As the market awaits the roll out of the Apple Watch, new reports reveal that it is all systems go on the production pipeline. Apple's chipmakers that are based at the company's overseas supply chain are said to be gearing up to start production of the much-awaited Apple Watch.
"Orders for chips for the Apple Watch, set to debut in early 2015, are estimated at 30-40 million units, the sources indicated," the DigiTimes report read.
Previous rumors are saying that the Apple supplier Quanta Computer shall begin with the production of the Apple Watch in January 2015 and is aiming to meet a Valentine's Day release date. Though it is unlikely that the device would be ready in time for the world celebrated event, the recent news that production is being heightened this month absolutely makes a February launch more amenable.
Apple is said to be employing the so-called advanced system-in-package (SIP) technology that extends beyond its current A-series chip designs, enabling the company to include a whole computing system on a single chip. Otherwise known as 'S1,' the Apple Watch with the SIP technology is a customized piece of silicon that fits and integrates various subsystems in an ecosystem that's meant to be occupied solely by wristwatches.
Nothing much has been revealed about the S1 except for the fact that Apple touted it as an industry first. In the Apple Watch event of September, the presented video was later on explained by Jony Ive, Apple SVP of Design, who said that the S1 is totally encapsulated in resin to give the wearable a superior protection against the elements.
Other features of the Apple Watch are also revealed. Apart from the S1 SIP, the device features a Retina display that is designed with the Force Touch technology, allowing it to discern taps from presses. It also has connectivity options such as WiFi and Bluetooth, NFC for Apple Pay, Taptic Engine for haptic feedback, wireless inductive charging, and Digital Crown for navigating the OS and launching Siri.
According to the French website iGen.fr, the steel version of Apple Watch will have a starting price of $500 while a gold version will retail anywhere between $4000 and $5000. Apple had previously announced that its watches would start at $349 which is most likely applicable to the entry-level Apple Watch Sport. Apple has yet to announce other pricing information for the other models.
