A recent patent application filed by Apple with the USPTO reveals that the Cupertino company could be working on a circular wearable device.
Ever since Apple first unveiled the Watch, we’ve been expecting the Cupertino company to update its form factor to a circular design frequented by many of its Android Wear competitors. Now, it seems that a circular Apple wearable might finally be on the cards.
A new patent filed with the USPTO describes a circular smartwatch that is similar to the design found on some Android wear devices, including the Huawei Watch and the Gear S2 and S3.
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The patent describes a display that would use pixel rows and columns of varying lengths so that no space is rendered unused.
While it is possible that Apple could, in fact, be working on a circular version of its Apple Watch wearable for release a Series 3 product or a total re-imagining of the device itself, there are other possibilities.
We caught wind of another ongoing Apple project earlier this year, which revealed that the Cupertino company is actively working on a second, non-smartwatch wearable device that is reportedly focussed on fitness.
While the Apple Watch Series 2 improved on its predecessor’s fitness credentials, a second Apple wearable would reportedly focus as more of a fitness tracker than a smartwatch.
To that end, it is reported that Jay Blahnik – a renowned fitness instructor and coach – is heading up a special project at the company.
Read: Apple is reportedly seeking to move iPhone production to the United States
While not every patent filing indicates that a product is actively in the works, we’d look forward to seeing a circular Apple Watch. Listen in to Episode 28 of Bandwidth Blog On Air, where we took the Apple Watch and Gear S2 head-to-head:
What are your thoughts? Be sure to share them with us in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
