Apple to Introduce iWatch in September Suggests Apple Journalist John Gruber [Updated]

[Tankmaze]

Aww damn, I wish it were true and gruber made a subtle comment regarding the iwatch launch.

But macrumors report could make sense, apple could introduce it in september and launch 2 months later because of the fcc licence etc that would make the device well known before apple introduce it.

 

[Tech198]

If this is supposed to be a joke, that's very funny John Gruber Maybe should try stand up.

This looks more of a professional watch.. I'd like to see Apple do this. Some how i like this one better

 

[lamerica80]

I don't get the flat tire thing.

 

[rish]

Are you being serious, or joking?

I am almost certain there will be an iwatch given Cook's statements, meetings with govt. agencies, etc.

Just wondering why not a single part (real part or physical mockup) has been released.

I was kidding. Thought I'd poke some fun given the fact that there's not been a single component leak!

 

[profets]

I don't get the flat tire thing.

Quite simple really..

Flat tire:

Moto 360 with permanent flat bar at the bottom of the display:

 

[adamtore]

"Hello I am nobody, I make stupid jokes and troll the internet for attention." -thisguysname

 

[ricci]

Joke, huh? I have no clue about a watch? What is a watch anyway?

 

[lazyrighteye]

Poor Cook...

He can't use the popular "One more thing..." set-up used by Jobs without sounding like a total putz. He'll have to come up with his own cute phraseology.

That's one perspective. Another?

I don't think there has ever been larger shoes to fill. People have been so quick to bash Tim - which is what most people do with change: fight it. So interesting (but completely par for the course) how Tim's lengthy career at Apple, his intimidate relationship with Steve (and other execs), that Steve hand-picked him to take Apple into the phase, has seemed to matter so little to the public more interested in "the next thing" than what it means to actually step into that role. Into those shoes. To sustain and grow one of the top companies on the planet. Talk about RDF.

On the contrary, Tim is proving beyond capable. Impressive, really. Since Steve passed, it has been a mind-numbing barrage of "Apple is dead," "Steve would never"s and other petty, meaningless Tim bashing that would have sent a less solid CEO away licking their wounds. But Tim is smart. Tim is tough. Tim has been patiently, respectfully and very intentionally preparing Apple for the next push. And we're on the cusp.

That Tim has yet to use Steve's "one more thing" is key. To me. A clear, if not subtle, indication of the respect and intent with which Tim's been navigating the transition from Apple = Steve Jobs to Apple = Apple. I think enough time has passed, and the wearable announcement big enough, to warrant a classy nod to Steve with a "one more thing" at the iPhone 6 keynote. While the September keynote will undoubtedly tout the typical thinner, faster, "best iPhone we've ever made," "optimized for iOS 8" (which happens to be the "best OS we 'be ever made"), gone are the days an iPhone announcement will blow minds. Sorry, there was only one 2007 keynote. The smart phone (and even tablet) category has matured. Competition is fierce. Everyone has caught up. Everyone has a smart phone. We've hit critical mass with what can currently be expected from a smart phone.

[ tangent
It's like the television... When Telefunken first dropped the cathode ray tube set in 1934, I'm sure minds melted. Fast forward 70 years and flat, high-def panels are in almost every US household. iPhone compressed the 70-year evolutionary path into 7 years. And here we sit.
/tangent ]

So. Smartphone critical mass? Check. No better time for Apple to take a stagnating category and give it new purpose. And no better time for Tim to brush off Steve's "one more thing" than now. I think it not only possible for Tim to use that phrase (and he'll only do it this one time), but I think he can pull it off. And while he'll certainly receive the usual amount of hate, I suspect the overwhelming reaction would be incredibly favorable. A watershed moment. Standing ovation. Acknowledging Tim's subtle, yet intentional message: this is my Apple and we've never been healthier. The place would go nuts. Then he introduces the world to the most anticipated tech device since iPad. Shipping in time for the holiday shopping period. Hottest gift on the registry. Apple sells gazillions of phones and wrist devices.

The Apple's journey continues...

 

[andromeda107]

You know what, you're absolutely right. I'll be able to download apps to my Iwatch in exactly the same way I can download them to my AppleTV ..... Oh wait.

That's not a device category yet. That's a hobby. When that becomes a category it will function on it's own. Yes, you'll be able to stream to it, but it'll have functionality where it needs no other Apple device.

----------

I find it strange, all the people saying the Moto360 is thick and ugly. It is no thicker than a standard watch by Citizen, Omega etc. It just doesn't have "arms" where the strap would traditionally attach too.

Also, the black bar at the bottom of the face is the display driver. All LCDs have them. Usually they're around all the edges and is responsible for the bezel that so many of you hate. It is possible to go bezel-less by putting the driver behind the screen, but this increases its thickness.

