iWatch Coming This October With a 2.5-inch Display, Says Report (Update)

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Reuters reports Apple’s first entry into wearables will be available this October, with production set to begin next month. The company’s fabled iWatch has been a popular rumor going on a few years now, but with Apple honing in on health with iOS 8, many are expecting a device to arrive any day now. That day could come in October, about the time Apple is expected to launch its iPhone 6.

Sources close to Apple’s plans told Reuters that Taiwan’s Quanta will be in charge of production, with the Cupertino company expected to ship upwards of 50 million units within the first twelve months. That’s pretty ambitious, especially considering wearables haven’t really become must-have items just yet. Samsung and other reputable companies have tried, but only Pebble has managed to gain any significant following.

According to Reuters, the iWatch (which is still unnamed within Apple) will feature a display that measure in at 2.5-inches, which is remarkable considering past iPhones had a screen just one inch larger. Think of that in the context of a seventh generation iPod nano; previous rumors pegged the display to be similar in size to a sixth generation iPod nano, which was square and had a 240×240 display. If, however, the screen is curved in some way, the larger screen could work.

Although Apple only spent a brief amount of time discussing HealthKit at WWDC in June, health is expected to be an intense area of interest for the Cupertino company, and the iWatch is expected to tie that all together. In addition to the 2.5-inch display, the iWatch is also expected to contain a heart rate monitor, Reuters said. Apple has scooped up plenty of Nike FuelBand talent over the past year, and we could see the fruits of their labor very soon.

Update: For context, via MacRumors, images of what a 2.5-inch interface are now coming to the forefront. Note that these mockups were created back in April, and merely took a wild guess at what Apple might introduce. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Apple shrink down iOS to fit on a wearable, though it would have to be significantly watered down and optimized in order to ensure the battery doesn’t get sucked dry. In any case, behold iOS running on a 2.5-inch screen.

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