Apple to Introduce iWatch in September Suggests Apple Journalist John Gruber

Apple may be planning to introduce its iWatch in September, according to a comment from prominent Apple journalist John Gruber. In a post highlighting the charging functionality of the Moto 360, Gruber suggests Apple will be announcing its “wrist wearable thing next month.”

It looks like Motorola’s designers tried to draw as much attention as they could to the 360′s stupid flat-tire display shape.

The only way this could get funnier would be if it doesn’t even ship until after Apple announces their wrist wearable thing next month.

Gruber did not go on to refute his claim, and with his history of inside knowledge and sources within Apple, his comments suggest he believes the iWatch will debut in September. A September introduction would likely take place at Apple’s scheduled iPhone 6 event, set to be held on September 9.

Motorola’s Moto 360 smart watch
Gruber’s September claim directly contradicts previous rumors from Re/code, a site that has a track record of accurate event date predictions. In June, Re/code‘s John Paczkowski reported that Apple was tentatively planning to reveal the iWatch at an event in October.

Few concrete details are known about Apple’s iWatch and as the device is not expected to enter production until the fall, no part leaks have surfaced. If Apple does introduce the iWatch in September, it is likely the device will not ship until late 2014 or in early 2015. Historically, Apple has revealed some product in new categories ahead of their ship date.

Apple previewed the new Mac Pro in June, for example, before beginning sales on the desktop computer in December. Steve Jobs also unveiled the original iPhone six months before launch, with the iPad shown at an Apple event more than two months ahead of its sale date.

Rumors have suggested the iWatch will contain a multitude of health and fitness sensors, measuring metrics like calorie consumption, sleep activity, blood oxygen levels, and more. It’s said to integrate deeply with iOS 8′s Health app and it may come in multiple sizes and multiple price points.

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FCC Questioning All Carriers On Unlimited Throttling Policies

According to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, the United States Federal Communications Commission is now questioning all wireless carriers on their network management policies, asking how carriers choose when to throttle customers, including those with unlimited data plans.

In a report from Reuters, Wheeler said that the FCC had written to all major U.S. carriers about its concerns on throttling practices following its inquisition into Verizon’s upcoming plan to throttle unlimited data customers during peak usage times.

“My concern in this instance – and it’s not just with Verizon, by the way, we’ve written to all the carriers – is that it is moving from a technology and engineering issue to the business issues … such as choosing between different subscribers based on your economic relationship with them.”

Last week, after Verizon announced plans to slow down the data speeds of unlimited customers using heavy amounts of data, the FCC questioned the carrier about its policies, with Wheeler stating that he was “deeply troubled” by the decision.

Verizon responded, suggesting its throttling plans were both fair and legal, and likely to impact only a small subset of customers. Verizon also noted that several other carriers, like Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile all have unlimited data restrictions in place. According to Wheeler, pointing towards the policies of other carriers was not a sufficient response. “‘All the kids do it’ was never something that worked for me when I was growing up,” he said.

AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have long had policies in place that allow the carriers to opt to restrict the data usage of customers with grandfathered unlimited plans in an effort to encourage users to switch to pay-by-usage tiered data plans.

While the FCC did not share the letters sent to AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, an FCC spokesperson said the letters were similar in nature to the original letter sent to Verizon. That letter asked the carrier to answer specific questions on its rationale for treating customers differently on plan type, the need for such throttling on efficient LTE networks, and the legality of throttling.

Verizon was the first to receive the letter because of the announcement of a new policy, according to the FCC spokesperson. Verizon will begin throttling its high-usage off-contract LTE customers accessing congested network cells beginning on October 1.

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