The announcement yesterday that the iPhone 6 event would indeed be held on September 9th was preceded by numerous reports that the iWatch would also be making an appearance on the very same date. But while it was initially suggested that the company’s very first smartwatch would be released in October, it is now being reported that we’ll only be getting a mere preview of the device, and that it won’t, in fact, hit retail outlets until next year.
This is a significant blow not only to those who were hoping to see the iWatch this side of the holiday, but also to Apple, since it will allow the impressive-looking efforts from LG, Motorola and others to beat the Apple device to the draw. This updated information arrives courtesy of the folks Re/code, who were first to pin a definite date on the iPhone 6 event in the first place.
It was also Re/code that first suggested that the iWatch would be a topic of discussion at said keynote, with most insiders suggesting that we wouldn’t see it until the fall, so with Re/code now coming back and clarifying that the wearable won’t ship until next year, we’re more than inclined to believe it.
The idea of the iPhone 6 and iWatch releasing alongside each other was certainly plausible, although it did also throw up one or two concerns from a retail point of view. After all, the iPhone 6 looks set for a dramatic price hike over the current flagship model, and with the iWatch poised for a share of the sapphire glass display upgrades, it’s not exactly going to be cheap, either. So while it will certainly dismay certain quarters of the on-looking tech world to see but not touch the iWatch – or iBand as some are also dubbing it – spreading the shipment periods out does give consumers time to save.
KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is often at the forefront of Apple-centric discussion, has also noted recently that he believes the iWatch will probably launch early 2015, so while it’s looking less than likely that we’ll be able to purchase the device any time soon, we’ll be keeping an eye out for any further information.
Do you think Apple will retail the iWatch this year instead?
(Source: Re/code)
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