The Duke Nukem of mobile products , Apple’s Smartwatch is set to be delayed yet again, according to the latest report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Kuo has been telling anyone who will listen that Apple is having production issues surrounding its new smartwatch.
“We reiterate our view that iWatch, as compared to existing products, and as Apple’s (US) first attempt at a wearable device, represents a much higher level of difficulty for the company as regards component and system design, manufacturing and integration between hardware and software,” says Kuo.
The problem is that Apple wants the iWatch’s to be small and have a flexible AMOLED display which is new territory for a smartwatch. Apple is also having difficulty water proofing the gizmo which is an area which Jobs’ Mob has not had to worry about much before.
He said that if the reports are correct that Apple will use sapphire glass for the iWatch display that could also put a spanner in the works. Sapphire glass is much tougher and flexible than the kind of toughened glass used in smartphones, but also a lot more difficult to produce.
All of this is why Kuo said that “While we are positive on iWatch and believe that the advantages of the design and business model behind it are difficult to copy, we think, given the aforementioned challenges, that the launch could be postponed to 2015.”
He said that Apple might show off the watch at an October event, but will delay the immediate release.
Jobs’ Mob is already in trouble with the project. It is so late getting the product to market the ground has well and truly been picked over by rivals. The only real takers for smartwatches are the sporting types, which is not exactly Apple’s target market.
