Roger Fingas
A questionable rumor on Tuesday indicated that the second-generation Apple Watch will go into mass production in the second quarter of 2016, with Quanta Computer remaining as the sole manufacturer.
Apple had considered placing some orders with Foxconn, its main manufacturing partner, but volumes aren't expected to be that high, supply chain sources claimed to DigiTimes. Both Quanta and Foxconn refused to comment on the matter.
The site suggested in fact that Apple has scaled down its 2016 shipment forecast for the Watch, owing to weaker-than-expected performance in 2015, even though the device may control over 50 percent of the smartwatch market. Apple has not released official sales figures, and research estimates have sometimes varied wildly.
DigiTimes has a mixed track record when dealing with Apple products, and indeed the idea of second-quarter Watch production might conflict with more recent rumors that Apple is planning to launch updated hardware in the fall.
The company is expected to host a press event in March at which the Watch will play a part, but only in terms of new bands, and partnerships with firms beyond Hermes.
Marko Zivkovic
Wesley Hilliard
Oliver Haslam
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
23 Comments
I always thought a cool concept would be similar to how they did the Hermes band/watch face. Take it a step further and have a more barebones watch that a watchmaker can match up a band and "watch case". Essentially allowing other major watch makers to have their own version of the Apple watch. This would be a great way to address the different tastes...
An intentional rumor placed to dampen sales? How many times have users posted the question, “When is the next model coming out?” How many times do we see outraged posts when a new model does come out and users who bought the old one a week ago want a free exchange?
Here's hoping it works without an iPhone, retains longer battery life, and isn't as chunky looking.