Hardware Defect May Have Delayed Apple Watch Rollout

A hardware defect may be behind the Apple Watch’s slow rollout – at least to some extent. According to a Bloomberg article on the Toronto Star, the issue lies in the device’s taptic engine, which is designed to simulate the sensation of the user being tapped on the wrist; reports of the defect initially came from the Wall Street Journal, which cited anonymous sources.

If the reports about the defect are true, it would both explain the weirdly slow rollout of the Apple Watch, and indicate a certain amount of spin on the part of Apple, which has insisted that the smartwatch’s supply shortage was due to its unique category as a new technological avenue for the company (Which is, of course, technically accurate.)

Analysts have expressed puzzlement over the curious way that Apple has gone about launching the device, but few, if any, have so far speculated as to technical issues. Preorder customers, meanwhile, have already started to receive their smartwatches in the mail, and there haven’t been any widespread reports on hardware problems.

True or not, the taptic engine issues won’t necessarily affect enthusiasm over the device, which is thought to be selling well and is predicted to ignite a new phase of consumer interest in smartwatch devices.