Though rumor has it that the iWatch may be debuting sometime in October, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is saying that this might not be the case. According to him, the debut of Apple’s smartwatch may well be postponed until 2015. In his words:
“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. 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.”
Kuo is not saying with full certainty that this is the case, and his reliability in this matter is questionable. After all, it’s no secret in tech circles: Kuo is great at guessing Apple’s product lines but misses the mark in predicting rollout dates.
However, Kuo’s claim is not at all farfetched, as others have been discussing iWatch production problems that may include manufacturing, components, hardware-software integration, and system design. It’s reasonable that Kuo would cite these issues as the cause for a later rollout.
In a July report, Kuo revised his previous prediction that mass production for the iWatch would be in September, pushing the production period to late November. He pointed out the potential challenges Apple may face in implementing new hardware–such as the sapphire crystal cover, AMOLED screen, and higher waterproof standandard–for its smartwatch. Kuo also mentioned the fact that iOS might be difficult to integrate into the iWatch.
All that being said, Apple has debuted products in new categories before that were not released until a few months later. The Mac Pro, for example, was introduced in June and did not actually launch until December that year. And two months lapsed between the iPad’s introduction and its release. Based on this history, there is a chance that the iWatch could make an appearance well before November even if it doesn’t launch until a later date.
