Here’s the source: The Economic Daily News, a Chinese-language business newspaper.
Here’s how likely it is that this will actually happen: It’s not impossible! Apple may very well release an iWatch this fall — perhaps in September, at the same time as its next iPhone — or it may not. There just haven’t been enough solid leaks or reliable rumors to predict with any confidence if or when Apple might release a smartwatch.
Generally, the source of an Apple rumor can tell you much about whether that rumor might come true. In this case, it does not. The Economic Daily News has never published an Apple product release rumor before. It has no track record for being either reliable or irresponsible.
This report basically corroborates the existing common wisdom, which is that Apple will debut some kind of fitness-tracking, Internet-connected wristwatch by the end of the year. Google and Samsung have both announced exciting new watches this year, and there is a ton of circumstantial evidence, including new hires and a loaded quote by Apple CEO Tim Cook, that points to Apple releasing its own wrist-based device.
But, to rain on this iWatch parade, we still haven’t heard an iWatch release rumor from anyone worth trusting. That doesn’t mean this rumor is incorrect; it just means you shouldn’t throw away your Rolex because of an article in the Economic Daily News.
Stay tuned for more on the iWatch: We should be learning a lot more about whether this device is real as the summer progresses. Now go take your Rolex out of the trash can; that thing’s expensive.
