The never-ending rumors about Apple working on a smartwatch suddenly became a little bit more real after the company was granted patent for “wrist-worn electronic device”, called iTime. But does it mean that iTime will actually be the much-anticipated wearable, referred to by the media as iWatch? Actually, the patent can only suggest some possible iWatch features.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published documents for a patent granted to Apple, explained in the summery to be “the invention pertains to an electronic wristwatch”. Patent number US 8,787,006, is actually the first official confirmation that the tech giant is really working on a wearable gadget. It was filed by the company on July 20, 2011, and finally, the patent is a reality. It was released with a picture, depicting the device itself and its title, the working one at least, iTime. Logically, everyone suggests that this is the long-rumored iWatch, which Apple is said to be designing in secret. And as no one still knows exactly how it will look or what features it will have, we can at least look at the specifications, mentioned in the official patent papers.
The iTime device will be a wrist-worn wearable with a small touchscreen and thin smartwatch design, providing support for both arm and wrist gestures. In fact, according to the diagram, the square-shaped touchscreen module will be removable, so the user will be able to detach it and use it as a portable media player. There will be also an accelerometer, a GPS module, a Bluetooth transceiver and a Wi-Fi radio on the strap itself. The iTime will connect with other Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads and Mac computers, and will have a haptic feedback mechanism, as well. There may also be a built-in microphone and system speakers.
Also, according to the patent pictures, the iWatch will receive notifications from a nearby phone. It will be able to alert the user with audio or video signal, or a wrist vibration that let’s say, someone is calling. Another suggested feature is described in the diagrams, is the ability to be controlled by shaking, bouncing or tapping, which is basically the smartest features of all.
Another Apple patent was published last February and revealed quite a different device from this one. It described a wearable with a flexible display, which could communicate at some basic level with other devices. It also had solar panels, which boost the battery life. According to most experts, both devices seem so unrealistic, they are literally ridiculous. However, the patents mean that Apple is working on something and some of these features may really appear in the smartwatch, expected to be released either in September, alongside the next-gen iPhone, or a little later, in time for the Christmas shopping season.
