Apple has gone as far as Mexico with its trademark filing request for the name “iWatch”, after it filed for a similar application in Japan recently, reports 9to5Mac . These reports further strengthen rumours that say Apple is developing a wearable device even as the company remains mum on the topic.
Apple first filed for the request on June 3 with Mexico’s Institute of Industrial Property, but the same was made public recently. The trademark request filing in Mexico contains Apple’s 1 Infinte Loop address and lists Maria Teresa Eljure Tellez as the name of the person who submitted the request for Apple. Tellez heads the Trademark department at the law firm Arochi, Marroquín, & Linder, S.C. in Mexico, and as per the report, the name of this firm has appeared on Apple’s trademark filings for the iPad and some other products.
Globe trotting with trademark filings? (Image credit: Yrving Torrealba)
Even as Tim Cook hinted at Apple exploring the “profound” area of wearables at the D11 Conference last month, rumours about the iWatch have been coming in thick and fast. It was reported in February that a 100-person team of product designers was working on the wristwatch-like device. Later that month, a patent filed with United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) showed that Apple was planning a slap-on bracelet that could be the iWatch.
Other rumours suggest the iWatch will be running a reworked version of iOS that will enable the device to allow users to “make calls, see the identity of incoming callers and check map co-ordinates.” The device is also set to have a pedometer and sensors that will monitor heart rate and collect health data.
However, we advise you to take these rumours with a fistful of salt, because applying for a name does not necessarily mean that Apple could be introducing a smartwatch soon.
Wearables are shaping up to be the next big thing as far as computing devices go. The rage kicked off by Pebble’s smartwatches last year is being backed up strongly by Google Glass. Smartwatches seem to be on every company’s mind, and Samsung and Microsoft too are said to be mulling over a smartwatch.