Apple Watch will be more powerful than the first iPad

In 2010, when the first generation iPad was released, the Apple A4 chip made its debut as Apple’s first proprietary processor. Over the past 5 years, Apple has consistently released new and improved versions of the original, to power both iPad/iPad Mini, the iPod Touch and the iPhone.

When Apple decided to create its very own first smartwatch, expectations on the designated processor’s power were not extremely high, and in all truth, not many expected anything more than the average low-power chip, such as the one used by the Galaxy Gear. The assumptions came from Apple’s traditional emphasis on power efficiency on mobile devices.

That perception was shattered with word of the Apple S1 chip: a powerful system-on-a-chip, created to deliver what has been reported as higher performance than the first iPad. The Apple S1 chip is also very close in speed to the Apple A5 chip that powers the current generation iPod Touch, and 2011 Apple devices such as Apple TV, Apple iPad Mini and the iPhone 4S.

Samsung has reportedly been awarded with production of 3000-4000 12-inch wafers for the S1 chip, using its 28nm process technology, as Apple expects its first wearable device to appeal to as many existing iOS users as possible within the first year, with high hopes for the second generation Apple Watch, which is likely to overcome the currently expected battery life issues affecting the small but powerful Apple Watch.

Battery life concerns aside, the Apple Watch will showcase some interesting apps that are being currently developed with the WatchKit API, by third party developers. While most third parties have been tight-lipped about the status of their apps, Poway CA game development company NimbleBit has recently released screenshots of “Letterpad”, a word game planned to run on the Apple Watch, for which screenshots have been circulating early this week.