Countdown on for Apple's iWatch as firm poaches Swiss watch experts for secret project
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Apple has poached a senior executive from Swiss luxury watch brand Tag Heuer, which could be to help it with the launch of its iWatch expected this autumn.
Tag Heuer, part of luxury goods group LVMH, said on Friday its vice president for sales, Patrick Pruniaux, who had been with the brand for seven years, was leaving on Monday to join Apple.
It did not say what his new job would be.
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Tag Heuer, part of luxury goods group LVMH, said on Friday its vice president for sales, Patrick Pruniaux, who had been with the brand for seven years, was leaving on Monday to join Apple - and is expected to work on the iWatch.
TWO YEARS OF IWATCH RUMOURS
Speculation around Apple's iWatch began at the end of 2012 and a rumoured release date was initially set for the fourth quarter of 2013.
Chinese websites reported in December 2012 that the computer giant was working with chip-maker Intel on a wrist-worn gadget.
It was said to have a 1.5inch screen and use Bluetooth to communicate with other devices, including an iPhone.
Other rumours suggest the iWatch will feature Siri voice controls that let users dictate messages, rather than use the tiny screen.
The watch could also be used as a remote control to change music tracks or pause video, on the phone or tablet.
In July last year, reports in the Financial Times said Apple was hiring outside help to tackle design problems with its iWatch.
Apple declined to comment.
The iWatch will be the closest the U.S. company has come to selling a fashion accessory and marks its first foray into the personal luxury goods market.
It is in a race against Samsung Electronics and Google to turn computers into wearable fashion and must-have items as smartphones, increasingly becoming commoditized items, start loosing their appeal.
Apple has plucked several executives from the luxury sector in recent months.
Burberry ex-Chief Executive Angela Ahrendts started as its new head of retail and online sales in May, and former head of French fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent Paul Deneve was hired last year to work on special projects.
'I think he was probably head-hunted,' a Tag Heuer spokeswoman said of Pruniaux, adding a replacement had already been found.
Analysts and industry executives say the jury is still out on whether smart watches will disrupt the luxury Swiss watch industry.
The Tag Heuer Mikrotimer watch: It has emerged Apple has poached the firm's head of sales for its iWatch product
'I don't believe that an iWatch will be a threat to luxury Swiss watches,' said Jon Cox, analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux in Zurich.
'But where I do see some potential impact is at lower, for example below $1,000, price points where there could be a temporary dislocation if there is super high demand for iWatches.'
Jean-Claude Biver, head of watch brands at LVMH and chairman of watch brand Hublot, said he believed the threat of smart watches had to be taken seriously by the Swiss watch industry.
'The iWatch will have the same status symbol power as many other Apple products, especially at the beginning,' he said.
'I personally believe it has the potential to be a threat for the industry, and it should not stay with its arms crossed.'
Apple applied for a trademark for the "iWatch" in Japan, a patent official said earlier this week, signaling the iPhone maker could be moving ahead with plans to launch a watch-like device soon.
Google announcement comes just a week after sources revealed Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc will start mass production of Apple first smartwatch in July, and the much anticipated timepiece will be revealed in October. Pictured is a concept design of what the iWatch may look like
Speculation has been mounting that Apple was preparing to launch an iWatch which would include multiple health and fitness sensors and access to features such as messages and notifications through integration with the iPhone and iPad.
A sweat sensor is believed to one of at least 10 sensors on the watch.
It has also been revealed Apple has signed up a host of sports star to try the wearable - including basketball star Kobe Brant, who was recently spotted at Apple's Cupertino campus.
According to laoyaoba.com, the sweat sensor has been developed in house by Apple.
Although the watch is shrouded in secrecy, players from the MLB, NHL and NBA have believed to have been approached about the fitness aspects of the watch.
One of these athletes is reportedly Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant, who was spotted on Apple's Cupertino campus last month.
According to 9to5Mac's source, Bryant met Apple's design boss Jony Ive and his team, to discuss upcoming products.
Apple is also believed to be working with Los Angeles Kings' Dustin Brown and an unnamed player from the Boston Red Sox, according to 9to5Mac.
However, laoyaoba.com also claims the watch may be delayed as it must be certified as a medical device with the Food and Drug Administration.
Last night, Samsung revealed a new smart wristband and announced plans to let manufacturers use the same core components - much like the mobile phone market. Ram Fish, Vice President of Digital Health for Samsung is pictured displaying the Simband
Apple has already revealed it is working with Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and the National Institutes of Health on its HealthKit app, which is believed to work in tandem with the iWatch.
Earlier reports say the watch will includes more than 10 sensors to take health measurements and other data.
It is also set to come in multiple sizes - and is expected to go on sale in October.
The much rumoured watch is believed to be about to begin mass production in Taiwan.
The Wall Street Journal also said that Apple is planning multiple screen sizes for the device, and previous rumour have claimed a male and female version will be released.
Rumours still differ as to whether the watch will be round or rectangular.
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (pictured) was spotted on Apple's Cupertino campus last month, and is believed to have met Apple's design boss Jony Ive and his team to discuss upcoming products - including the iWatch.
Samsung, Sony, Qualcomm and others have already released smartwatches, but the gadgets have mostly functioned as companions to smartphones, offering email notifications, clock functions and the like. Samsung's Gear 2 line, released this year, added fitness-related apps and has a heart rate sensor.
There's been longstanding speculation that Apple has been working on a smartwatch.
The main question has been when it would come out.
