Apple's iWatch Pegged For October 2014

In roughly 10 months, consumers could get their hands on Apple's AAPL first smart watch. According to G4Games' translation of a report by Chinese-language site C Technology (via MacRumors), the iWatch will launch alongside the next iPhone in October 2014. In addition to the unusually specific release date, the report also claimed that the device features a 100 mA battery and can be charged wirelessly. The latter feature may be designed to compensate for the device's weak battery life. Samsung's Galaxy Gear contains a larger battery (315 mA) and it needs to be charged every single day. Related: Rumor: Apple Selects iWatch, 12-Inch iPad Supplier According to C Technology, the iWatch will need to be within one meter of a charging pad in order to charge. If the watch is further away, it won't charge. This could present some difficult challenges for Apple. But the report is based on two prototypes that Apple has supposedly tested. By the time the device comes out, Apple may have implemented a better battery, a superior charging mechanism, or both. Curved, Pressure-Sensitive iPhone Benzinga reported in November that Apple's next smartphone (presumably the iPhone 6) could feature two radical changes: a curved screen and a pressure-sensitive display. This week, Benzinga learned that Apple had been granted a patent for a curved touch sensor. At first glance, this might sound like the ultimate confirmation. If Apple wins a patent for a curved touch sensor, the company must be adding one to the next iPhone -- right? Not necessarily. Apple has filed for and received several game-changing patents. While some companies claim that patents are rubbish, Apple and other tech firms file them anyway to protect their original ideas. Few companies take advantage of every patent that they file, so it is wholly possible that Apple will never release a curved display. Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Louis Bedigian had no position in the equities mentioned in this report.