Apple has yet to provide a specific launch date for the Apple Watch, leaving its early 2015 timeframe and internal memo revealing a spring launch after Chinese New Year as the only information to go by in terms of a release date. A new report by Taiwan-based DigiTimes, however, suggests that the Apple Watch could launch sooner rather than later next year.
According to DigiTimes, which has a hit-and-miss track record at reporting on Apple’s future product plans, chipmakers in Apple’s overseas supply chain are reportedly gearing up to begin production of the Apple Watch. The report, citing industry sources, claims that between 30 to 40 million units of the upcoming wearable device have been ordered.
A previous supply chain rumor claimed that Apple supplier Quanta Computer would begin Apple Watch production in January 2015, possibly just in time for a Valentine’s Day release. While it was originally considered to be unlikely that the smartwatch would be ready in time for Valentine’s Day, the supply chain ramping up production this month makes a February launch more realistic.
French website iGen.fr reported last week that the steel Apple Watch will start at $500 alongside a gold model that will retail for between $4,000 and $5,000. Apple previously claimed at its September event that the Apple Watch would start at $349, which likely applies to the entry-level Apple Watch Sport, but did not disclose further pricing information.
The report also backed up the Valentine’s Day launch date for the Apple Watch.
