Wild speculation has abounded that Apple's next game-changing gizmo is set to be its iWatch.
Billed as a smartphone you can wear on your wrist, the iWatch could be the Cupertino company’s answer to Google's Glass.
The new device was first reported on Bloomberg, which said that Apple has a team of about 100 product designers working on a wristwatch-like device that could perform some of the same functions as the iPhone and iPad.
Apple's new chief executive, Tim Cook, has yet to launch a new flagship device since he took over the company, following the death of Steve Jobs. While Jobs changed the music, mobile phone and mobile computing sectors irrevocably with the launch of the iPod, iPhone and iPad respectively, Cook has yet to introduce anything as head-turning as those devices. Faced with growing industry pressure and a sliding share price, the Apple iWatch is expected to be that device.
Expectations for the iWatch are already high, with many predicting that it will be nothing short of a wearable computer.
The website MyVoucherCodes , for instance, commissioned Nickolay Lamm to create a rendering of what the new device could look like. His concept, which has circulated across the web, features a circular watch with a touchscreen and a “spiral” user interface.
Apple had applied for a patent for a spiral interface back in 2010 for its iPod but has never used the design.
Most interestingly, Lamm's fantasy iWatch is a device that can be controlled from your iPhone. This makes sense because the large screen on the iPhone would make the small watch much easier to navigate.
It many ways, this is a smartphone watch and the latest in a line of Apple accessories which will work seamlessly across its range of devices.
As for what people will use it for, few think the iWatch's primary role will be to tell the time.
Apple already has a patent for wireless charging, so there's every possibility this will be introduced in the device - meaning you would never have to take it off your wrist. Voice activation, as featured in Google Glass, could be key in navigating the watch.
What's more, this could be the perfect fitness device - equipped with the ability to track how many calories you’re burning, how many miles you're walking and what your heart rate is at any given time.
As Apple accessories stand, the iWatch, is still in the realms of fantasy. But here on OneWiseMac, you can get a smartphone watch already. For £109.99 we have the COOKOO Watch which can keep you connected to your iPhone or iPad, even if your device is out of sight, using Bluetooth and the free iPhone app. The COOKOO watch will keep you informed of incoming and missed calls, text messages, emails, Facebook messages and other reminders. More functionality will come as the app develops.