Apple Suppliers Inventec, Quanta Said to Land iWatch Orders for 2014

The iWatch will become a real product next year: Taiwan-based electronics manufacturers Inventec and Quanta have inked a deal with Apple to manufacture the product, according to analyst Wanli Wanf of CIMB Securities, as cited by The Economic Times (via MacRumors).

After performing his usual supply chain source check, the analyst found that Inventec will be responsible for about 60% of the total iWatch supply, while the remaining 40% will be manufactured by Quanta.

“Apple is likely to introduce ‘iWatch’ in 2014. From our channel checks, Inventec is the major assembly source for ‘iWatch’, with about 60 per cent of order allocation,” said CIMB Securities analyst Wanli Wang in a report.

If you were wondering how much will the anticipated wearable Apple computer will cost, here is the first price rumour/speculation: $199, according to the report. The product is expected to exceed 63 million units next year, when it will launch.

CIMB projects 63.4 million units of “iWatch” shipments in the year after its launch with an average price of around $199, while the “iWatch” project is estimated to contribute 19 per cent of Inventec’s earnings in 2014, Wang said.

The above rumours await confirmation from Apple. What we know so far is that lately the company has made some moves that obviously point to a wearable computing device stuffed with health sensors. The company has filed for the iWatch trademark in several countries and tapped a couple of experts, such as fitness expert Jay Blahnik.