Apple Has Team of 100 Product Designers Working on a Smart Watch

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple has a team of about 100 product designers working on a wristwatch computer, according to "two people familiar with the company's plans." The New York Times previously reported that Apple had been "experimenting" with a curved glass smart watch, but Bloomberg believes that Apple's smart watch plans have moved beyond the experimental phase.

pebblewatch

The team, which has grown in the past year, includes managers, members of the marketing group and software and hardware engineers who previously worked on the iPhone and iPad, said the people, who asked not to be named because the plans are private. The team’s size suggests Apple is beyond the experimentation phase in its development, said the people.

Apple's senior director of engineering, James Foster, is said to be one of the managers working on the project, which happens to involve challenges like creating a smart watch that doesn't have to be charged every day. The smart watch, known colloquially by some as the "iWatch," would be able to do some of the same tasks as the iPad and iPhone.

Bloomberg also mentions that Apple had been planning a wearable fitness tracking device, much like Nike FuelBand or Jawbone Up, but that Apple had decided not to bring them to market. Apple CEO Tim Cook is a Nike board member and spoke about his own Nike FuelBand at the D10 Conference last year, also saying that wearable devices were an "interesting area" but that "the book hasn't been written on that one yet."

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
siri glow

iPhone Users Now Able to Submit Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Lawsuit

Wednesday May 7, 2025 11:40 am PDT by
If you owned a Siri-compatible device and had an accidental Siri activation between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you could be eligible for a payment from Apple as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. Apple in January agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving Siri spying accusations, and a website to distribute the funds has now been set up and...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17: What's New With the Cameras

Friday May 2, 2025 3:52 pm PDT by
We've still got months to go before the new iPhone 17 models come out, but a combination of dummy models and leaks have given us some insight into what we can expect in terms of camera changes. Apple is adding new camera features, and changing the design of the camera bump for some models. You might be skeptical of dummy models, but over the years, they've proven to be a highly accurate...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.5 Coming Soon, Here is What's New

Monday May 5, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
In its press release for the new Pride Band today, Apple said that iOS 18.5 is "upcoming," following more than a month of beta testing. We expect the iOS 18.5 Release Candidate to be released this week, and this should be the final beta version, barring any last-minute bugs or changes. The software update should then be released to the general public next week. iOS 18.5 is a relatively...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Said to Have Two Key Advantages

Monday May 5, 2025 6:41 am PDT by
Apple plans to release its first foldable iPhone next year, according to several reporters and analysts who cover the company. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the foldable iPhone will offer two key advantages over other foldable smartphones. First, he said the foldable iPhone will have a "nearly invisible" crease when unfolded. This means the device's...
Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

arn Avatar
160 months ago
@Spink10, I won't, even if there were 1000 people working on this watch. Check the watch's statistics in the real world. Not very popular. I hate the idea anyways. Make something else if you're trying to be ambitious.

It'll be a "watch" as much as the iPhone is a phone -- which is to say, that wont be its compelling purpose.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Feed Me Avatar
160 months ago
A team of 100? Do you think we: Samsung, feel remotely scared now? Is that your tactic? I've yet to see a mortal man beat the power of the beast contained within our headquarters.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spink10 Avatar
160 months ago
Ill buy one
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
160 months ago
I'm going to call BS on this.

Tim Cook said Apple will only enter a field if they can greatly improve it or disrupt it. I don't see how a "curved" glass watch disrupts anything. And I can't imagine that Apple would sell that many of these.
Does software not count for anything? Are you really picturing a curved watch that just shows the time?

arn
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MRU Avatar
160 months ago
I'd prefer Apple to employ an extra 1000 software developers so we can finally get updates to Mac software like iWorks 09, iLife 11.... rather than yet another 'me too' device.

http://www.sonymobile.com/us/products/accessories/smartwatch/
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nagromme Avatar
160 months ago
Here are my guesses as to what Apple's "next big thing" might be.

Some of these might happen in a small way instead, but when Apple does something big (probably only seen as big in hindsight!) I think it will be one of these:

• Wearable computing (whether standalone or as a companion device; wristwatch-style most likely)

• Automotive interfaces done right

• TV done right (may include apps, may serve as a game console)

• Home integration done right (remote control and timed control in new/easier ways?)

• Desktop touch computing done right (not just OS X with touch awkwardly shoehorned in, not just large-size iOS)

• Siri becoming something more (may include 3rd-party API, may include Siri’s AI in non-voice uses)

• VOIP done right (audio-only, evolution of FaceTime, breaking the US carrier mess)

• Mobile “wallet” functionality (ubiquitous payment, ID, keys; evolution of PassBook; fingerprint scanning)

I do NOT think it will be anything to do with augmented reality or virtual reality. I think those are awesome, but my list above is all things that MIGHT be of use to just about anyone. I see AR and VR being of interest to only a subsegment; AR because making it be widely useful would mean wearing something silly, and VR because it’s broadest appeal is only for certain kinds of gaming. (But give me a Rift! I’m the subsegment!)

And I’m not counting the many smaller enhancements to existing categories. We’ll see iOS 7+ (and OS X) drive lots of that evolution and it will be great, but I’m speculating on the next big thing that either becomes a new category or redefines an old one.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)