iWatch set to become timeless tech must-have

Apple’s eagerly anticipated iWatch could become a defining product which allows Tim Cook finally step out of the shadow of Steve Jobs, according to analysts.

The device will reportedly sport curved glass and have a full version of Apple’s iOS software when it hits shops later this year.

“This can be a $6bn [€4.6bn] opportunity for Apple, with plenty of opportunity for upside if they create something totally new like they did with the iPod — something consumers didn’t even know they needed,” said analyst Oliver Chen.

Apple has confirmed nothing so far about the design, as is its policy, but experts have gleaned together some details.

Design guru Jony Ive, who worked closely with Steve Jobs, is leading the design with a team of 100 engineers.

“Besides owning many high-end models himself, he had his team visit watch factories and ordered boxes of a sports watch made by Nike Inc in the mid-2000s,” reported the Bloomberg news agency.

The glass touchscreen will “curve” around your wrist and will feature most of the iPhone’s functionality.

Corning — the firm that supplies phone-makers with the tough and rugged glass for their screens — is behind a new design called Willow Glass, which can flex and bend under pressure.

It might look like a slap bracelet that clicks closed around your wrist.

Apple has already filed 80 patent applications that include the word “wrist”.

Both Bloomberg and US technology network The Verge say a full version of iOS on the wristwatch is still a possibility. The iWatch will also reportedly feature accelerometers, pedometers, and other sensors for monitoring health data, including your heart rate.