If Apple wants to launch their iWatch on a grand scale later this year they will first need to address some basic production issues, according to Digitimes. Sources close to Apple’s supply chain report that initial production yields for the iWatch have been disappointing — said to be less than 50 percent — due to problems with applying the finish to the watch’s body.
The iWatch is being produced using metal injection molding, a process similar to injection molding with plastics but utilizing a powdered metal slurry. Typically such a process is used to create internal components without surface treatments.
As the production technique has moved to creating external elements, the question of how to apply a durable finish has come to the forefront. Similar problems are said to be affecting Qualcomm’s Toq smartwatch, which is being produced through the same means.
The iWatch is Apple’s long-rumored entry into the wearable tech market. Rumors have ranged from describing the watch as a simple fitness tracker to an iPhone companion to a independent mobile communication device. While Apple has confirmed its interest in developing such a smartwatch, even filing international trademarks for the name, the device as we know it remains largely the product of rumor and speculation.
[via Digitimes]
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