back to article Apple's iWatch may be DELAYED over sapphire glass supply problems

Problems with Apple's sapphire glass supply chain could mean the Apple iWatch will only be released in small numbers this year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted. The latest leaked note from the respected KGI Securities bod has claimed that production of the iWatch will be moved back September to November. Kuo also …

  1. John 104

    Here we go

    For now, it has been a funny novelty seeing the new digital watches on a wrist here or there. Once the iWatch comes out, it will be this Amazing New Thing (invented by Apple of course) and every hipster douche from Seattle to LA will be wearing one and acting oh so smug. It will be the iPod all over again. (remember when all the iPod punters proudly flaunted their cheap shit .99c headphones attached to their $600 USB drives?) Barf.

    1. ThomH

      Re: Here we go

      It probably wasn't published in your version of reality but from MacWorld's contemporaneous review of the original iPhone — http://www.macworld.com/article/1058733/iphone_rev.html :

      "... the volume buttons are located a bit too close to the switch, and on several occasions I found myself pushing the switch (which won’t budge) in a vain attempt to boost the iPhone’s volume."

      "It’s a standard 3.5-millimeter jack—the very same sort used on the iPod—but because it’s recessed many third-party headphones won’t fit, especially if they’ve got a large plug or one that turns at a 90-degree angle. It’s too bad that a clunky add-on accessory will be necessary for aficionados of high-quality headphones"

      "On the iPhone’s back face is the tiny lens of its compact, two-megapixel camera. It doesn’t zoom and doesn’t work well in low light"

      "... the lack of [copy and paste] to transfer text from one place to another can generally hamper interaction between different iPhone programs."

      "The iPhone also lacks a quick-dial feature that you’ll find on many other phones"

      "Moreover, the iPhone doesn’t filter mail, nor does it have any built-in spam catcher. That means if you’re relying on a client-side filtering program ... you’ll be stunned at the amount of spam you’ll see on your iPhone."

      "Steve Jobs has promoted the Web-browsing experience on the iPhone as one that brings you the “real Internet” ... Apple has brought the iPhone most of the way toward that goal, but it still falls a few notable steps short. ... there are a few limitations that prevent Safari on iPhone from truly showing the real Internet. The biggest is the fact that perhaps the most common browser plug-in in existence, Adobe’s Flash, is nowhere to be found."

      "The bad news is that Text can’t send MMS messages [...] Because of this limitation, you can’t send a picture you snap with the iPhone’s camera to another phone via Text. [...] What’s worse, the iPhone has no support for any Internet-based instant-messaging network. "

      "... the Notes program is fairly useless. ... And not to get too font-nerdy on you, but the Marker Felt font used in Notes is extremely ugly and, sadly, can’t be changed."

      "The only thing missing from the Maps equation is that the iPhone doesn’t know where it is. Not via built-in GPS (it has none), nor by triangulating signal strengths from nearby cellular phone towers."

      "I’m aware of numerous complaints from iPhone buyers ... about long, drawn-out issues with activating their phones. Still others have complained about poor customer service on the part of Apple and AT&T during the product’s first days of existence."

      1. John 104

        Re: Here we go

        @Thomh

        Really, I didn't pay much attention to iProduct reviews back when the phone came out. Couldn't be bothered. Obviously, though, my version of reality was in check since it lined up nicely with the review.

        That being said, all of the above point to how idiotic the masses were for gobbling up iPhones when they were the hot item. I'm confident that the new iWatch thingie will be no different in its first (second,third) iteration, yet people will line up for days to get one ahead of the launch just to be "cool." Just goes to show how pathetic peeps are to fall for Apples marketing machine.

        1. ThomH

          Re: Here we go @John 104

          The quotes were meant to show that even the best selling Apple-related press doesn't blindly do "Wow! Apple's revolutionised everything, again! That's the third time this year!" but I actually think the original iPhone was a fantastic deal — don't forget to factor in the unlimited data versus the 18p/megabyte sort of charging that was common at the time. Though you'll recall that Symbian kept the vast majority of the market more or less up until Android came of age, so I don't think it would be accurate to say that the majority of people were sold.

