Apple application 20130044215, filed with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), is the best evidence so far as to how iWatch may look and work.
It appears Apple is abandoning the traditional style watch in favor of a bracelet. The bracelet may have two parts, a touch sensitive flexible display and a solar power collector. The diagram illustrates Apple’s concept.
“A wearable accessory device is disclosed,” says the abstract of Apple’s application filed with USPTO. “The wearable accessory device includes a flexible display coupled to a bi-stable spring. Coupling the display to the bi-stable spring allows the accessory device to be easily worn in a number of convenient locations.”
A battery can be incorporated within the body of the accessory, and the operating time of a built in battery can be augmented by the addition of an auxiliary power supply such as a solar panel array to the accessory. A device worn on the body is particularly well suited for gathering ambient light energy since it tends to be exposed and frequently oriented towards the sun or other strong light sources. Other sources of power could include a kinetic power source similar to those found on some wristwatches. An accessory device designed to be worn on a leg or arm could greatly benefit from this sort of power generation, and could lengthen the amount of time between charging…Read more at Forbes