Apple intensified speculation this month when it said the upcoming version of its mobile operating system, iOS 8, will include tools for managing health data.
The software is expected in September, along with new iPhones.
Apple has been under pressure to release new products, as investors question whether the company that popularized the smartphone and the tablet computer is still able to innovate following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.
Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc will start mass production of Apple first smartwatch in July, and the much anticipated timepiece will be revealed in October, it has been claimed.
It could also come in both mens and womens sizes, will help track user's health.
It is claimed Apple will produce upto 5 million of the gadgets per month.
The production will be a boost to Quanta, given that its work for Apple till now has focused on laptops and iPods, product lines that are in decline.
The display measures 2.5 inches diagonally and is slightly rectangular, one of the sources said.
The source added that the watch face will protrude slightly from the band, creating an arched shape, and will feature a touch interface and wireless charging capabilities.
The source said Apple expects to ship 50 million units within the first year of the product's release, although these types of initial estimates can be subject to change.
The watch is currently in trial production at Quanta, which will be the main manufacturer, accounting for at least 70 percent of final assembly, the source said.
Like many other smartwatches, Apple's watch will be able to perform some functions independently, but tasks like messaging and voice chat will require a paired smartphone, according to the source. The device will only be compatible with gadgets running Apple's iOS, like its flagship iPhone, one of the sources said.
A third source said LG Display Co Ltd is the exclusive supplier of the screen for the gadget's initial batch of production.
It also contains a sensor that monitors the user's pulse.
Singapore-based imaging and sensor maker Heptagon is on the supplier list for the feature, two other sources said.
But the market is growing fast, with data firm IDC saying that worldwide shipments of wearable computing devices - a category that includes smartwatches - will triple in size this year over 2013.
Apple has already dropped hints of its plans in this arena, hiring the former chief executive of French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent, a unit of Kering SA, and proclaiming that it will introduce 'new product categories"' this year.
Many are hoping that Apple's entry into the field of so-called smart wearables will be a game-changer that transforms the industry like the company's iPhone did in 2007.
Some are foreseeing that smartphone sales, the current cash cow of the consumer tech world, will lose momentum in the years ahead as the market reaches saturation.
IDC predicts that worldwide smartphone sales will increase 23 percent this year, a slowdown from the 39 percent growth of last year, and that growth will average only 12 percent annually from 2013 to 2018.
Apple VP Eddy Cue's recently hinted at the launch, saying: 'Later this year, we've got the best product pipeline that I've seen in my 25 years at Apple.'
According top Nikkei, the watch will run a version of Apple's iOS software currently found on the iPad and iPhone.
'The new watch-like wearable gear will run on this OS, which will be equipped with a centralized function to manage users' biometric information via smartphones,' it said.
During a trip to Taiwan, a New York tech analyst recently said an Apple supplier revealed a number of features of the much-rumoured device, including a rounded face and slim design.
This would resemble how the Moto 360 looks - and contradicts previous reports the watch would have a curved, or square screen.
New York analyst Brian Blair claims an Apple supplier has revealed the iWatch will have a rounded face, similar to the Moto 360, pictured, come in male and female versions, and will go into production in July. Previous reports suggested it would have a curved, or square screen like the G Watch and Samsung's Gear range
The reports were made by Brian Blair from Rosenblatt Securities.
According to his supply chain sources, the iWatch will be designed to look like a traditional watch, and move away from the chunky, square look of the G Watch and Samsung's Gear range.
Motorola announced its own plans for a round, Android-powered smartwatch earlier this year and Blair's sources claim Apple's version will be almost identical, if not a little thinner.
As Business Insider noted, Apple's icons have rounded edges and this would suit a circular face.
Blair's source also confirmed previous rumours that the iWatch would be available in 'his' and 'hers' models, and will go into production from July.
The design is similar to concepts created by Mark Bell from Belmdesigns.
Bell's concept incorporates the rumoured Healthbook fitness features that leaked in March, but experts believe Apple could additionally be working on a separate wristband specifically designed to track health.
By comparison, the LG G Watch, pictured, has a square, 2-inch display and runs Android Wear - a streamlined version of Google's current operating system seen on phones and tablet. The Samsung range of Gear devices similarly chose a square, rather than rounded design
The Moto 360, pictured, is expected to launch at Google's I/O in June, followed by the iWatch in September
Earlier this week, during the unveiling of its latest G3 handset, LG gave a sneak peek of its square Android-powered G Watch.
All three - the Moto 360, the G Watch and the iWatch - are expected to launch later this year.
It's likely the Moto 360 will be announced at Google's I/O in June, and go on sale for £180 in July, followed by the iWatch during Apple's annual September event.
Price-wise, an Apple iWatch may follow the same pattern as Apple's handsets and sit at the top end of the market.
Reports last month even stated it could cost 'thousands' of dollars.
Although the smartwatches of Samsung and Sony haven't been as popular as analysts predicted, Blair said orders for the iWatch are surpassing expectation and he forecasts 18 to 21 million iWatches will be sold before Christmas.
Samsung also recently revealed a new smart wristband and announced plans to let manufacturers use the same core components - much like the mobile phone market.
The new claims about a rounded design contradict previous reports the iWatch would have a curved screen, as seen in this concept by Todd Hamilton
There is widespread speculation Apple has been working on wearable devices, and its products tend to use proprietary technologies. However, an open system would be a departure for Samsung as well.
Its Gear wristwatches and fitness devices currently work only with Samsung phones.
Smartwatches from Sony and other manufacturers tend to work with a wider range of Android phones.
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