      2. Steve I

        Re: Here we go

        But compared to the phone i had (running Win Mob, IIRC), I wasn't too sassauge-fingered to find anything wrong with the buttons, my headphones fitted, the camera was better, could have done with C&P, quick-dial: meh (Just dial a favourite or contact), far better browser and more useable with the massive increase in data over my 500Kb allowance, MMS - never sentine in my life and why would I when I could send an email? Notes - as good as Outlook and perfectly adequate, it did triangulate cell towers which my phone didn't (and see data allowance above).

        Plus the OS was smooth and intuitive.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Here we go

      I see so many people wearing these Samsung watches that it can only mean that they must be the 'next must have now'.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Here we go

      Something even more useful than an iWatch:

      I'm going to patent the square wheel and fit them to my motorcycle.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Headmaster

        Re: Here we go

        "I'm going to patent the square wheel and fit them to my motorcycle."

        I think you'll find that Gem from Bang Goes The Theory has prior art on that when he tried to jump a moped with square wheels. Mythbusters also have prior art.

  2. Alan Denman

    Over supply ?

    By all accounts sapphire prices have dropped of recent.

    Obviously the sapphire ones will be marked up another $100 ++++

    Any shortage, however contrived comes in very very hand

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Delayed?

    How can an unannounced product with no confirmed release date (or even confirmation from the manufacturer of its existence) be delayed?

    In that same sense the brand new BMW Rocket powered hyper moon blaster has also been delayed due to a shortage of unobtainum! BMW wont confirm they are about to put it into production but an industry analyst pinky swore it was true, and there were no backsies called so it much be fact.

    1. VinceH

      Re: Delayed?

      I believe this may also be why we don't have hover boards and flying cars.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Delayed?

      It's Apple, they can't have a product launch without limited supplies. Nobody would buy it if it's not in demand and they can't be one of the select few cool kids.

  4. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
    Happy

    Note to Casio

    Got any patents that Apple may infring?

    1. MrT

      Re: Note to Casio...

      ...or even Seiko - genuine diamondique glass set in a stainless steel, black or mock gold case. IIRC, the clip-on keyboard didn't get that last option...

  5. Gene Cash Silver badge

    Watches

    It's funny, I've never worn a watch, but I was recently given a very nice one in recognition of avoiding being fired for 15 years. I'll never manage that again, so I took the watch as a physical token instead of the money offered.

    It charges itself through a solar cell under the face, and sets itself every night using the WWVB radio service, so it's maintenance free. And yes, it has a sapphire crystal.

    Now it's become something sentimental I actually wear every day, but I *still* can't tell the time with it!

    1. Pet Peeve

      Re: Watches

      Why? Is it silver hands on a silver face (I had a watch like that once), or are you still in kindergarten or something?

      Other than digitals (which I absolutely loathe) I love watches and feel naked when not wearing one.

      1. 0laf
        Facepalm

        Re: Watches

        I love watches. The one I have on is mechanical but it has sapphire glass and I think it's quite 'smart'.

        Can't stand the clunk of a quartz analogue watch ticking. I've no objection to a digital watch, I've got a G-Shock, but the idea of having to plug in a watch to charge every day just sounds awful.

        Even mechanical watches will charges themselves through the movement of your wrist, Seiko has kinetic watches which recharge batteries through the same idea. Might have been a nice idea if the Smart watch people had looked back at the last 1000yr of watch making and come up with something a bit more innovative than plugging it in

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Analysis problem

    The issue here is that the analyst who claims a shortage is basing it on market metrics that don't apply to Apple. They built and own the factory which GT operates, none of its output is sold on the open market, and as far as anyone knows Apple is filling all their needs from their own factory rather than supplementing it over the open market. Especially if it is some type of sapphire composite rather than pure crystalline sapphire that is not as flexible as the material the videos have shown.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Does this mean instead of holding it wrong.. They are manufacturing it wrong?

  8. agricola
    Boffin

    Another Apple 'Red Herring', for certain.

    All Apple has is to do is pay Canonical money.

