This has led some to speculate that Apple could be looking to a smart watch to bring them back to the lead in at least one market. Registering for a trademark on a product name is one way to kick that off. Of course registering a trademark also prevents people from trying to leverage Apple’s naming convention for copy-cat products. The places they are filing, Japan and Russia, could be an indicator that they do not want people launching products under the iWatch name before they can get their product to the masses.

Instead of expecting a product in the near future we could just be seeing Apple protect themselves from the growing market without having anything to offer themselves. This is what we think that Apple is doing with this move. They know that Sony, I’m Spa, Pebble, ConectDevices and others already have products on the market that qualify as a “Smart Watch”. Even Apple’s former favorite manufacturing partner is getting ready to launch a smart watch. Apple would be foolish to rush this one, but on the other hand with a much savvier consumer Apple could hurt themselves if they wait too long.

Even if Apple has a product in the works nothing really changes for them or their iWatch. To achieve success with it they (Apple) have to launch a product that can do something that no other product can do. This is a tall order from a company that continues to launch products that are at least a cycle behind current market technology. Things become even worse if Samsung launches before Apple simply because Samsung has the horse power and market presence to directly impact Apple sales. In the end, Apple could end up with a trademark on the iWatch name, but that does not mean they can compete in the market that is emerging.

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