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iOS 8 leak confirms Apple iWatch is on the way

Apple is preparing to jump into the smartwatch skirmish

Esat Dedezade

A leaked iOS 8 home screen displaying a Watch Utility app confirms that Apple does indeed have an iWatch in the works.

If genuine, then this is the clearest indication to date that Apple is planning to reveal a smart wearable this year.

Samsung and Sony have already released their respective Gear 2 and Smartwatch 2 offerings, but we’ve yet to find a smartwatch that ticks all the right design, performance and feature boxes.

Google’s Android Wear platform has shown the most promise to date, and the LG G Watch and Moto 360 in particular fill us with hope that our smartwatch prayers will soon be answered.

iOS 8 leak confirms Apple iWatch is on the way

Apple’s iWatch is expected to arrive with a variety of sensors to track health information before logging it into iOS 8’s new Healthbook app, which has once again cropped up in these latest leaked screenshots alongside the new TextEdit, Preview, Tips and iTunes Radio apps.

It’s worth pointing out that the Watch Utility app’s icon looks positively ugly and out of place among the flat pastel icons of the surrounding iOS 8 apps. This suggests that Apple is still polishing up the watch app, prior to its official reveal.

iOS 8 is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual WWDC event which is set to kick off in June, but it’s unclear whether or not the iWatch will be revealed alongside it.

Personally, we think that Apple will save the iWatch unveiling for September, where it can show off its integration smarts with its new iPhone 6 sibling.

READ MORE: Apple iWatch: price, specs, release date – everything we think we know

[Phone Arena via The Inquirer]

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About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.