The very first Apple Smartwatch could set itself apart from rivals by featuring two separate components that can be attached and separated for additional convenience. Analysts had long-since argued that it was iTime Apple pulled its finger out and got a Smartwatch on the shelves. Now we’ve gotten wind of US Patent 8,787,006, it’s pretty […]
The very first Apple Smartwatch could set itself apart from rivals by featuring two separate components that can be attached and separated for additional convenience.
Analysts had long-since argued that it was iTime Apple pulled its finger out and got a Smartwatch on the shelves. Now we’ve gotten wind of US Patent 8,787,006, it’s pretty clear they’re not far from doing exactly that.
Admittedly the sighting of an Apple patent doesn’t always equate to a smoking gun as such, but in this case it’s the most concrete sign to date that the iWatch is real. Sorry, make that the iTime…or so the patent calls it.
Apple explains in the filing that “the invention pertains to an electronic wristwatch” which has its own screen and can be connected to other devices wirelessly. Nothing new in essence, but it does also speak of a “mobile electronic device” which suggests a removable element to the watch, which would be something totally different from any of the Smartwatch devices seen to date.
A removable primary device unit could make for much easier phone calling and general two-handed usage, should it be possible to snap it in and out of place with ease. It could also make for much easier charging.
What could prove to be most interesting of all about the iTime Smartwatch is the way in which the patent filing itself may affect Apple’s rivals. After all, it’s not as if the Cupertino bunch is oppose to taking anyone and everyone to court that has the audacity to step on the toes of any of its patents. Not that there’s a Smartwatch out there right now that looks anything like this one, but if any of its key features turn out to be at play in any of its rivals, you can pretty much bank on a courtroom showdown soon enough.
