Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple's 'iWatch' Trademarking Spree Also Includes Taiwan and Mexico [Updated]
In addition to filing for a trademark on the term "iWatch" in Russia and Japan on June 3, we have discovered that Apple filed for a trademark in Taiwan, which follows a report from 9to5Mac that Apple filed in Mexico as well, bringing the total number of trademark filings to four.
Apple's Taiwan Filing
In both iWatch trademark filings discovered today, Apple Inc. is listed as the company behind the requests and the company’s Infinite Loop address in Cupertino, California is included on the applications. The filing in Mexico was submitted via Mexico-based law firm Arochi, Marroquín, & Linder, S.C, which has worked with Apple on other product trademarks.
News of the iWatch, which is one possible name for Apple's rumored smart watch, first surfaced in late 2012 and was followed by a patent application for a wraparound-style “wearable video device” in February.
According to reports, Apple has a team of 100 product designers working on the watch, which may include a 1.5–2.0 inch OLED display along with biometrics, iPod nano touch technology, and the ability to interact with existing iOS devices.
While it has been suggested that Apple's smart watch could launch later this year, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has instead targeted a late 2014 release date for the iWatch, suggesting that Apple is not quite ready to ramp up production for a 2013 debut.
Update: Apple also appears to have filed for an iWatch trademark in Turkey through Pinar Arikan, an attorney who has worked with the company in the past. While the filing does not list Apple as the applicant, it was filed on the same June 3 date as the other applications.
Update 2: Apple has also filed for the mark in Colombia and Chile.
Update 3: A tipster has also pointed us to a filing in India, bringing the total number of international filings discovered so far to nine, including the original December 2012 application in Jamaica that Apple is using to establish priority.
In both iWatch trademark filings discovered today, Apple Inc. is listed as the company behind the requests and the company’s Infinite Loop address in Cupertino, California is included on the applications. The filing in Mexico was submitted via Mexico-based law firm Arochi, Marroquín, & Linder, S.C, which has worked with Apple on other product trademarks.
News of the iWatch, which is one possible name for Apple's rumored smart watch, first surfaced in late 2012 and was followed by a patent application for a wraparound-style “wearable video device” in February.
According to reports, Apple has a team of 100 product designers working on the watch, which may include a 1.5–2.0 inch OLED display along with biometrics, iPod nano touch technology, and the ability to interact with existing iOS devices.
While it has been suggested that Apple's smart watch could launch later this year, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has instead targeted a late 2014 release date for the iWatch, suggesting that Apple is not quite ready to ramp up production for a 2013 debut.
Update: Apple also appears to have filed for an iWatch trademark in Turkey through Pinar Arikan, an attorney who has worked with the company in the past. While the filing does not list Apple as the applicant, it was filed on the same June 3 date as the other applications.
Update 2: Apple has also filed for the mark in Colombia and Chile.
Update 3: A tipster has also pointed us to a filing in India, bringing the total number of international filings discovered so far to nine, including the original December 2012 application in Jamaica that Apple is using to establish priority.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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76 months ago
I think these tech companies are going to get a huge shock when they enter the wearable accessories market ... I kind of wish Apple wouldn't be the first in on this one, let the competition make the mistakes and bring out a brilliant product further down the track.
There has been a variety of unsuccessful smartwatches in the past. Nothing major but the situation is similar to the iPad and the pre-iPad "tablet PCs".
If the past repeats itself again, competitors following Apple in the smartwatch trend should still make mistakes in their first iterations and take like 2-3 years to catch up. That's enough for Apple to make some $ and secure itself the advantages associated with a good marketshare for the future (large app selection, third party accessories, content deals)...
76 months ago
Currently, Apple largely targets these people who buy/wear $2,000 status symbols (and more realistically try $200,000+ status symbols). The iPhone is the absolute top of the range smartphone you can buy that has brilliant design and build quality. The iPhone is something celebrities and millionaires alike love to flaunt, because it's a stunning looking product. Same goes for all of Apple's current products.
These people love using iPods, iPads, iPhones, iMacs etc because they're the best things they can buy and they come with a sense of prestige. It's also why we all want the devices.
But I don't see Roger Federer walking around using his iPhone sporting the iWatch ... I think the iWatch is going to be targeting a very, very different audience than Apple's current target market and I don't think it's going to be anywhere near as successful because of this.
At least in the U.S., iPhones are not status symbols. Most middle-class people can afford them; they're nothing like high-end Rolexes.
And Apple targets average consumers, not millionaires and celebrities. They market themselves as the premium brand but not a luxury brand.
76 months ago
Well...looks like...(puts on sunglasses)...we'll have to watch what happens.
YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
76 months ago
I wonder if the iWatch (watch as a verb) is the TV and the whole wrist thing (watch as a noun) was a massive curve ball thrown at the speculators. That'd be an awesome move. Not sure about an actual watch (as a noun) though, but I'll have to wait and see.
76 months ago
I think these tech companies are going to get a huge shock when they enter the wearable accessories market ... I kind of wish Apple wouldn't be the first in on this one, let the competition make the mistakes and bring out a brilliant product further down the track.
76 months ago
1. Just because they're buying up all the "iWatch" name rights around the world doesn't necessarily mean they're planning to actually release an iWatch device in the near future. Sometimes companies buy up particular naming rights just in case they decide to use that name later down the line.
2a. If it's basically just another iOS which you happen to be able to wear on your wrist, then it'll wind up being in the same category as AppleTV, meaning it'll be a nice additional accessory to complement a few people's apple ecosystems, but it won't set the world on fire.
2b. However, if they add additional features to it that none of us have thought about yet which radically increases the usefulness and/or fun of the iWatch, then it could potentially be a big hit.
IMO, if the iWatch happens at all I believe it'll fall more into the AppleTV category rather than the iPhone/iPad blockbuster hit category. But time will tell.
2a. If it's basically just another iOS which you happen to be able to wear on your wrist, then it'll wind up being in the same category as AppleTV, meaning it'll be a nice additional accessory to complement a few people's apple ecosystems, but it won't set the world on fire.
2b. However, if they add additional features to it that none of us have thought about yet which radically increases the usefulness and/or fun of the iWatch, then it could potentially be a big hit.
IMO, if the iWatch happens at all I believe it'll fall more into the AppleTV category rather than the iPhone/iPad blockbuster hit category. But time will tell.
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