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The rumor mill pegged Apple as working on a smartwatch for several years before the Apple Watch finally launched. The long evolution timeline gave everyone else a risk to launch their article of clothing platforms, simply wearables haven't been the explosive success technology firms had hoped. Even Apple's eventual Apple Watch launch was only successful compared with other smartwatch makers. At present, the Cupertino company is said to be working on a new version of the Apple Watch that can operate over its ain defended LTE connectedness.

The new report comes by mode of Bloomberg, which says Apple's goal is to end the smartwatch's complete reliance on the iPhone. Currently, the Apple Watch connects to an iPhone over Bluetooth, and information technology does very little if that connection is broken. Y'all can't stream music, run apps, or load maps without beingness tethered to an iPhone. The LTE-equipped watch would be able to do all the things it does when connected to the phone even if your telephone is nowhere nearby.

Apple is not lone in freeing smartwatches from phones. Google revamped Android Wear early this year in the 2.0 update, which includes more standalone features. You can install apps directly on the spotter, control notification modes, and fifty-fifty connect to services online via LTE. Although, few watches support LTE. There'south a skilful reason for that — it's expensive.

Putting LTE in the Apple Spotter will mean convincing consumers to sign up for yet another monthly LTE information program. Watches aren't likely to use a lot of data, but it's all the same a few more bucks every calendar month. The add-on of LTE also means increased component cost and more ability usage. Most LTE-equipped Android Article of clothing devices include larger batteries than the non-LTE versions.

Sources claim Apple has already forged a deal with Intel to provide LTE modems for the device, which is a large win for Intel. It'south been trying to get a piece of Apple'due south mobile business for years, but Qualcomm has been Apple's master scrap supplier. Apple is even so talking to carriers in the Us and Europe almost selling the watch, which would let them to cash in on all those data plans people would exist forced to buy.

The Apple Lookout sales remain a small-scale part of Apple's income. Sources tell Bloomberg the company hopes making the device more capable without a phone will push more than consumers to selection one up. Nonetheless, the likely increased price might scare abroad merely as many.