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Sketchy rumor suggests iWatch will have a curved, flexible display; mass production 2nd half of 2014

iwatch

An unconfirmed report in China Times claims that Taiwan-based touch panel manufacturer TPK will be making flexible displays for the iWatch, with mass production expected in the second half of the year.

The report said the iWatch will come equipped with a flexible AMOLED display and 3D protective glass. The rumors also speculated that the iWatch will use silver nanowire touch screen technology developed by TPK in conjunction with Japan-based Nissha Printing.

Both the flexible AMOLED and silver nanowire suggest a curved display, but it should be noted that the China Times does not have the best of track records … 

China Times reported in January last year that Apple would be launching a 4.8-inch ‘iPhone Math’ alongside the 5s (admittedly reposting that from the Commercial Times), and in March that Apple would be using a Snapdragon CPU in a lower-cost iPhone.

There’s nothing particularly unlikely about what’s being suggested. A flexible display would help address the challenge of making the iWatch fit different size wrists without looking clunky, and TPK has been a key panel supplier to Apple in the past. There’s just no reason, in the absence of any hard information on actual orders, to believe that this specific report is anything other than speculation.

Via DigiTimes

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Comments

  1. Tim Jr. - 10 years ago

    Someone gets paid per click for this rumors, right? :D

  2. rtdunham - 10 years ago

    One advantage of this configuration is that the entire device–“watch” and band–could house components including battery. That could give it a real advantage over other designs. And I think it’s the kind of style divergence Apple could establish for the masses. Think different!

  3. Kevin Kubarych - 10 years ago

    After about six months with a Pebble, I really do think a smart watch is a useful and viable product. Apple should be able to do it much better than Pebble has.

  4. Gary Frost - 10 years ago

    The kind of design shown has a real appeal. Think of the watch that appeals to a market that is more than guys and gals in Ts showing stuff. They are good, no doubt. But a watch may appeal to the upper end crowd and give that “I gotta have it”. Look who wears one…maybe Nieman Marcus would be a good thought! Just a thought, appeal to fashion sense and grow the entire product eco-system. Selling iWatch off against the Rolex may not be such a bad idea. Not to say they are anything alike, they aren’t, but it gives the wannabe Rolex purchasers a choice.

  5. robertvarga79 - 10 years ago

    If there will be….i will buy 2!! Happily

  6. I wouldn’t be surprised if the iWatch sported interchangeable wrist bands. You can’t please everyone with one type of band: the sporty types, the smart/casual types and the suits.

    All the watches sharing the same bezel is doable. But down from that, things get a bit tricky… Either case, I can’t wait to be amazed :)

    • pucagaeilge - 10 years ago

      Exactly. The image shown is a bangle, not a watch. I wouldn’t be caught dead with a bangle around my wrist.

      That said, the curved display shown is really nice. I just think we’d need our own watchbands (leather, please, for me). Another “designed for iWatch” way for Apple to make money off accessories.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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