Apple employees reportedly don’t expect much from the iWatch’s battery

One of the biggest issues associated with color touchscreen smartwatches has been battery life, and the same problems may persist with Apple’s first foray into the wrist-borne wearable devices market, according to a new report. Apple employees familiar with the so-called “iWatch” have reportedly “set low expectations” for the device’s battery life, according to Jessica E. Lessin of The Information. Though she didn’t offer any specifics on how long the device is said to last, the first Android Wear devices are advertised to last about a day before they need to be recharged. Poor battery life is one of the chief complaints about Motorola’s new Moto 360 watch, which uses Google’s new Android Wear operating system. For example, Joanna Stern of The Wall Street Journal said in her review that the unit needed to be charged as frequently as twice per day. Some of the more basic smartwatches on the market, such as the Pebble, can last up to a week on a single charge. But those devices lack touchscreens and use low-power black-and-white displays to achieve longer uptime between recharges. Rumors have suggested Apple’s so-called “iWatch” will be the company’s first device with OLED display technology, which can use considerably less power than traditional backlit LCD displays.