Report: Cellular Apple Watch coming later this year

After last year’s speculation about a cellular Apple Watch didn’t come to fruition, a new Bloomberg report claims the device will be released later this year. Citing people familiar with the development, at least some new Apple Watches will come equipped with LTE chips and be able to perform tasks like downloading new songs or accessing apps without a tethered iPhone. Intel is said to be supplying the modems—not surprising since Apple is embroiled in a nasty legal battle with its other supplier, Qualcomm—and Apple is already said to be in talks with US and European carriers to support the devices. Previous predictions placed a cellular Apple Watch launching earlier next year and including a hybrid USB-C/Lightning connector, and Daring Fireball cites an unconfirmed source saying the device could even include an “all-new form factor,” but provided no specifics about what that would entail.

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Dan Pye was a news editor at iLounge. He's been involved with technology his whole life, and started writing about it in 2009. He's written about everything from iPhone and iPad cases to Apple TV accessories.