In order to have an edge to edge circular watch face, the driver had to be put on the bottom. Sure they could have miniaturised it and put it under the display, but that would have increased its cost exponentially.

So, you would have either had a black rim around the watch in its entirety, and thicker watch by maybe 1mm (which since it is already too thick by all your standards, it would've been worse) or have a small section of the bottom face be black.

Which do you choose?

I vote for bottom thanks.

Let's see if Apple do eliminate the bottom driver. If they do, I guarantee you the watch will be double the price of the 360.

It looks cheap and awful in every aspect.

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Given there are a lot more Android phones around the world and Android dominates very heavily in some countries, it would still seem strange to limit it to just working with an iPhone.

Also accepting the fact that, if they did do this, then others will see how it;s made and do their best to emulate the design, which of course they can and will do. Apple will hand them that market on a plate if it won't work with any other product.

Like the iWatch, but prefer Android. Only choice is to buy an iWatch style device, which will happen, from someone else in the future.

Nope, it won't connect to other devices, I don't think. Apple doesn't do this, just like you can't get iMessage on Andriod, which if you watched the eddy que/iovine re/code interview you'd have heard eddy specifically talk about these things. They believe they can't replicate the quality experience the Apple devices have with their interconnectivity, with third parties, and they're right.

I think the iWatch's primary reason for being: biosensors; will function by itself, thus you could own an iWatch and track your biometrics without any other Apple products, and this is really ideal for Apple because they want to do two things. First, they want to sell the device to as many people as possible, and that requires the main function to not rely on other Apple devices. Secondly, they want to bring more people into the Apple ecosystem, and what does someone who gets an iWatch and loves it, likely do? They likely purchase other Apple products, namely an iPhone, because it's other features make it so good with an iPhone, like deep interconnectivity.

 

[andromeda107]

Who cares!
This has to be the most uninteresting product range Apple has ever worked on.
And I say that as a HUGE Apple fan.
We all have watches already, I just cannot see the point of another one that just connects to an iPhone.
The Galaxy Gear has pretty much shown there is little reason for such a product.

A new iPhone 6 would be welcome, but a watch - got one already.

Oh my god. First of all most people don't have watches anymore. Secondly it's not just a watch that tells you time and connects to your iPhone. How is it that people have read these rumors about an iWatch for over a year, and still don't get it? It's absolute only reason for being made, is biosensors. If Apple couldn't put biosensors in it, they literally wouldn't have made it, because smartwatches today are completely niche and worthless. Sorry Andriod Wear, I don't want to order a pizza on my watch while my phone is in my pocket, because it's one of the worst ideas I've ever heard, and I couldn't be more embarrassed for Google (they're a bunch of morons clearly).

The Galaxy Gear shows absolutely nothing. It doesn't do what this will do!!!!!!!! It's a piece of garbage, just like the Moto. Imagine Apple had a smartphone with it's current functionality and Samsung didn't copy, and they have a smartphone which makes calls and sends email, but nothing else. That's how you'll be able to compare these products once Apples is released. It has functionality by itself, useful, futuristic, functionality. Biometrics.

 

[Oohara]

Quite simple really..

Flat tire:
Image

Moto 360 with permanent flat bar at the bottom of the display:
Image

Yeah, this is bugging me to no end too. The whole design hangs on the Circle shape, I mean the thing is called 360 ffs! And then they don't even allow it to be perfectly round? The designer might as well have stood up after completing the design, pulled out a gun and literally shot his foot off.

 

[iolinux333]

You can find them in 2006. Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrxlmf6pMlc (scroll to about 5:35 or so).

I watched most of that video. I can hardly believe how much the world has changed in so few years. The world before iPhone. I had a smartphone then but no one else I knew did. Texting still had not happened. People still called each other. Wow. I think I would go back maybe. I'm not sure.

 

[liavman]

Macrumors should consider taking this story off of the front page. Or put the update at the top so people can skip it since the whole article is meaningless especially as a front page story

 

[IJ Reilly]

All bloggers are journalists. A blog is a journal published over internet. Journalism doesn't include any form of profession or qualification. Most journalists reporting about Apple know far less about the company than John Gruber. He's among the Top 10 in his field.

Not all bloggers are journalists. To be a journalist requires a commitment to reporting facts and learning enough about a subject to report on it knowledgeably and without deliberate bias. It also requires the ability to communicate clearly. So, yes, no matter how you learn to be a journalist, or where you practice it, it is a profession.

 

[JayCee842]

a picture of the Moto 360? lol why?

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I must be missing something. Where did Gruber mention "iWatch"?

don't think he mentioned it, but it certainly was implied.

 

[FasterQuieter]

This came across as a flippant remark to me where he could have said next month, October, next year whatever. His point was that Motorola would soon be outdone, not that the watch was coming out in September.

