Secret Apple Watch port won't be in the finished device

Apple Watch
The Apple Watch will have a Lightning port - or will it?

The big Apple Watch event is set for this coming Monday, and rumours continue to trickle out about what we can (and can't) expect to see from Apple's first foray into the world of wearables.

Hot off the press this morning is news that the Apple Watch has a secret port used for diagnostics and direct access to the software on the device. This 6-dot brass contact array sits where the bottom strap connects up, according to TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino.

There's speculation that this port could eventually be used to attach accessories to the timepiece, such as the smart straps recently unveiled by Pebble for its own range of devices. They could include extra sensors or batteries, for example.

Not so fast, rumour mongers

However, 9to5Mac is pouring cold water on the accessory and smart strap claims - it says that this port, which is actually a Lightning port, won't make it to the finished device shipped out to consumers.

The tantalising prospect of fitting a smart strap to the Apple Watch is therefore dashed before it even had time to take root. There's nothing to say it won't make it into future versions of the device though, so we might not have seen the last of it.

Apple should answer most of the remaining questions about the Apple Watch in its media event on Monday: specifically, when exactly it will go on sale and how much each model is going to cost. We'll also be listening out for any details of an Apple Watch port, too.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.