Apple iWatch will reportedly run on iOS

Are there something else for Apple besides its iPhone, iPad, iTouch line? Yes, indeed, Apple is considering another devices named iWatch will is said to release at the end of 2013.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has a team of around 100 designers working on "a wristwatch-like device that may perform some of the tasks now handled by the iPhone and iPad". That's based on conversations with "two people familiar with the company's plans".

Apple’s iWatch will run full-flavored iOS, according to a new report, and the company is indeed targeting an end-of-year launch, but will first have to tackle battery life issues. According to sources speaking to The Verge, Apple’s prototype watch hardware is currently getting only a couple of days out of its battery, and the company is targeting at least four to five (around what the Pebble gets) before ramping up for a public release.

The news that Apple is opting to go with a reworked version of iOS on the iWatch instead of an alternative system is very interesting, if true. In the sixth generation iPod nano, which was released in 2010, Apple used a separate mobile OS that resembled iOS but was actually a lighter-weight and much more limited platform. Using iOS instead of the nano’s operating system has some advantages for Apple (a single code base across its mobile line, more potential for third-party developers, and a familiar system for new users), it also comes with big challenges, and potentially adds one more degree of fragmentation to Apple’s mobile OS.

Apple's iWatch, which is reportedly coming this year, could kill three birds with one stone for Apple.

1. It gives Apple an experimental entry in the wearable computing market which is said to be the next big thing

2. If done well it would kill the Apple-can't-innovate-without-Steve Jobs meme

3. It could be super profitable.

Apple's iWatch, should it be released, will probably not fit neatly into the watch industry, so these comparisons are probably moot. However, that doesn't mean we can't take a shot at trying to figure out how much money Apple could make on an iWatch.

The Verge says that Apple has work to do in terms of building in the proper pathways for transmitting information and notifications between an iPhone and an iWatch. That could prove the single-biggest source of information regarding the device and its development going forward; you can bet devs and Apple watchers will be going through iOS developer builds with a fine-toothed comb for evidence of any changes on that front.

Reference: Apple’s iWatch Could Be Super Profitable

Apple iWatch release date, news and rumours

Apple iWatch Will Reportedly Run iOS, Still Has To Overcome Battery Issues Before Launch