Even though it is nothing more than a rumor and "unnamed leaks," Apple's unannounced "iWatch" has reportedly run into major manufacturing problems that could push any unveiling date back significantly.
Apple Insider, citing Taiwanese tech industry publication DigiTimes, is reporting that the company is experiencing poor yield rates stemming from difficulties applying surface treatments on the metal injection molded (MIM) chassis. MIM is a process used in mass production of precision products with complicated industrial design that allows for special shapes and rigidness.
Considering Apple is often focused on design, it is easy to see why this kind of delay would be terrible for the company and the product. This is especially true considering the fact that the wearable technology market – especially watches – is gearing up for what could be a major boom in 2014.
Multiple companies including heavyweights like Google, Samsung, Nokia and Microsoft and startups like Pebble, have or are planning on releasing smart watches and other kinds of wearable tech. Whether or not consumers are going to jump on the bandwagon is still yet to be seen, but the market will be flooded with options and Apple's will be the most anticipated.
If the iWatch or whatever it is actually called is able to gain a foothold, businesses will need to make sure they can handle this kind of Mac integration as successfully as they were able to with the iPad or iPhone. An IT consulting firm that specializes in Apple products can become a valuable resource to handling this kind of deployment.
