Will Apple's iWatch introduce the age of wearable technology?

A series of reports this week in the United States have all-but confirmed that Apple is developing a smart watch as it seeks to repeat its trick with the iPhone and iPad and spur a new market, writes Christopher Williams.

The details of the device are sketchy, but it is claimed its features could include a curved touchscreen made from a new type of flexible glass, an array of sensors to monitor exercise patterns and heart rate, “wave and pay” function, access to maps, voice control and wireless integration with the iPhone. That could allow the wearer to take calls and read messages without having to delve into their pocket or bag, or mean the iphone would know when it was in its owner’s hand an unlock automatically.

Apple reportedly has a team of 100 product designers working on the project, indicating it is beyond the experimentation phase and heading towards production.It is claimed that Foxconn, the contractor that assembles iPhones and iPads in vast Chinese factory complexes, is in talks with Apple about the device, as well as working with component suppliers on efficient microchips and displays.

Although he has insisted Apple will maintain its ironclad secrecy, the flurry of information could be seen as auspicious for Tim Cook, Steve Jobs’ successor as Apple chief executive. He is under pressure from investors to address sliding profit margins and stock prices. With the iPhone and iPad under facing ever-stronger competition and the iPod market dwindling, opening a new front could be the answer.

For some observers, the reports of an incoming “iWatch” from sources including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg are a sign that the age of “wearable technology” is nigh. Just as smartphones and tablets already existed but were relatively niche products before Apple intervened, it’s reckoned by some that the firm’s flair for design will kick start a whole new category for gadget industry.

“Most of all, an Apple iWatch will immediately make the behaviour of wearing your tech acceptable, just like Siri created a new social norm of talking to your phone like it’s a person,” said Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst at Forrester.