Apple is planning a number of different screen sizes for its forthcoming smart watch, with the device expected to feature more than 10 sensors, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Sources said the device is likely to be launched in the autumn, with Apple looking to take on devices launched by Samsung and Google’s Android Wear technology.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously said the company plans to enter new product categories by the end of 2014.

Reports suggest that Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Quanta Computer will start to produce the Apple smart watch in July. Shipments of the smart watch are expected to reach 10 to 15 million by the end of the year.

The iPhone maker is believed to be aiming to provide functions that are significantly different to those found on smartphones, with many current smart watches criticised for offering little more than alerts supplied by a connected smartphone.

At least some of the sensors on the Apple smart watch are expected to monitor health and fitness metrics of users.

During its iOS 8 announcement earlier this month, Apple unveiled a number of health-related products, which strongly suggest a device to collect health data is likely to emerge at a later date.

The HealthKit API is aimed at solving the issue of health information being siloed by providing “a single place that applications contribute to a composite profile of your activity and health”.

In addition, the Apple Health app monitors health data, such as calories and sleep patterns, and can communicate with hospitals if certain metrics, such as blood pressure, are outside the healthy parameters defined for individual users.

It was reported earlier this month that Apple is looking to launch its smart watch in October, intending an initial production run of three to five million devices per month.

Nikkei sources, including an unidentified parts supplier, said specifications for the device were being finalised but it is believed that it will have a curved OLED display and sensors to collect health data, including blood glucose, calorie consumption and sleep activity.