    If you remember. Canonical was prepared to offer the Ubuntu Edge with not just a sapphire glass screen, but a SAPPHIRE screen.

    With the "self-appointed-benevolent-dictator-for-life" 's prediction of sales of at least ten million of anything he proposes or promises, he SURELY knows that there is enough sapphire in the world to support these kinds of numbers, and had the supplier "...lined up...", as he always does.

    Apple: get in touch with SABDFL. What have you got to lose? That can only have two outcomes: solve all your problems, or cneate new ones.

  9. Pet Peeve

    I was going to replace my kickstarter pebble with their new Steel, but Pebble's customer support is so terrible that I'm done giving them my money. The pebble could REALLY use a sapphire watch glass - the thing is a scratch magnet.

    I'll definitely be checking out the iWatch - you really don't realize how handy a smartwatch is until you've used one for a while.

  10. Anonymoist Cowyard
    Joke

    Mystical Sapphire glass

    just what when it arrives, it's going to be AWESOME. I can already feel the hype building, I mean first we get RETINA displays and now SAPPHIRE GLASS, OMG OMG OMG...

    I don't care how long it takes and how many elves and pixies it takes to mine it from Jupiter (they do mine this stuff on Jupiter right?), just sell me an iPhone 6 and a iWatch....

  11. StimuliC

    Another Analyst trying to lower Apple stock so that his bosses can buy low

    Yep, that's really what Analysts do, they are like old fisher wives, they tattle little tales here and there, get the stock to drop and then once their bosses have purchased stock at a lower price they spread a different rumour that pushes the stock back up again so their bosses can sell and make a profit.

    Personally I doubt that they are actually making a watch and could simply be going the 'Google route' and making a micro-OS designed to work in a similar way as an interface to the Apple iPhone and then may bring out their own iWatch but will also allow 3rd party 'real watch makers' design devices that look really good and use the OS to make them Apple iPhone Friendly. Much like the 'Apple in the Car' or whatever they called it.

    Let's face it, anyone with some smarts will realize that nobody wants a watch that looks like a cannibalized flip-phone from the 90's! Something Samsung and LG etc have been really good at doing.

    Either way, I am not holding my breath, if they bring out an iWatch I still won't be buying it. I stopped wearing watches when I didn't have to worry so much about time because I was guaranteed to break the watch face or the strap or even the whole watch.

    I was watching TWiT.TV when the presenter on the news, Mike Elgan, was wetting himself at what he might get for himself at the Google I/O and which watch they might get as a freebie. While he was away at Google I/O his Boss Leo Laporte made a comment about how the lottery system for tickets was still a farce and that they should just stop giving away stuff at I/O events because of the number of people that were going JUST TO GET THE EXPENSIVE 'FREE' GIFT and taking away from the developers that couldn't go because the seats were taken up by the freeloaders who knew that the $900 cost of the ticket for those that were not 'freeloading journo's" was usually far less than they would pay for the 'free stuff', in this case they probably broke even with the choice of a Samsung or LG smartwatch and a voucher for that would make the Motorola 360 Free.

    It is amazing though that many of the 'journalists' have already quit wearing their freebies and gone back to bare wrists. I wonder how many people that buy these stop wearing them when they get tired of the constant vibration and notifications and the screen lighting up a theatre when they happen to brush their hand against it.

    In fact, when I was wearing a bluetooth headset alongside my iPhone 5 (God Rest it's soul, dearly departed and missed so much) I just held in the button on the bluetooth and said TIME and that nice Siri voice told me the time into my ear. Why would I want to have something on my wrist to do that. Similarly I could ask it to remind me that I had an appointment in 2 hours. Didn't need a freaking smart watch to do that either.

    When the iPhone 6 is launched this Nexus 5 will be given to a friend that has a Samsung Galaxy G2 and it will give her a newer phone with lots of accessories that she can use on the Network she is on and I can get back to normal. Even if they just make a 4 inch iPhone 6 and it doesn't grow any I will be happy, I'll just carry a magnifying glass with me wherever I go or ask Siri.

    LOL

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