Thursday Apple Rumors: No iWatch Until 2014

by Christopher Freeburn | May 23, 2013 12:28 pm

[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

Not So Fast: Apple (AAPL[3]) will not release a high-tech smartwatch until late next year[4], AppleInsider notes. The prediction comes from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Most analysts had expected the company to debut the wristwatch this year. Over the past few months, rumors have suggested that the company was testing prototypes and had assigned a team of 100 designers and technicians to the project. Kuo says that the iWatch will feature a screen between 1.5 and 2 inches in size, using GF2 screen technology. Kuo predicts that the iWatch will feature user identification and biometric capabilities, assisting with health management and identity theft prevention. The watch will integrate with other iOS devices using the iPod Nano’s application processor.

Incentive: Apple has made user of Ireland’s tax laws to reduce its overseas taxes for decades[5], Reuters notes. CEO Tim Cook appeared before the Senate this week to handle questions about the company’s tax practices. Cook noted that Apple pays billions in taxes and complies with existing tax rules. He urged lawmakers to enact reforms that make it easier for companies to return overseas profits to the U.S. Apple launched operations in Ireland in 1980, taking advantage of the country’s low tax rates. By channeling revenue through its Ireland-based subsidiaries, Apple has continued to exploit that tax advantage, reducing its overall tax burden overseas. At the time Apple came to Ireland, the government was desperate to recruit foreign companies to come to the economically-challenged country and offered major tax concessions.

Fight: Apple’s Siri voice assistant is being used to promote[6] Microsoft (MSFT[7]) tablets, PC World notes. Microsoft has released a new TV advertisement that pokes fun at Siri. The commercial positions an iPad next to a tablet running Windows 8. Asked to do different things, Siri’s mechanical voice is heard saying that she is unable to comply, while the Windows tablet is shown performing the task. “Sorry, I can only do one thing at a time,” Siri is heard to cry as the Windows tablet multi-tasks. The ad notes a considerable price different between the iPad and the Windows tablet and ends with Siri suggesting that the user play chopsticks while the Windows tablet composes a PowerPoint presentation. Apple formerly ran a series of ads that contrasted the cooler image of Mac computers with the alleged stodginess of Windows machines.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[8] stories.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2013/05/thursday-apple-rumors-no-iwatch-until-2014/

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