Hon Hai, which is well known as the company that builds the iPhone for Apple through its Foxconn factories, has crafted its own smartwatch designed to connect to the iPhone. The watch displays alerts and other notifications, and tracks fitness-related data like heart rate and respiration, and are looking to add fingerprint ID to future models.
Hon Hai gets into the iPhone smartwatch game
Company chairman Terry Gou showed off the smartwatch during a shareholder meeting earlier this week where he highlighted the device's ability to check Facebook posts as well as phone calls, according to WantChinaTimes.
Mr. Gou said, “With such a device, you can keep your phone in your pocket and simply check all kinds of messages on your watch.”
What Mr. Gou showed off sounds a lot like a remote display for the iPhone, and very similar to the Pebble smartwatch which also displays information it receives from Apple's smartphone. It also shows the high interest from electronics makers in wearable technology.
Apple has been rumored to be working on its own smartwatch, although so far the company hasn't confirmed that the so-called iWatch is on the way. Company CEO Tim Cook has, however, said they are interested in wearable technology.
Aside from Google and its Glass project, companies tend to be focusing on wearable tech for the wrist just as Hon Hai is, although so far the feature set these devices offer is mostly limited to echoing information that's available on smartphones and fitness tracking. Assuming Apple does jump into the wearable tech game, the products the company releases will most likely offer something new and will function as more than an iPhone accessory.
Hon Hai hasn't said yet when its smartwatch will be available, but if Apple does have wearable tech products ready to go, Mr. Gou better get his on store shelves soon.