Apple Inc. iWatch Roundup: FDA Delay, NBA MLB NHL Testing, Mass Production on July
Apple Inc. iWatch is reportedly ready for launch anytime soon but is being delayed due to a certification from the US Food and Drug Administration, Chinese media reports.
The much awaited device from Apple is said to be completed with its final design, technical specifications and features but has to be shelved pending permit from FDA certifying the iWatch as medical equipment, according to unnamed sources.
The FDA delay is just right given that the iWatch is rumoured to be coming with biometric sensors for heart rate, blood pressure and blood glucose sensors, the report concludes.
According to unnamed sources, Apple Inc. has partnered with world known athletes from the MLB, NHL and NBA in testing the iWatch, 9to5Mac reports.
World-class athletes such as Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Kings right winger Dustin Brown and a Boston Red Sox player was invited to Apple's headquarter in Cupertino in different occasions for the testing. The athletes reportedly signed non-disclosure-agreements regarding the details of the rumoured iWatch.
In 2013, Apple Inc. hired former Nike consultant Jay Blahnik. The hiring was reportedly in relation to a smart watch project.
Blahnik is possibly handling the testing of the iWatch with the athletes.
Mass production of the iWatch is slated to begin in July by Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc. 2382 (TW), Reuters reports.
Citing unnamed source familiar with the matter, the mass production have said to be beneficial for Quanta as it has previously servicing Apple for laptops and iPods that are already declining in demand. With Quanta now taking the lead for the mass production, questions are raised on Apple's chief supplier Hon Hai Precision Industry Co's involvement in the production.
The mass production in July targets the commercial launch of the iWatch as early as October, another unnamed source told Reuters.
According to this source, Apple Inc. is estimating 50 million units of the iWatch for shipments within its first year in the market. The source also confirmed that Quanta will be the main manufacturer of the iWatch as it is accounted for at least 70 per cent of the final assembly.
A third source named LG Display Co Ltd as the sole supplier for the iWatch's screen while Singapore-based sensor maker Heptagon as sole supplier for pulse-monitoring sensor.