Apple's new smartwatch has been hiding a certain feature in plain sight: a secret charging port.
The discovery was highlighted by accessories maker Reserve Strap, which plans to offer a band that charges your Apple Watch while you wear it, instead of making you wait for it to charge via wireless, inductive charging.
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Reserve Strap's original design relied on the inductive charging space on the back of the Apple Watch, but the company posted a message a few days ago updating its intentions, after discovering the hidden port.
"Our engineers have been able to independently confirm that the 6 pin diagnostic port underneath the Apple Watch case can be used for charging," reads the company statement. "The Reserve Strap will take advantage of this using a simple, retractable connector instead of the previous inductive charging cradle design."
We immediately took a look at our own, in-house Apple Watch and confirmed the existence of the ovoid port, which has a tiny, circular indention that could be used in conjunction with a tool to open the port.
Yes, the Apple Watch has a hidden port under the band a slot. Here it is. Note that it's covered. pic.twitter.com/cdpRPFHWE4— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) May 4, 2015
Although Reserve Strap is, so far, the only company to lay claim to testing the port's viability as a charging solution, if their tests are accurate, it could spark a great deal of activity among third-party accessory makers looking to invent new ways to interact with the Apple Watch.
However, would-be Reserve Strap buyers should keep in mind that Apple hasn't offered this port as an charging option. Apple's decision on that point may have been made for a very good reason that could be related to anything from safety concerns to simple functionality issues.
Either way, while Reserve Strap's $250 accessory looks like a slick charging solution, it might be a bit early to advise anyone to strap a non-Apple-approved charging device to your wrist.
The potential downside may end up impacting more than just your bank account.