Apple Close to Striking Deal with LG Display for iWatch OLED Displays

[acslater017]

If the UI is only showing a line of text or a simplistic thin icon then OLED would be preferable over lcd as the screen tech of choice.

You make a good point. If they can make the UI predominantly black (unlit pixels), than an OLED could save a great deal of energy, as it doesn't need a backlight.

Combined with advances in low-wattage processors, low energy wireless tech, and that patent where the battery cells are built into the strap itself, maybe we can see something with 3-5 day battery life.

 

[LizKat]

I still think iWatch is a good name for an Apple TV product.

Heh, Apple would probably have to buy that name from the NSA

 

[D.T.]

Exactly!

What about winter time? What is easier? sliding up your sleeve to see your watch, or pulling up a bulky coat with one hand to get to your jeans pocket with the other?

When skiing? When running? At the gym, I'm leaving my phone in the locker.

Women fumbling with their purse trying to find a ringing phone that takes them 30 seconds to find inside all the zippers and buttons?

There are numerous times where a watch is much better than a phone.

Yep, those are some great use cases. So many activities it’s convenient to wear a watch, but not to have/use a phone - in fact, some could be damaging to a phone which is why I hope an iWatch has _some_ degree of water proofing, if not outright water resistance. I’ve posted before that I think an iWatch would be an outstanding candidate for no physical buttons and no open ports - the latter could be handled by wireless (so like BT for audio/communication), or some variant of Magsafe (especially for charging).

Just make the display/logic part very design neutral, and let the face/head and bands decide someones final aesthetic. I mean, really design into it the concept of it going into a chassis for watch use, even outboard some of the power so the band could house supplemental power.

 

[bbeagle]

all looks like Apple is putting out this "iWatch" just for the sake of putting out a new product. These smartwatches are a useless gimmick that only geeks like. And besides all of this, nowadays watch is more of a fashion add-on than a device for looking at what time it is. Unless if you're a geek. Or isheep. In that case yes - it's the best thing in the world bla bla bla.

I think it's quite the opposite.

Samsung released their watch just to put out a new product.

And I think it was actually an interesting strategy for Samsung. My theory is that Samsung predicted that Apple's iWatch would be released, and that Samsung's sheep would be all caught up in the frenzy of a new iWatch, and want a watch themselves, but of course NOT the iWatch, because that's evil.

Samsung predicted that their watch would sell to their own sheep no matter how horrible it was. And they might have made some money had Apple actually released their iWatch. Sad, sad business practices, Samsung.

 

[joejoejoe]

Chances of us getting a circular display?

Slim to none.

 

[69650]

This needs to be a mix of Apple iWatch and Nike Fuelband.

I hope not. If I wanted a Nike Fuelband I could buy one now or one of the many other fitness watches. I want something that acts as an addition to my iPhone. Something I can look at quickly to see who's calling without having to get my iPhone out of my pocket. Something that vibrates when I receive an email or reminds me that I have to leave for a meeting in 5 minutes. Something that vibrates when there's a wicket down in the cricket match I'm following, etc, etc. I don't want yet another fitness watch.

 

[kironin]

1.5-inch OLED displays...

that doesn't sound very revolutionary, if it's not a game changer, I don't see it really being successful for Apple.

sorry Apple, I'm not waiting. Will be receiving the Agent soon.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/secretlabs/agent-the-worlds-smartest-watch

 

[goobot]

I hope not. If I wanted a Nike Fuelband I could buy one now or one of the many other fitness watches. I want something that acts as an addition to my iPhone. Something I can look at quickly to see who's calling without having to get my iPhone out of my pocket. Something that vibrates when I receive an email or reminds me that I have to leave for a meeting in 5 minutes. Something that vibrates when there's a wicket down in the cricket match I'm following, etc, etc. I don't want yet another fitness watch.

It wouldn't be a fitness watch but it would have the capability if you wanted to use it.

 

[69650]

It wouldn't be a fitness watch but it would have the capability if you wanted to use it.

A fitness watch would imply that it would have to be tight on your wrist for it to work which is why I hate all of the fitness watches out there and don't wear them. If Apple goes down this route with the iWatch I would not buy one.

 

[Motawa]

iOS 7 watch

 

[bbeagle]

A fitness watch would imply that it would have to be tight on your wrist for it to work which is why I hate all of the fitness watches out there and don't wear them.

No - it only needs to be tight to measure heart rate.

Most of the fitness watches do NOT measure heart rate, they just measure the swinging of the arms, and calculate from that how active you are. For example, most can't tell that you're riding a bike, because your arms aren't moving. (This whole arm moving thing makes fitness watches worthless to me, as I cycle and rarely jog or run)

 

[Drunken Master]

It's so sad that almost no one has any clue what this device will be used for. This device is all about health sensors. The galaxy gear is a companion device (a piece of garbage, and terrible use of the idea of a wearable device), it gives you messages or alerts or whatever meaningless stuff it does which will be a feature of the iWatch, but not the reason it was designed, and brought to market.

A smart person should know that a wearable device that can read and analyze biological markers with high accuracy is literally game changing. It is absolutely the next step I see Apple taking. Non-invasive glucose monitoring alone would be profoundly useful for not only the millions of diabetics, but all people (especially the overweight/obese. Not that they would necessarily have this sensor, but I remember reading they hired someone or bought a company that was working on that.

