Apple iWatch could cost more than $1,000, analyst says

Apple iWatch might sell for "several thousand US dollars." How much would an Apple iWatch be worth to you?

The Apple iWatch is almost certainly coming, possibly as soon as this fall. 

And according to one analyst, the iWatch – or whatever Apple decides to dub its long-rumored wired timepiece – could be priced north of a grand. In a note to clients, KGI's Ming-Chi Kuo, who Business Insider describes as "the most accurate Apple analyst in the world," predicted that the device would be marketed at a variety of levels, with the costliest iWatch carrying a "a price tag of several thousand US dollars." 

Kuo's note to clients – hat tip to MacRumors for unearthing it – forecasts the arrival of a Apple smart watch with a 1.3-inch to 1.5-inch flexible AMOLED display, biometric recognition, wireless charging capability, and NFC wireless technology, to boot.

Still, "several thousand US dollars," or even $1,000, is a heck of a lot to pay for a wristwatch, and we have a tough time imagining a critical mass of consumers forking over that kind of cash. (For what it's worth, Apple has not responded to the rumors.) 

The "wearables" segment of the tech retail world has become increasingly crowded in recent months, with Samsung, Sony, and smaller companies such as Pebble all elbowing each other out of the way for the attention of consumers.

In a recent report, the analytics firm Canalys predicted that shipments of smart watches and smart bands would hit 23 million in 2015, and upward of 45 million two years after that. No wonder Apple reportedly wants in on the market. 

In related news, the New York Times recently reported that Apple was working on powering a smart watch with a curved solar panel – an innovation that would certainly help bump up the appeal of that device. Imagine embarking on a three-day hike, and never having to hook the thing up to an electric power source. Sounds pretty good to us.