The Russian trademark filing, made on June 3 through law firm Baker & McKenzie, claims a priority registration date of December 3, 2012 in Jamaica. Apple and other companies frequently file first in Caribbean countries such as Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago where records are not easily searchable online, using those priority dates to help secure protection in other countries at later dates.
According to the filing, Apple has applied for protection on the "iWatch" name in two trademark classes: Class 9, which includes computers and peripherals; and Class 14, which includes various types of jewelry such as watches.
Drawing from Apple patent application for a "slap bracelet" video accessory resembling a smart watch
Izvestia reports that Apple faces a bit of competition for the iWatch name in markets around the world, including in the United States where multiple companies have received trademarks on variations of the term in Class 9. Even in Russia, another company's 2011 application for the iWatch trademark in Class 14 was denied due to similarities to an existing "iSwatch" trademark held by Swiss watchmaker Swatch.
While efforts by Apple to protect the "iWatch" name are suggestive of plans to launch such a product, they are by no means definitive. In the lead-up to the iPad launch, we discovered that Apple had been seeking to secure rights to iSlate trademarks and domain names, only to later discover evidence that it was also protecting the iPad name. Both of those efforts were performed with the use of dummy corporations designed to hide Apple's role in securing the names, but it appears that Apple is not resorting to such measures with the iWatch name.
(Thanks to Anastasia Spilnick of PATENTUS for directing us to the actual filing.)
Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more.
Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1.
Release Date
Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors.
...
Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below.
Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas.
The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing.
Test Settings
I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
Monday October 27, 2025 7:41 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
You will "soon" be able to add a digital version of your U.S. passport to your iPhone, according to Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.
Bailey reiterated that the feature is coming soon during her keynote at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas on Sunday.
On its iOS 26 page, Apple says the delayed feature will be "coming later this year."
Apple's...
Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week.
The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included.
macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
Monday October 27, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by Juli Clover
For the 10th anniversary iPhone that came out in 2017, Apple introduced the iPhone X with Face ID, notch, and minimized bezels, providing more display space than ever before. The 20th iPhone anniversary is approaching and Apple wants to take the iPhone X design even further.
We're two years away from the 2027 iPhone, but it's tough for Apple to keep major changes under wraps. We've rounded...
Hmmm to me a watch is more about fashion. I don't really understand why I would want a smart watch when I have a smart phone sitting in my pocket that does the same things better and with a bigger screen. The only benefit would be for working out and it having bluetooth or some type of wireless audio and have storage so I don't have to carry my phone on me. also relaying and tracking heart rate would be handy.
Still probably not worth what I'd have to spend on it I'll just keep using my phone for music when I work out. Its not that heavy. :p
A few years ago people would have said "I don't understand why I would want a smart phone when I have a laptop sitting on my desk that does the same things better and with a bigger screen." ;)
Have to say... I think Apple may pull something out of the hat on Monday. The WWDC invitations seem to me to hint at a watch. Roman numerals, and the first W is cut off and looks to me like it is meant to look like a watch hand.