I'll give a quick example of this saving someone's life (which I did in a previous post in another thread) for the sake of opening people's minds. An elderly person wearing this goes into cardiac arrest, it instantly sends alerts to family members to call 911, or simply alerts emergency services itself. Ever see those commercials for life alert? This can be a tech that can literally save lives.

Somehow I doubt Apple is making a $400 aluminum Life Alert.

 

[JaySoul]

Why are you presuming the iWatch would not come with fitness features? I would think that would be one of it's primary functions... It's not just a watch. People need to stop being so narrow-minded about this product.

A screen that size on watch has (thus far) not lent itself well to the fitness wristwear market yet. It's a challenge that hopefully Apple can conquer.

I own a FuelBand and trust me, if the iWatch wishes to be in the same realm, it needs to be sturdy, water-resistant and that screen has to be bulletproof.

Right now, let's not pretend like anyone is a bloody expert on this. Eventually I'd expert sensors to give accurate health readings (maybe on the iWatch 3 lol).

I hope not. If I wanted a Nike Fuelband I could buy one now or one of the many other fitness watches. I want something that acts as an addition to my iPhone. Something I can look at quickly to see who's calling without having to get my iPhone out of my pocket. Something that vibrates when I receive an email or reminds me that I have to leave for a meeting in 5 minutes. Something that vibrates when there's a wicket down in the cricket match I'm following, etc, etc. I don't want yet another fitness watch.

So you wouldn't want something that can fulfil all of those functions, plus have the fitness aspect?

My gut feeling is that Tim Cook is a fitness fanatic, has a FuelBand, sat on the board there and Apple seem to be cooking up an iWatch.

Jesus. Put 2 & 2 together!

 

[iChrist]

Yellow tinted watches anyone?

And why does MacRumors keep using that pic for iWatch rumors. That is the FURTHEST design possible from something Apple would make. Might as well put a picture of a calculator watch. I mean, really.

 

[o0smoothies0o]

Somehow I doubt Apple is making a $400 aluminum Life Alert.

Hope that's a joke. Lol

 

[Thunderhawks]

4 inches? The iPhone screen is less than 2 inches across. Why not strap an iPad mini to your wrist. Even if it was 4 inches diagonal that would be huge for a watch.

Yes, while it wasn't marked as sarcasm, you got it

 

[TheAppleFairy]

Yes, while it wasn't marked as sarcasm, you got it

Thank God

 

[Thunderhawks]

Jesus. Put 2 & 2 together!

No, he put 12 together (apostles)

Why are people already getting upset when we know nothing about what Apple is cooking up?

For now all we know is that there are "rumors" that they are working on a device.
Same for the TV, same for iPhone 6, same for..............

 

[Smartass]

I think it's quite the opposite.

Samsung released their watch just to put out a new product.

And I think it was actually an interesting strategy for Samsung. My theory is that Samsung predicted that Apple's iWatch would be released, and that Samsung's sheep would be all caught up in the frenzy of a new iWatch, and want a watch themselves, but of course NOT the iWatch, because that's evil.

Samsung predicted that their watch would sell to their own sheep no matter how horrible it was. And they might have made some money had Apple actually released their iWatch. Sad, sad business practices, Samsung.

Well samsung is a totally different story - they just keep putting out products after products and hoping till one of them becomes a hit - just like Galaxy note.
Meanwhile their watch and the new galaxy with curved screen - not so much...

That's pretty insulting, isn't it?

nah, not really

 

[Nevaborn]

As long as its not just another slave device like Samsungs offering and the battery life is better than half a day then they will do alright.

The good thing with iWatch is deep Siri intergration means you dont need to do loads of typing. You can see and dictate back.

 

[TC03]

So then, your thought process is just as riged as mine if you cannot accept that others don't find a use for the current incarnation of smart watches.

That's unfair.

Your statement: item A isn't item B.
His statement: item A can be anything.

And then you say his thought process is rigid because he can't accept that some people see only one option as opposed to him seeing 1000? That doesn't make any sense.

 

[Binarymix]

That's unfair.

Your statement: item A isn't item B.
His statement: item A can be anything.

And then you say his thought process is rigid because he can't accept that some people see only one option as opposed to him seeing 1000? That doesn't make any sense.

Please go back and read my posts again. All of them.

He was the one being a jerk. I just stated a simple fact. A watch is by definition a timepiece.

Don't kill the messenger.

 

[StyxMaker]

Unlikely. It takes a lot of collection surface area to amount to any usable trickle energy.

Citizen does it with their Eco-Drive watches. The one I'm wearing has been running for about seven years without a battery change. I am, however, certain that an iWhatch, whatever it turns out to be, will need more power than a Citizen Eco-Drive watch needs.

 

[olowott]

well, hope it comes out next year, we have waiting for a TV along time ago

 

[MNealBarrett]

This! Based on what's out there now, I hope Apple see's what not to do... don't have 1 day battery life. Don't make it huge. Don't pack it with obvious features... give us something new and useful.... give us a reason for a smart watch to exist besides being a novelty.

IMO, to avoid being a novelty that ends up in a drawer after 2 weeks (like probably 90% of Galaxy Gear "watches" are ending up), a smartwatch needs to be a smart watch. It needs to have basic watch functionality, first, then other stuff as well. I bought a Pebble and I wear it every day, because it is very good as a watch. Unlike the Galaxy Gear, I can read the display of the Pebble any time, day or night, even outside in bright sunlight, and even if I am wearing sunglasses. It should have good battery life as well, because few people are going to want to charge a watch every night. (Gee, another area where the Galaxy Gear fails miserably)