Apple Files iWatch Trademark in Japan

While Sony’s SmartWatch 2 reveal from last week didn’t do much to wow those of us looking for the next big thing in tech, other gadget-makers are boldly moving ahead with plans to follow the lead of the electronics giant with souped-up watches of their own. Case in point: today, Bloomberg reports that Apple has filed a trademark for “iWatch” in Japan, proof positive that the iPhone and iPad will have a first-party companion accessory to save them the trouble of reaching into their pockets. Thank goodness.

This, of course, is simply more evidence that seems to confirm what we’ve been hearing about Apple’s smart-watch plans for months already. The only aspect of the news of the iWatch trademark that’s surprising is that we haven’t heard more about the long-awaited device sooner.

According to the post, Apple filed the iWatch with Japan’s patent office on June 3, but an Apple spokesperson based in Japan hasn’t responded to requests for a comment. The post also cites” two people familiar with the company’s plans” that Apple has 100 product designers working on the iWatch.

Meanwhile, the post also notes that Samsung—Apple’s fiercest competitor and its strangest bedfellow in the personal electronics game—is working on a smart-watch of its own. And now we all must ask: do we really want a smart-watch?

I will admit that when Apple debuted the iPad, I thought it was totally dumb. What would we need a giant, phone-less iPhone for? Who would want that? Well, as it turns out, the answer is everyone, including me (though, I will admit, I’m an Android fan). These gadgets have a way of coming into being to respond to some consumer need, whether we’re aware of it or not. While I didn’t understand the place a tablet had in a world already filled with smartphones and computers, I see how it fits in now. In fact, as tablets grow more powerful, non-tablet laptops are starting to lose their luster in my eyes.

So then, back to the smart-watch. Now that we know that these are going to be the next trend in gadgets and technology, are there folks out there who really want an iWatch? Or a Galaxy-Watch? Or whatever it is that we hear about next? Let us know in the comments.