Swatch denies working with Apple on smartwatch
Zurich: Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group has denied a media report saying it was
working with technology company Apple on a smartwatch, a wearable device with interactive functions.
Technology website VentureBeat said in a report on Wednesday Apple was working with “at least one partner, Swatch” on a smart
watch project, citing an unnamed source. A spokes
woman for Swatch Group said on Thursday the report was unfounded. She said the only business relationship
Swatch Group had with mobile phone makers was as a supplier of integrated circuits and other electronic
components. Signs are mounting that Apple, which landed huge successes with
its iPhone mobile phones and iPad tablets, is preparing the launch of an iWatch, following the commercialisation of smartwatches by rivals such as Samsung and
LG Electronics. Swatch Group shares rose 2 percent to 510 Swiss francs by 1045 GMT, outperforming a 0.2 per cent higher European
sector index. “I have no doubt that Swatch is up on
the back of these press reports — against a rather dull market and sector performance today,” Exane BNP Paribas analyst Luca Solca said, adding smartwatches seemed to be at the centre
of attention in the investment community. JPMorgan analysts said in a note the VentureBeat article looked questionable because they
would find it surprising if Swatch launched products under its own brands to link them to Apple applications, as the report had suggested. “One of ( Swatch Chief
Executive Nick) Hayek’s main concerns over smartwatches, repeatedly stated in analysts conference calls in the last six months, is the
possible dependence on software and applications from other companies,” they said. Hayek told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday he was not interested in teaming up with a tech group to develop a smartwatch.