Apple
is preparing to sell its first wearable device this October, aiming to produce
3 million to 5 million units a month in its initial run, the Nikkei reported on Friday, citing an
unidentified parts supplier and sources familiar with the matter.
Specifications are still being finalised, but the devices
are likely to sport curved OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays and
sensors that collect health data from blood glucose and calorie consumption to
sleep activity, the Japanese news service cited industry sources as saying.
Though the details of services have yet to be released,
specs for the new product are being finalised, according to industry sources.
It will likely use a curved organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touchscreen and
collect health-related data, such as calorie consumption, sleep activity, blood
glucose and blood oxygen levels. It will also allow users to read messages sent
by smartphones.
Apple appears
confident of the new product. According to a parts manufacturer, it plans
monthly commercial output of about 3-5 million units, which exceeds the total
global sales of watch-like devices last year. This confidence is backed by its
partnerships with high-profile hospitals - it has teamed up with the Mayo
Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic, U.S. health institutes based in Minnesota and
Ohio, respectively, to develop specific ways of analysing the collected data
and applying it to actual health management
The industry has long expected Apple to unveil some sort
of smartwatch, following the release ofSamsung Electronics' Galaxy Gear watches.
Wall Street is hoping to see a new Apple product this
year to galvanise the former stock market darling's share price and end a
years-long drought of ground-breaking devices. CEO Tim Cook has promised "new product
categories" in 2014.
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