Tuesday Apple Rumors: iWatch Team Grows to 200, Capabilities Trimmed

by Christopher Freeburn | February 11, 2014 11:07 am

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

Less Sensitive: Sources tell MobiHealthNews that Apple’s (AAPL[3]) much-anticipated smartwatch won’t be as sophisticated as some recent rumors have suggested[4]. Apple has put together a team of 200 employees to develop the iWatch. Reports last year had pegged the iWatch team at about 100 designers and engineers. The MobiHealthNews report indicates that the iWatch will function as an accessory to the iPhone, requiring a wireless connection to the handset to enable the full range of its functions. Though Apple has met with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials about the iWatch — fueling speculation of advanced health monitoring capabilities — MobiHealthNews says that the meeting was designed to make sure the iWatch and its reported upcoming Healthbook app do not fall under the FDA’s regulatory purview and won’t have to be cleared by the agency. That suggests that while the iWatch may be able to monitor heart rate and calories consumed, more ambitious health metrics like glucose-level and hydration monitoring won’t be included in the device.

Rejected: A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has rebuffed Apple’s latest attempt to remove an external monitor for its e-book business[5], the New York Times notes. A U.S. District Court judge imposed the external monitor last year after ruling that Apple had improperly conspired with five publishers to fix the prices of e-books sold through its iBookstore. The Department of Justice has insisted that the monitor is necessary to ensure Apple’s compliance with anti-trust laws. Apple is appealing the ruling that found it guilty of price-fixing. It had also requested that the court stay the work of the monitor while it appeals the decision, contending that the monitor could hurt its business. The appellate court panel ruled that the monitor can return to work, but issued restrictions on the scope of Apple’s internal documents the monitor can review and which Apple personnel the monitor can interview.

Holding Its Own: Despite sliding global sales of personal computers[6], sales of Apple’s Mac line continue to grow, AppleInsider notes. According to a Needham & Company analyst Charlie Wolf, Mac computers — desktops and laptops — have maintained an average selling price of about $1,300 a unit. That average selling price has defied Wolf’s previous prediction that the average selling price for Mac devices would fall under pressure from rising iPad sales. In 30 of the the last 31 quarters, sales of Mac devices have outpaced sales of personal computers running Microsoft’s (MSFT[7]) Windows. The overall marketshare of Mac computers has also slowly grown, despite their relative high price compared to Windows-based PCs.

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

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2014/02/tuesday-apple-rumors-iwatch-team-grows-200-capabilities-trimmed/

---