Apple iWatch 'at least three years away', says supplier

Apple's much-awaited gadget, iWatch, which would be a wearable version of the iPhone, is at least three years away, one of the suppliers of the tech giant has said.

The makers of Willow glass, a flexible material expected to be used in the Apple iWatch, said that their product is not ready for use in such a complex design.

Apple supplier Corning, developer of the glass, which can be made in a roll similar to newsprint, said the technology should be in use on simple products within a year, but not for anything as complicated as a wearable smartphone, the Telegraph reports.

The news is contrary to earlier reports, which suggested that the iWatch was an advanced stage of development and not far off heading into production.

Last month, unnamed insiders were cited as saying that a team of 100 Apple staff - headed by senior executives, had been assembled to work on the product, implying that the iWatch was "beyond the experimentation phase".