Apple iWatch Will Compete In A Space With 'A lot Of Problems'

Apple Inc. is getting ready to join Google Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and a number of
startups by unveiling several versions of its smartwatch -- which is being referred to as the
iWatch -- later in 2014, according to sources, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday.

The wearable gadgets will reportedly feature over 10 sensors to monitor health and fitness data. And by the August or September, Quanta Computer Inc. will reportedly begin making the Apple smartwatches.

With enthusiasm for both tablets and smartphones waning lately, Apple and its competitors see the wearable device market as a potential new big opportunity.

But according to ABI Research, worldwide shipments of
wearable devices -- smartwatches and activity
trackers among them -- totaled about 2.9 million units in the first quarter, the Journal reported.

That's roughly only 1 percent of the 300 million smartphones that were shipped in the same period.

In that quarter, Apple sold 43.7 million iPhones, the company said.

As for Samsung, it has beat Apple to market with several wearable devices, including the
Gear Fit wristband.

But a number of industry watchers think that Apple, considering its proven ability to succeed with new product segments, will get the job done more effectively than other companies.

Nick Spencer, an ABI Research analyst, feels that Apple's talent for designing both hardware and
software and merging them effectively gives the Cupertino, California, company an advantagebover the competition.

Apple has hired designers, engineers and executives from the medical device world and
the fashion industry to work on its smartwatch, sources told the Journal.

The company has been
working on ways to allow the smartwatch sensors to track blood pressure and hydration
levels, the sources said.

According to the Journal, someone at one of Apple's component suppliers said the tech giant expects to ship between 10 million and 15
million smartwatches in 2014.

To compare, Apple sold 1.1 million iPhones during the first
quarter it was available in 2007.

For Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook , wearable devices is an area that provides great opportunity simply because of what's currently out there.

"There are lots of gadgets in this space right now, but there's nothing great out there," Cook
said at a conference in 2013.

"There are a lot of
problems to solve in this space.