By Eva Dou and Lorraine Luk
Apple Inc. is planning multiple versions of its smartwatch,
likely to be launched in the fall, people familiar with the matter
said, as the company tries to counter wearable devices from rivals
such as Google Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.
The new wrist device from Apple will include more than 10
sensors including ones to track health and fitness, these people
said. Apple aims to address an overarching criticism of existing
smartwatches that they fail to provide functions significantly
different from that of a smartphone, said a person familiar with
the matter.
Apple showed its interest in health and fitness-tracking last
month with a new app called Health, designed to collect all of a
user's fitness and health data in one spot. However, Apple didn't
introduce its own device to collect that data, fueling speculation
that the company would unveil a sensor-laden wearable device at a
later date.
Apple's smartwatch could launch as early as October with
production to begin in two to three months at Quanta Computer Inc.,
a Taiwanese manufacturer that has long been Apple's supplier for
Mac computers, said the people familiar with the matter. Quanta
will begin some trial runs next month.
The smartwatch will likely come in multiple screen sizes, said
one person familiar with the matter. Another person at a component
supplier said shipments of the smartwatches are estimated to total
between 10 million and 15 million units by the end of this year.
The exact specifications of Apple's smartwatch are still being
finalized before mass production starts, said people familiar with
the matter.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has pledged that the company will
break into new product categories by the end of the year. Apple is
under pressure to prove it can continue its run of hit products
under Mr. Cook. It's been four years since Apple's last major new
product release--the iPad.
Analysts expect the wearable-devices market to take off in the
next few years. Market research firm IDC estimates global sales of
such devices will more than triple this year to more than 19
million units and swell to 111.9 million units by 2018.
Big technology companies including Google and Samsung are
betting on a boom in wearable, computerized devices built around
the growing power and slim size of sensors that can detect body
temperatures, geographic locations and voice commands of people on
the go.
Some of the new wearable gadgets, such as Nike Inc.'s FuelBand,
measure physical activity. Others are intended to supplement
functions of a smartphone, such as receiving text messages, taking
photos or checking the weather. Startup Pebble Technology Corp. is
selling a watch that syncs wirelessly with smartphones and vibrates
to alert wearers to incoming phone calls, Twitter posts and
emails.
"I expect Apple to launch multiple smartwatches that come with
different designs as watches are fashion accessories. One design
doesn't fill all, " said KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo.
Daisuke Wakabayashi in San Francisco contributed to this
article.
Write to Eva Dou at eva.dou@wsj.com and Lorraine Luk at
lorraine.luk@wsj.com
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