Even as the excitement for the impending debut of Apple's first-ever smartwatch - dubbed iWatch - reaches fever pitch, putting a dampener on the frenzy is a new report which reveals that the wearable may disappoint.
How you ask? The iWatch's battery life may not be up to the mark and meet standards normally associated with Apple products. This tidbit comes courtesy of The Information's Jessica Lessin who cites Apple employees as her sources.
"In the build-up to the new Apple Watch, it is easy to get seduced by the rumored features. Curved screen! Wireless charging! Jony Ive thinks it's slick! But--and I hate to burst everyone's bubble here--the appeal of the world's most highly anticipated wearable computer is going to come down to something a lot more mundane: battery life," reveals Lessin.
The iWatch is set to make its debut on Sept. 9 and will launch in 2015 based on sources. The wearable will also support mobile payments and be voice-enabled.
Allegedly, Apple employees have "set low expectations" from the wearable owing to the battery life issue. However, information on how long the purported iWatch's battery may last is not forthcoming.
In March 2013, rumors suggested that Apple was encountering hiccups with the iWatch prototype as it was facing battery life problems. The wearable's battery was apparently lasting for a day or two, whereas the company was targeting four to five days.
Terrible battery life is one of the major concerns surrounding existing smartwatches as well. The Android-powered Moto 360 smartwatch has also been dogged by battery life issues.
Experts opine that one of the reasons for poor battery performance could be due to the fact that OEM's are deploying components meant for smartphones in the wearables. This factor may result in bulky designs for the wearables, as well as battery lasting for a shorter period. Moreover, touchscreens and colored displays also consume additional power.
By contrast, non-touchscreen based smartwatches with black and white screens like Pebble use less power and its battery can go up to a week.
The iWatch is speculated to deploy an OLED screen, which will consume comparatively less power than LCD screens. Moreover, Apple has also acquired companies like LuxVue and Passif who make power-efficient LEDs and chips. However, integrating these technologies into its upcoming devices may take some time.
A possibility exists that Apple is "sandbagging" the claims so that consumers don't have very high expectations from the iWatch. With Sept. 9 dawning on us, it remains to be seen what Apple will spring on us.
