The Pace of iWatch Rumors Picks Up

As anybody who follows the Apple rumor mill knows, one or two random rumors usually means nothing -- but if the pace of these true or untrue stories picks up, there's a good chance something is in the company's pipeline.

And recently, the pace of Apple AAPL iWatch rumors has quickened. In the past couple of days, multiple rumors have surfaced.

On Wednesday, DigiTimes reported that Zhen Ding Technology Holdings, Flexium Interconnect and Taiwan-based Career Technology have each delivered flexible circuit board proofs to Apple for validation. Once Apple gives the thumbs-up, these boards will go into full production -- putting a possible iWatch unveil date somewhere around September.

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DigiTimes also reported these three manufacturers are investing large amounts of money into upgrading their factories, in order to handle a high amount of orders from Apple. Zhen Ding will invest at least $100 million into this build-out, according to sources, while the others will sink $33 to $66 million into the effort.

According to AppleInsider, an unverified eport out of China Tuesday said  the supply chain for the iWatch was recently finalized, with Taiwan’s Quanta Computer tapped to build 65 million units during its first year of availability.

The same report said the watch would include sensors built by Apple -- including the ability to monitor pulse and heartbeat among other medical data.

Even the Wall Street analysts are becoming part of the rumor mill. A report by Barclay’s analyst Blayne Curtis said the watch would have a sensor that detects UV light levels; a helpful feature for people with sun sensitivity.

In his note, Curtis predicted that Apple could sell as many as 10 million units if it debuts later this year as rumored.

And of course, the release date of the rumored iWatch is being hotly debated. The rumor consensus has settled on September as the release date -- but some believe that June is more logical in order to give app developers time to create products for the watch. Could it be like the Mac Pro, that didn’t go on sale until long after it was announced?

What we do know is that Asian rumor mills are abuzz with iWatch reports. Nobody knows what is true and what isn’t -- but if history is a guide, there’s definitely something brewing.

Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Tim Parker was long Apple.