our view that iWatch, as compared to existing products, and as Apple’s (US) first attempt at a wearable device, represents a much higher level of difficulty for the company as regards component and system design, manufacturing and integration between hardware and software. While we are positive on iWatch and believe that the advantages of the design and business model behind it are difficult to copy, we think, given the aforementioned challenges, that the launch could be postponed to 2015.
Kuo previously pointed out the relative complication of building the iWatch in a note to investors last month. In his note, he also claimed that the complication could be ascribed to the iWatch’s having a sapphire crystal cover, a flexible AMOLED display, and higher waterproof standards than other top-line Apple devices.
Kuo also predicted that the iWatch would go into mass production in November.
Apple is expected to introduce the iWatch in October. A projected 2015 launch suggests that the company is likely to introduce the rumored smart watch months before it officially hits the market, as was the case with the original iPhone, the original iPad, and the latest Mac Pro.
See also: Apple and Samsung likely to dominate the smart watch market, Say hello to the beautiful Apple “iWatch Sport” concept, and The Timex Ironman One GPS+ smart watch might make us forget Apple’s “iWatch.”
