How Apple's iWatch Can Be a Moneymaker

Few tech prophecies are as played out and discredited as the Dick Tracy watch. Since the crime stopper first strapped on his two-way radio in 1946, corporate giants have wasted millions of dollars experimenting with wrist-mounted computers their customers don’t want. From Casio’s calculator watches in the 1970s to Seiko’s mini-keyboard models in the 1980s and Microsoft’s Web-connected watches a decade ago, the public has consistently dismissed such devices as geeky novelties. While Sony still sells a line of $129 SmartWatches that can be used for e-mail, tweeting, or playing music, it hasn’t sold many. Into this graveyard of tech empires steps Apple.

A team of about 100 is working on Apple’s stab at a smart wristwatch, which the company hopes to introduce in the fall, according to a person familiar with the plans. In addition to timekeeping, the person says, the gadget will likely serve as an iPhone accessory, allowing users to make and receive calls or check map coordinates while leaving the phone in their pockets. Other features include a pedometer and possibly a heart monitor. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office disclosures show that Apple has filed at least 79 patent applications since 2001 that include the word “wrist,” one for a device with a flexible screen powered by kinetic energy.