At first, that question sounds anachronistic: Haven’t we been enjoying all the benefits of two-way wrist radio and TV for some time, with cell and smartphones?
But the word is circulating that Apple — which hasn’t introduced a truly ground-breaking product in a while — is working on a device that would combine the retro wristwatch with a smartphone and the physical-activity monitors that Jawbone and others have been selling.
The company has discussed such a device with its major manufacturing partner Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., one of these people said, as part of explorations of potentially large product categories beyond the smartphone and tablet.
Apple’s efforts come as companies have introduced various kinds of wearable gadgets, mainly designed to measure physical activity. More sophisticated devices face big technical challenges, but also are attracting investments from large technology companies.
Foxconn, as Hon Hai is also known, has been working on a spate of technologies that could be used in wearable devices, one of these people said….
Capabilities that Apple is exploring for wearable devices remain unclear. But analysts and investors who have been tracking the field predict the company would release a product with many different functions and that the device would work closely with the iPhone…
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