Taiwan firms win Apple iWatch orders, 2014 launch expected
Two electronic firms in Taiwan which assemble products for Apple have reportedly received orders to make the iWatch.
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AFP reported on Wednesday, citing Wang Wanli, a CIMB Securities analyst that Apple is likely to introduce iWatch in 2014. Inventec is also the major assembly source for the computing device with about 60 percent of order allocation.
CIMB also expects 63.4 million units of iWatch to be shipped in the year after its launch at an average price of US$199, while the iWatch project is estimated to contribute 19 percent of Inventec's earnings in 2014, Wang noted.
Taiwan's Apple Daily newspaper also reported, citing unnamed sources, that Quanta Computer was splitting the iWatch orders with Inventec by taking 40 percent of order allocation.
When approached by the newswire, Inventec and Quanta declined to comment.
Last month, Apple has reportedly stepped up recruitment for the launch of its wrist-worn hardware, and filed for the "iWatch" trademark in Japan.
Wearable computing devices has gained much interest in the past few months and seen as the next frontier of consumer electronics, following the prototype launches of Google Glass Project. Samsung too, said it plans to unveil a smartwatch on September 4, 2013, known as the "Galaxy Gear".