Purported Moto 360 Sport Version Makes Its Way To Twitter

Sumit Passary, Tech Times 01 September 2015, 10:09 am

Motorola is expected to unveil the Moto 360 II on Sept. 8, and rumors suggest that the company will also launch a Moto 360 Sport version for fitness-conscious individuals later.

The Moto 360, currently one of the most popular round dial smartwatches, was announced by Motorola in March 2014, followed by a September release during the same year. The smartwatch comes running on Android Wear straight out of the box and can be paired with devices running on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean or higher.

Rumors of the second-generation Moto 360 have been surfacing for quite some time, with Lenovo finally issuing an invite for an event largely believed to be the smartwatch's launch, but it seems that the next-gen wearable will also be available in a Sport version.

@Upleaks has posted an image of the upcoming Moto 360 Sport on Twitter. The image shows the Moto 360 Sport in three colors: black, white and orange. The device appears to be made of rubber. While the standard Moto 360 II will be unveiled a week from now, the Moto 360 Sport is expected for a November launch.

A Twitter user queried if the upcoming Motorola smartwatch will be compatible with iOS and @upleaks says that the Chinese version of the wearable will be iOS compatible. However, there is no official information about the international model, although The Verge has discovered that the original Moto 360 can be paired with the iPhone.

The International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that the smart wearable market, which includes smartwatches, will grow at a steep pace in 2016.

"Smart wearables like the Apple Watch and Micosoft's Hololens are indicative of an upcoming change in computing, and the transition from basic to smart wearables opens up a slew of opportunities for vendors, app developers, and accessory makers," says Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst, Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers.

A separate IDC report notes that the total wearable shipment for Q2 of 2015 was 18.1 million units, which is up by 223.2 percent in comparison to the 5.6 million units shipped in the same quarter of 2014.

Motorola is said to be working hard to expand its smartwatch range to attract more customers. While competition in the wearable market is very stiff, the Moto 360 II and the Moto 360 Sport may attract many customers if the price is right.