Ever since people started wearing the iPod nano as a wristwatch, it’s been rumored that Apple would introduce a smart-connected time piece to the market. Those rumors grew louder when Pebble hit the scene, and when the iPod nano design was changed back to a more iPod-like form factor. Simply put: no one’s really asking ‘if’ Apple would release an iWatch, instead it’s more a case of when it will.

According to a report from Taiwanese newspaper Economic Times (via Macotakara), Foxconn – Apple’s biggest manufacturing partner – has just received orders for iWatch trial production, with around a thousand units being made initially.

As well as rumors of trial production, it’s also been speculated that Apple has been testing 1.5-inch OLED displays. Although Cupertino prefers LCD displays for its iDevice range normally, for an object like an iWatch, battery life is one of the biggest priorities, and since OLED don’t need a backlight like LCD and they’re thinner, it would make for a much more efficient watch with deeper blacks and slimmer form factor. The displays themselves are purportedly being supplied by RiTdisplay, a Taiwanese subsidiary of Ritek, a company known for LED/AMOLED/OLED displays. The same company is also rumored to be supplying the touch sensors for the unreleased product.

For me, I think the biggest issue with the iWatch will be getting it in at the right price point. If it’s much more expensive than the Pebble, it’ll be tough to convince buyers to choose it over the KickStarter-backed project. Unless it has a killer feature (like Siri) installed.

Source: TodaysiPhone.