Apple Applies for ‘iWatch’ Trademark

Is Apple planning to release a smartwatch? The company has filed an application in Japan to trademark the name “iWatch.”

The Wall Street Journal’s Daisuke Wakabayashi reported, “Apple Inc. has filed a trademark application for ‘iWatch’ in Japan, fueling speculation that the U.S. company may be preparing to introduce a new watch-like device. The trademark application was filed June 3 and made public by Japan’s Patent Office on June 27. The application was filed under a product category for a computer or watch device. An official at the Patent Office said the application needs to go through a formal examination process before it can be approved.”

USA Today’s Brett Molina added, “Wearable computing is expected to grow quickly over the next several years, with devices from watches to eyewear like Google Glass making appearances.”

Michelle Maisto with eWeek noted, “In April, Topeka Capital analyst Brian White added to the anticipated Apple ecosystem, telling investors that Apple is also working on an ‘iRing,’ an accessory that will communicate with the Apple watch and other devices, as well as control the iTV that Apple is also rumored to be working on.”

Bloomberg’s Naoko Fujimura and Takashi Amano wrote, “Samsung, the world’s biggest maker of smartphones, is developing a wristwatch, the company said in March. Sony Corp (6758). has sold its SmartWatch, which wirelessly connects to phones using Google Inc.’s Android operating system and allows users to take calls and reply to e-mails or texts, for more than a year.”