The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today granted Apple a patent that describes a wrist-worn device containing sensors and wireless radios that allow it to communicate with other devices such as the iPhone, iPad or Mac (Via AppleInsider). It is a comprehensive patent that describes some of the core features of Apple's rumored iWatch device.
Front view of a device similar to a sixth-generation iPod nano docked into wristband
The invention details a modular device, identified in the patent as the "iTime", that features a wrist-worn, sensor-laden strap and potentially removable modules. The modules, such as a media player, can snap into a wristband, which contains add-ons like GPS and a Wi-Fi radio that increase the functionality of the device. The system is reminiscent of the sixth-generation iPod nano, which fits a wristband to become a wearable media player.
The invention pertains to an electronic wristwatch. According to one embodiment, an electronic wristband can provide additional electrical circuitry or devices that can be made available for use as or with an electronic device. In one embodiment, the electronic device can be a mobile electronic device that can be removably coupled to the electronic wristband which provides the additional circuitry or devices. Advantageously, the electronic device can utilize the additional electrical circuitry or devices provided within the electronic wristband to augment the capabilities of the electronic device. In another embodiment, the electronic device can be integrally formed with the electronic wristband which provides the additional circuitry or devices.
Side view showing wristband with docking connector (314)
Apple also describes a method of connecting the smartwatch to a mobile device that allows for the display of incoming calls, text messages and other alerts on the wrist-worn display. In another embodiment, the device can alert the user when it is out of range and thus at risk of being lost or stolen. The patent also contains provisions for movement-based controls of the wristwatch device.
Apple is rumored to be working on the iWatch, a smartwatch device that could debut later this year. Rumors suggests the wristband may include sensors to monitor activity levels, heart rate and other vital health functions. The device likely will share its data with iOS via the new Health app in iOS 8.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."
"iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said.
Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
iOS 26.5 is now available for developers, and while it doesn't include any new Siri capabilities, there are some major changes for the European Union, and smaller tweaks for features available worldwide.
Suggested Places
In the Maps app, there's a new "Suggested Places" feature that recommends locations to visit based on trending places nearby and recent searches. When Apple launches ads in ...
Apple has been celebrating its upcoming 50th anniversary by hosting surprise performances and other events around the world over the past few weeks, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has revealed details about the company's grand finale.
In a social media post, Gurman said Apple's celebrations will conclude this week with a finale at its Apple Park headquarters for employees.
A special...
Apple is hoping to 3D-print aluminum device enclosures in the future, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman revealed that Apple is pushing to move to 3D-printed aluminum enclosures for for future devices. The MacBook Neo relies on a new aluminum manufacturing process that saves as much metal as possible to drive down costs and speed up production....
Tuesday March 17, 2026 3:32 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple today launched its atrial fibrillation history feature for Apple Watch in mainland China.
Since 2022, Apple Watch in the U.S. has supported AFib History, which allows users diagnosed with atrial fibrillation to view an estimate of how frequently their heart is in this type of irregular rhythm.
The feature analyzes pulse rate data collected by a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor to...
Thursday March 19, 2026 3:10 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple's current blood oxygen sensing implementation in the U.S. does not infringe on patents owned by Masimo and Apple will not face a revived import ban, a U.S. International Trade Commission judge said this week (via Reuters).
After Apple was found to have violated Masimo's patents related to blood oxygen sensing, the Apple Watch faced a U.S. import ban that caused Apple to briefly pause...
It may not necessarily, but any old person (not age-wise, just random) walking down the street could look at your wrist and say "that's a smart watch". They'd immediately think that it's a regular watch if it were square. And anyways, iOS could be formatted to work on circular watches if that's what Apple plans to do.
What? "Dumb" watches are overwhelmingly circular. How would releasing a square smart watch make people think its a regular watch anymore than a circular one would?
I actually like the square look i think it is more functional and looks more modern.
But therein lies the problem with the whole iWatch rumor. Watches are jewelry. They've had 100+ years in "the wild" and people have come to appreciate them in every shape, depth, style, width, height, color, etc. We've got heavy duty metal vs. dress w/strap. We've got divers, pilots, everyday, mickey mouse, et all too. There's Rolex & Omega vs. Timex & Swatch and everything in between.
As jewelry, there is such diverse tastes in watch designs. Go to bing or google images and type in "watch designs" and then scroll through the pages of thumbnails. Where you feel as you do about the square look, others will want round, landscape vs. portrait rectangles, octagons, hexagons, and all kinds of other shapes, designs, colors, faces, etc. Should the metal be gold, silver, black, white, <other>? Should there be metal? Should the strap be metal, plastic, leather, alligator, et all and wide, thin or something in between?
In the last week I traveled a LOT and was thinking about this concept as part of those travels. So I paid a bit more attention to what was on people's arms. The variety was endless. I can't even make a case that a particular shape or type or color was obviously more popular. There is no "99.9% of people want a..." argument here. And thus, I find it hard to imagine Apple rolling out a singular design that can appeal to the masses.
When I was in college, I worked in retail jewelry. The stores in which I worked would dedicate 2-5 cases to a wide range of watch designs. There was no favorite… no one design that most people would buy. Instead, every buyer bought on what their own subjective sense of watch design favored. A Seiko, Wittnauer, Tag, Gucci, Longines, Bulova, Movado, etc could not come up with a singular design that would appeal to everyone. Instead, what appealed to everyone was design diversity. NOT complying with a mainstream design seemed to be the better play.
But what about iPhone and iPad? Prior to iPhone, smart phones were not that common. Tablets had been around but were also fringe. There was not 100+ years of endlessly diverse designs already well established in those markets. While the crowd here (and then some) will jump on anything from Apple, it's the much larger crowd beyond here that needs to buy to make an iWatch the next iPhone & iPad. While I won't completely dismiss the possibility, I find it hard to imagine that the masses would give up on the diversity of design of this particular piece of jewelry to comply with a singular "best" design. Especially for men, the watch is usually the ONE piece of jewelry they want to wear. Do they really want to blend in with all other men if the masses would adopt it?
If a singular design of this can roar, I think the iUniform must be right on it's heels. And I only half joke there. Like watch design, we've got thousands of years of clothing fashion diversity. Just as I can't hardly imagine everyone adopting a singular uniform, I find it hard to imagine everyone adopting a singular watch design.