 

[macsforever]

This watch is a POS... the Apple iWatch will SMOKE IT! APPLE SMOKES ALL PRODUCTS!

----------

Not all bloggers are journalists. To be a journalist requires a commitment to reporting facts and learning enough about a subject to report on it knowledgeably and without deliberate bias. It also requires the ability to communicate clearly. So, yes, no matter how you learn to be a journalist, or where you practice it, it is a profession.

It's just an opinion and opinions are like *******s everybody has one.

 

[andromeda107]

Not all bloggers are journalists. To be a journalist requires a commitment to reporting facts and learning enough about a subject to report on it knowledgeably and without deliberate bias. It also requires the ability to communicate clearly. So, yes, no matter how you learn to be a journalist, or where you practice it, it is a profession.

So essentially no one in America is a journalist, because all of the news is absolutely terrible, definitely largely biased, and also definitely biased to the end of making money. For example they will all make a huge deal of the Ebola outbreak and deliberately scare people, thus they watch more, thus they earn more revenue. That's how it goes, especially in the US, everything is about doing anything to screw anyone else, as long as you make money.

----------

This watch is a POS... the Apple iWatch will SMOKE IT! APPLE SMOKES ALL PRODUCTS!

----------


It's just an opinion and opinions are like *******s everybody has one.

I agree with your opinion though. Every smartwatch available will look like a dumbwatch and aesthetically look like complete garbage next to the iWatch. It's going to embarrass every current smartwatch maker.

 

[roar08]

Journalist...EL OH EL

John Gruber a Journalist? an Apple fan boy? yes. Blogger? Yes, but a Journalist? .....

This.

Gruber writes opinions on the Interwebz. He's not quite an idiot, but he certainly isn't a journalist.

 

[69650]

Well, the Mac Pro (and Apple TV before it) is an outlier. Generally Apple announces things close to their release. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see a month or two wait between announcement and release as Apple won't be killing any of their own sales by waiting.

In the good old days Steve would announce something and it would be in the AppleStore the next day. That was always one of the things I used to really like about Apple and Steve's keynotes.

Sadly that is not the case anymore. I can't think of a single product launch in the last few years that hasn't had initial supply problems, leading to long delays.

 

[jclo]

"Update 10 PM PT: John Gruber has clarified that he made the statement as a joke and that he does not have any information on Apple's release plans: "By the way, I have no idea whether Apple is planning wrist thing for September or October, just making a joke."


MacRumors should stop reporting garbage like this. This is one step above from making up your own rumors. There is no credibility at all. These are not even rumors; there freaking jokes.
Should change the title from MacRumors to MacJokes.

While I possibly made the wrong call on opting to post this, John Gruber has been a reputable source many times in the past. At the time, it was not entirely clear whether it was a flippant comment or something that he intentionally wrote. We initially skipped it, but as it picked up steam and was starting to make the rounds on other sites, we decided to post it.

When it comes down to it, MacRumors is a rumor site and it was a rumor. Had it turned out to be a Gruber's sly way of divulging information, we would have missed out on a significant bit of news. It's easy to say in retrospect that it was garbage and that we shouldn't have posted it, but it was a good bit less clear in the moment.

 

[scoobydoo99]

Quite simple really..

Flat tire:
Image

Moto 360 with permanent flat bar at the bottom of the display:
Image

yeah, i see the intent.

i still don't get it. it's like the mac pro "trash can" thing. it's a stretch, and won't really catch on. it just doesn't evoke "flat tire" upon first impression, but only after being "shown" the resemblance. memes really have to be spontaneous and a product of shared consciousness that everyone "gets".

this one is just trying too hard.

 

[HishamAkhtar]

Why? Because it has a round face? The black bar at the bottom is ugly (and yes I know why it's there). The watch itself seems very thick and bulky. I know it would look hideous on my tiny wrist. I can't imagine any females wearing it.

Image

You may not like it but you're in the minority here.

 

[Gudi]

To be a journalist requires a commitment to reporting facts and learning enough about a subject to report on it knowledgeably and without deliberate bias.

Good joke.
The answer is #42.

 

[andromeda107]

You may not like it but you're in the minority here.

No he's not. It looks awful, and it is designed poorly. The engineering just isn't there. Apples will likely have electronics and potentially battery built into the band itself, allowing the device to be far thinner, sleeker, and it won't be round, I highly doubt.

Just because you see some people saying it looks good, means absolutely nothing. Maybe the people that think it looks bad...didn't post? By the way, I admit it is currently the best looking smartwatch, I'm just saying that's sad, because it looks awful, and I know that Apple's will destroy it, not because I think Apple does no wrong, but because they make unbelievable looking hardware.