Apple iWatch Release Date Coming: Rumors Suggest 'Stepped' Batteries, Possible Fall Launch With iOS 8

Apple’s upcoming first wearable, the iWatch, is getting a little more real. According to a source at the Korea Herald, "Apple will utilize LG Chem's stepped battery since it offers better longevity than others and can be applied for different shapes.” Previously it was rumored that Apple is having trouble meeting a four- or five-day battery life goal, instead only reaching two days out of its first wearable device.

Announced last October, the stepped battery is similar to the standard Lithium-ion battery, but with a small bump in the middle. The bump, or step, gives the battery an improved storage of 16 percent, states LG Chem. Additionally, stepped batteries are able to be shaped, giving iWatch designers the ability to create a better formed battery. Devices like the Motorola Moto X and the LG G2 use stepped batteries. However, they are most likely much larger than the ones Apple is planning to use.

In other iWatch news, Apple also recently published a job opening on its career site, Apple Jobs. The listing is seeking physiologists and engineers for health and fitness testing. The job listing states that the ideal candidate will “design and run user studies related to cardiovascular fitness & energy expenditure, including calories burned, metabolic rate, aerobic fitness level measurement/tracking and other key physiological measurements … ”

This could be specifically related to the iWatch development as Apple seems to be looking at ways the iWatch could improve user’s lives. It was revealed on Tuesday that Apple has hired sleep expert Roy J.E.M. Raymann, from Philips Research, for the iWatch development team. Apple was hiring several health professionals last summer for the same team.

Apple is developing iOS 8 and seems to be focused heavily on the health and fitness market. For the new iOS version, according to 9to5mac.com, Apple has plans for a marquee feature called “Healthbook,” which will help users monitor and target health-related issues and goals. Currently, Apple pairs with Nike’s iPod sensor to accomplish similar fitness tracking.

Apple’s iWatch is still in the developmental stage. Some analyst suggest that the iWatch may debut in late 2014, around when the iPhone 6 and iOS 8 are released.