Apple's 'iTime' Patent Hints at Possible iWatch Features

A new patent granted to Apple by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a device called 'iTime' reveals what we might see in the company's much-anticipated smartwatch device.

Believed to be called the iWatch (but referred to in a picture as 'iTime'), Apple has patented a wristband wearable device that supports both arm and wrist gestures and features sensor-filled straps. In theory, this could allow users to answer an incoming call by flicking or shaking their wrist.

In one diagram, the device shows it can be removed entirely from the straps and can also serve as a portable media player.

Image: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

The display is square-shaped (unlike the Moto 360 smartwatch) and alludes to the concept of having an iPod nano serve as the centerpiece. The patent mentioned accelerometers, GPS modules, Wi-Fi radios and haptic feedback, which applies vibrations and recreates the sense of touch and motion to the user.

The patent, first spotted by Apple Insider, highlights that the connected wearable syncs with iPhones, iPads and other computers in what it calls a 'personal wireless environment'.

While it was first believed the iWatch may get an early fall launch date, production and distribution challenges may push back its debut to late fall.

The device is expected to come with a flexible AMOLED display with sapphire cover glass, marking the first time the company has integrated that type of display into a consumer product. Complications related to 'operation circuitry' (and shrinking it down to smartwatch size), as well as making it a fully waterproof device and redesigning iOS to fit on a smaller screen, are big indicators that we might not see the iWatch for another few months.

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