Apple Files Trademark for ‘iWatch’ in Japan

According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple has filed a trademark for the term ‘iWatch’ in Japan:

The maker of iPhones is seeking protection for the name which is categorized as being for products including a handheld computer or watch device, according to a June 3 filing with the Japan Patent Office that was made public last week. Takashi Takebayashi, a Tokyo-based spokesman for Apple, didn’t respond to a message left at his office seeking comment on the application.

Back in February the publication reported Apple had a team of roughly 100 product designers working on a ‘wrist-watch-like device’ that could perform tasks currently handled by the iPhone and iPad.

Numerous tech companies are jumping into the wearable technology realm, with reports of Samsung and Microsoft possibly launching smart watches in the near future. Just this past week Sony unveiled their Smartwatch 2 with NFC. After the success of the Pebble, companies now want a piece of the smart watch market.

At D11, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the following when asked about the wrist as an area of wearable computing (he was previously asked about glasses as part of wearable computing, which Cook called ‘difficult’):

Mossberg: “But, the wrist is not?”

Cook: “I think the wrist is natural.”

Cook: “I think there are other things in the space that could be interesting. Sensors are exploding. With the arc of time, it’ll become clearer.”

Just because Apple has filed a trademark for the term ‘iWatch’, it does not mean a product is coming. Earlier this month, Apple reportedly filed for the same trademark in Russia.