Apple is reportedly developing a smart watch, according to a number of news sources, as well as one of Apples earliest employees.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has been in talks with major manufacturing partner Hon Hai Precision Industry to manufacture a watch device.
Its currently unclear whether the watch would be a completely standalone device, or work as an accessory to the iPhone – sort of like an official version of the Pebble Watch, which can be hooked up to Android handsets – but, with the New York Times reporting that the watch will run on iOS, it looks like it could be standalone. The site also reports that the device could use a bendable screen, similar to the Willow Glass displays Corning revealed last year, to wrap around the users wrist – another key differentiator from the Pebble.
This speculation follows a blog post by Bruce Tognazzini, Apple Employee #66, who worked at the company 1978-1992. In it, Tognazzini floated the name iWatch, as well as outlining what functionality we could potentially expect to see from the device, and the problems of current smart watches which he believes Apple would circumvent. 
Its not the first time rumours have surfaced about such a device – like the reports in December that Apple was collaborating with Intel on a 1.5” smart watch which ran on Bluetooth – but Apple hasnt commented on any of the reports. So, for now at least, the iWatch will stay filed alongside the iTV and iShoe, as a rumoured Apple device which might never see the light of day.
Could the iWatch be Apples next big announcement, or is it just a symptom of the tech worlds impatience for the company to bring fresh innovation to its roster of products?
