iWatch May Be Rectangular, Huge, And Released In October

Apple's rumored smartwatch, currently known only as the iWatch, is reportedly heading into mass production. A Taiwanese plant is said to be starting on the process this July, with an order of roughly 50 million units the first year alone. In addition to the shipment details, we're also getting info on the form factor the watch will take.

Taiwanese manufacturer Quanta will ramp up their production efforts this July, which suggests a fall release. The source of this news, speaking to Reuters, notes an October release is likely — something we've heard before. That plant will spit out roughly 70% of the iWatch orders, with the other 30% likely going to one other facility — unless they split between three plants, as is rumored with the iPhone 6.

The watch itself will have a 2.5-inch screen, diagonally, but will be rectangular. The screen will be protruding slightly above the band, and will curve to compliment the wrist. So all those rumors and mockups of a round iWatch? Yeah, those might be trash, now.

The iWatch will also have wireless charging capabilities, according to the source. That dovetails with another rumor we've heard about the iPhone 6 Apple logo, which appears to be a cutout in leaked images. That's said to be for either wireless charging or an IR blaster. The watch will also have a touch interface and pulse sensor, naturally.

This report also refreshes previous talk we heard about LG making the display for the iWatch. Of course, we should note that sources are always suspect until things become real, and none of the companies mentioned (Apple, Quanta, LG) would comment. For now, we're left considering a new iWatch that's rectangular, curved, and bigger than Android Wear, which currently checks in at around 1.5-inches on the display side.

Source: Reuters