iWatch: Apple's new fitness-focused wearable device 'coming October'

New reports citing industry sources claim the device will come with a curved OLED screen and track various health metrics

A mock-up of the iWatch (ADR Studio)

Apple will unveil a new “watch-like wearable” – otherwise known as the fabled iWatch – in October this year, according to unconfirmed reports.

Japanese news service Nikkei has cited “industry sources” who say that the device will use a curved OLED (organic light-emitting diode) touchscreen and connect to users’ smartphones to feed in health-related data.

These will reportedly include calorie consumptions, sleep activity, blood glucose, blood oxygen levels as well as data on physical activities. All of this would tie in with Apple’s recent launch of HealthKit - a new platform aimed at pulling together various streams of data.

Nikkei also cited parts manufacturers who had been briefed to expect a monthly commercial output of around three to five million units – a robust figure, but not a patch on iPhone sales. In the three months of 2014’s second quarter Apple sold more than 43 million smartphones.

iWatch Concept from Todd Hamilton on Vimeo.

Rumours have been speculating about an iWatch since 2011 when the trend for wearable technology was just taking off. Since then most major technology companies have launched a device in the category, with Google expected to launch their offerings – built by Motorola and LG – later this year.

Many analysts suggest that Apple is simply biding its time in order to finesse its final product, but others suggest that the company might be ‘too late’.

In April this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised that the company would be expanding into “new categories” adding “the most important thing that we do is to make great products that really get our users excited to want the next one, and that will always be the case.”

However, Cook had similar comments to make back in February 2013, and it could be that tech fans still have months to wait. After all, rumours about the iPhone began all the way back in 2001, with users having to wait another six years before they could actually buy the thing.