a trademark application the iWatch Apple Inc. has filed fueling rumors of a “smartwatch,” Bloomberg reports. The application for the trademark was filed on June 3 and published by the Japanese patent office on June 27, in the “computer or watch” category, but it does not provide further details about how the Apple iWatch will work.
The trademark application is seen as an indirect confirmation of Apple's plans, which has long been reported to be employing 100 scientists to build its own smartwatch. Apple CEO Tim Cook called the idea of a wrist-worn gadget interesting when asked at the WSJ's AllThingsD conference which of the much-discussed wearable gadgets could succeed, adding, however, that the endeavor will not be so easy, since young people do not wear watches and someone will have to convince them to do so.
Meanwhile, Sony unveiled in Shanghai its most advanced smartwatch available today, the waterproof Sony Smartwatch 2.It's a second screen for your Android smartphone, Sony says, a multi-functional watch that brings your notifications, emails, calls and messages, as well as 200 Android apps to your wrist. With these, Sony aims to win the lion's share of a market that will be flooded with "smart" watches - in particular, in 2016 it is estimated that 41 million smartwatches will be sold.
Google is also reportedly working on its own video game console, a smartwatch, and a second version of the Internet-based movie and music player that was designed in 2012 but never released. All devices will run on the Android operating system.
