Report: Apple working on an 'iWatch'

Any Apple watch would face competition, but most current smartwatches rely on smartphone pairing over Bluetooth to get data and notifications. Apple could take the same approach as these devices or put more computing power directly into a watch.

Apple's sixth-generation iPod nano was a small, square touchscreen (it has since been replaced by the rectangular seventh generation nano). Many fans immediately saw the potential to turn the iPod into a watch face, and companies such as Lunatik made kits that included mounts and slick straps.

The $150 Pebble waterproof watch has a black-and-white, e-paper screen, which can be customized with specially designed watch faces. It connects to iOS and Android smartphones over Bluetooth and vibrates to notify the wearer of incoming calls, e-mail, texts and other alerts. There are also downloadable music and sports apps. The Kickstarter darling recently started shipping to early customers.

The Italian-made aluminum I'm Watch is one of the pricier options at $399. It comes in seven colors and runs the Droid 2 operating system. It connects to Android smartphones using Bluetooth to get texts and e-mails, check social networks, make calls and see calendar events. I'm Watch has a full color touchscreen and access to specially designed apps.

Another full color touchscreen device, the $130 Sony SmartWatch, also only syncs with Android devices. When paired with a phone over Bluetooth, it can receive notifications for e-mail, texts, social networks and calendars.

The MetaWatch has a retro-looking, black-and-white screen, but it can connect to the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5, in addition to Android devices. It's also a water resistant sports watch that tracks pace and distance. The watch starts at $179 and is available with various colored bands or in black or white leather.

The $269 Motoactv smart watch is marketed as a fitness tracker. It acts as a heart rate monitor and pedometer, has GPS and an MP3 player. There are also a number of nonwrist mount options, including a handlebar strap, arm band and chest strap.

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Six rivals to Apple's 'iWatch'

iPod nano watches

Pebble

I'm Watch

Sony SmartWatch

MetaWatch

Motorola Motoactv

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(CNN) -- Having conquered the desktops, music libraries and phones of millions, Apple reportedly wants to adorn one more spot in the life of the gadget-obsessed -- their wrists.

The company is developing a smart watch that would run on the same iOS operating system that powers iPhones, iPads and some iPods, according to a report in The New York Times.

The watches would include a curved glass screen, according to the Times report, citing "people familiar with the company's explorations."

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

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Last year, Corning, which makes the Gorilla Glass used for iPads and iPhones, unveiled a thinner, more touch-sensitive version of their product that could make it easier to produce a watch with curves.

And, yes, assuming it includes chat-feature Facetime, Dick Tracy fans could actually live out those decades-old dreams of having a video-enabled Two-Way Wrist Radio.

What other features might such a watch have? Observers have speculated about monitoring of the wearer's vital signs or turn-by-turn directions, spoken by Siri, Apple's "voice assistant."

Of course, such reports are no sure thing. Over the years, Apple has reportedly poked around into products ranging from cars to cameras without any commercially available product ever coming from it. An Apple TV has been in the rumor stages for years now, and while many observers still expect one to surface eventually, there have been no signs yet.

If the plans are indeed sincere, Apple may be taking a cue from the interest the market already has shown in such a product.

Pebble, a watch that uses Bluetooth technology to link up with the user's smartphone, racked up a record $10.2 million on Kickstarter last year.

TikTok and LunaTik, two styles of a wrist-strap gadget that turns an iPod Nano into a smart watch, raked in another $942,000.

At least one analyst told the Times that the move makes sense, although it might be a while before an "iWatch" hits the shelves.

"Over the long term, wearable computing is inevitable for Apple; devices are diversifying, and the human body is a rich canvas for the computer," said Sarah Rotman Epps, a Forrester Research analyst who specializes in mobile technology.

"But I'm not sure how close we are to a new piece of Apple hardware that is worn on the body."