Less than 24 hours after the Japan and Russia trademark surfaced, Apple filed for trademark registrations for iWatch, a gadget worn on the wrist that does a lot more than keep the time, in at least four countries, including Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Turkey and Taiwan, according to MacRumors.
Although this does not mean the imminent arrival of Apple's smartwatch, it does strongly suggest that a high-technology wristwatch is underway and it may be available next year.
Apple already owns the iWatch trademark in Russia and Jamaica. According to venturebeat.com, anyone can file any trademark in almost any country, without a specific intention to actually introduce a real product, which means that Apple's attempt to get the iWatch trademark could be blocked in numerous countries if it simply launched a major new product by squatters.
Probendi, an Italian software company, has registered the name "iWatch" in the European Union.
The U.S. is the only country that requires a company to have an actual, factual product that it's bringing to market before it awards a trademark, called "proof of use". Which is, presumably, why Apple hasn't filed yet in the U.S., venturebeat.com pointed out.
Apple is apparently testing 1.5-inch OLED screens for iWatch, which could be a landmark in the development of so-called wearable technology that turns the human body into a mobile computing and communications platform.
"Yes, the iWatch is going to come, and it has already triggered a lot of similar products from the competition," said Tom Kang, an analyst at Counterpoint Research. "It will definitely be a significant steppingstone, on our view."
A number of companies, including Apple's biggest rival, Samsung Electronics, are said to be working on watches that synchronize with smartphones or that provide smartphone-like functions.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised "amazing new products" for this fall and throughout 2014. He said that wearable products were ripe for exploration, but added he was skeptical, including about Google Inc's recently unveiled Glass which combines a mobile computer and eyeglasses.
"There's nothing that's going to convince a kid who has never worn glasses or a band or a watch to wear one, or at least I haven't seen it," Cook said.
No details on the device have surfaced yet, but for the moment, Apple is trying to protect the brand iWatch--though not its features.
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