At this point, everyone is reporting that Apple plans to announce some sort of new wearable device at its September 9 press event. But people who are interested in actually buying it have a while to wait, according to a report by Re/code’s John Paczkowski, who has a reliable track record with Apple rumors.
According to sources familiar with the company’s plans, the wearable will be introduced to the world at this year’s event, but won’t be available for purchase until 2015. That means people who were hoping to get it as a gift this holiday season will have to save their money until early next year.
The delay makes sense, considering that we haven’t seen any leaks of the new device from Apple’s supply chain overseas. It seems reasonable to expect (considering the silence about the wearable’s features, dimensions, or anything else that would normally come out of a supply chain leak) that Apple hasn’t yet begun manufacturing the device, in order to keep a lid on any leaks.
A delay of that length does mean that people who are convinced they need a smartwatch in their lives may be more immediately served by Google’s Android Wear platform. Right now, there are watches from Samsung and LG on the market, and Motorola is expected to launch its Moto 360 smartwatch soon.
People who are keen on giving Apple their money will still have plenty of opportunities to do so this year. The company is still expected to launch new models of the iPhone and iPad in the latter half of the year, and it wouldn’t surprise me if one or more Macintosh lines also got a refresh.
