Apple iWatch rumours get Dick Tracy fans excited

[View the story "Apple iWatch rumours put Dick Tracy fans on alert" on Storify]

Storified by CBC News Community· Mon, Feb 11 2013 18:26:29

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Rumours of an Apple wristwatch capable ofeverything from taking calls to paying for coffee has tech reporters in a tizzytoday after years of quiet speculation that such a device could actually be inthe works.

An article published in the New York Times Sunday stated that "people familiar with the company's explorations" had confirmed Apple is working on a wristwatch-like device at its Cupertino, Calif.headquarters.

No specs for the device were revealed by the twosources, but they did say the watch would be made of curved glass andoperate on Apple's iOS platform.

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As the Times' Nick Bilton pointed out, a numberof Apple execs including Timothy Cook (seen above wearing a Nike FuelBand) and Bob Mansfield have a recognizedinterest in wearable technology - an emerging field some say will eventuallyovertake the smartphone market.

They've also got the technology to make a curved-glasswristwatch possible through a company called Corning, which makes theincredibly strong "Gorilla Glass" used in some of Apple's current product offerings.

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Corning announced last June that, after a decade indevelopment, it had created a type of extremely thin and flexible glass called Willow Glass.

"You can certainly make it wrap around a cylindricalobject and that could be someone's wrist," Pete Bocko, Corning's chieftechnology officer told the Times. "Right now, if I tried to makesomething that looked like a watch, that could be done using this flexibleglass."

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According to CNET, Willow glass will bemass-produced by mid 2013. As for the iWatch? Don't hold your breath, says Macworld's Christopher Breen.

"Like the Apple TV before it, evidence of that watch's someday existence relies on hazy rumors from overseas manufacturing plants, the idea that watches are the thing because smart watch projects are appearing on Kickstarter, and because enough noise has been made about the thing that those running the Wall Street Journal and New York Times feel they'll look less like stodgy-old-poops-representing-a-dying-media if they weigh in on the thing," he writes, referencing the popular Pebble smart watch that made headlines for raising $10 million on Kickstarter last year.

On the Apple Watch watch | MacworldIf, in your world, Apple's actions are as intriguing as those of characters in a critically-acclaimed premium cable series, you're well a...

TechCrunch's Darrell Etherington agreed.

"Here's the thing: Apple builds stuff all the time. Literally all the time they're working on things, including the fabled Apple television set that has made Gene Munster's predictions one of the longest current running jokes in the tech industry today," he wrote. "There are still some major hurdles standing in the way of a shipping iWatch, and these are barriers that aren't likely to be overcome in, say, the next few years."

Apple Can Certainly Play Watchmaker, But Don't Expect Devices To Hit Your Wrist Any Time SoonApple iWatch rumors have hit the mainstream thanks to reports from both The New York Times' Nick Bilton and The Wall Street Journal's Jes...

Yet others, like Wired's Christina Bonnington remain optimistic, writing on the Gadget Lab blog that "It isn't a matter of 'if' Apple creates asmartwatch, but rather 'when' and 'why."

For fans of Dick Tracy, James Bond and Penny from Inspector Gadget, the prospect of a wristwatch that can perform a myriad of communicative tasks is a fictional fantasy come to life.

I had a MS Dick Tracy watch. Can't wait for Apple's iWatch. http://pic.twitter.com/Lv1iYltmguspinto

Dick Tracy had the right idea back in the 40s, no? Apple developing wristwatch device, reports say. http://trib.in/YlWHiPColonelTribune

Amused that, because of the rumored Apple watch, people are talking about Dick Tracy for the first time since the movie came out.A. Mike

Apple needs to make sure they design their new watch to be as good as Inspector Gadget's. http://pic.twitter.com/HB3OrkVnScott L

Apple is working on the Inspector Gadget watch?!?!?!?!!! Word??? Def getting one .... W/o a doubt !!! LolEric

Just read an article about Apple possibly making a James Bond - esque "smart watch." http://pic.twitter.com/W8YiwZetßreezy

Some Apple fans have already come up with conceptmodels for an iWatch. Designer Yvring Torrealba's was published on his ownwebsite more than a year ago.

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Federico Ciccarese created his "iSiri" concept in November.

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Anders Kjelberg's iWatch hit the web in July of 2012. Without a curved glass band, it more closely resembles the iPod Nano wrist-straps some people already use to make their own "iWatches," but it's impressive nonetheless.

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As with almost any rumoured Apple product release, fake prototypes are being pushed into social networks for fun.

EXCLUSIVE photo of new Apple iWatch prototype http://pic.twitter.com/cLfhkKgTjoshgreenman

. @levie found a leaked prototype of the iWatch. Headphones not included. http://pic.twitter.com/zMntl3VyTheo

Apple $AAPL testing futuristic style wrist watch: Prototype image, as seen on the #Jetsons -> http://cdn2.chipchick.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Jetsons8.png http://pic.twitter.com/RHSjGYqpGeenaMidtown

What are your thoughts on the Apple iWatch? Is another iDevice simply overkill, or would you want one if it had the right features?

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