In a couple of days from now, Apple will be holding an event on September 12 at the Steve Jobs theater where it will be unveiling a trio of new iPhones and announce the release date of iOS 11. While the iPhone X will likely end up stealing the spotlight, Apple will also be launching the Apple Watch with LTE connectivity at the event.
The introduction of cellular connectivity on the Apple Watch would reduce its reliance on the iPhone and greatly increase its functionality. In case you missed all the rumors surrounding the Apple Watch with cellular connectivity, check out our rumor roundup below to help you get up to speed about Apple’s upcoming wearable.
Apple Watch Series 3 Rumor Roundup
Same Design
The final name of what Apple ends up calling the Apple Watch with cellular connectivity is still unclear, but two things are clear: it is going to have the same design as the existing Apple Watch and the key highlight is only going to be the addition of cellular connectivity. This will likely disappoint many users as they were hoping for Apple to make the Series 3 Apple Watch slimmer and more attractive than its predecessor. However, that is not going to happen this year as Apple does not want to steal the spotlight from the iPhone X.
Red Digital Crown
If an Apple Watch companion app screenshot from the iOS 11 GM Build is anything to go by, the upcoming wearable from Apple will feature a red Digital Crown. Externally, this will likely be the only major change in terms of design, though Apple will be debuting new bands and finishes for its wearable at the event as well.
Cellular Connectivity
The cellular Apple Watch will use the same number as the iPhone and display the network signal strength on one of the watch’s complications. Despite coming with cellular connectivity using an embedded SIM, one will not be able to use the wearable for taking or receiving phone calls. Instead, the cellular connection will only be used for data connectivity purposes by apps. Since apps will have direct access to mobile data network on the Apple Watch Series 3, their performance should improve dramatically in certain scenarios. Additionally, it would also allow the Apple Watch to remain useful even when it is not connected to an iPhone.
Apple might enable voice calling functionality on the Apple Watch down the line, but the chances of that happening are pretty slim.
What remains to be seen is how the introduction of cellular connectivity on the Apple Watch will affect its battery life. Apple Watch owners are already dissatisfied with the battery life of their smartwatch and the additional drain introduced by a cellular modem is only going to make things worse.
New Color Options
Some digging into the leaked iOS 11 GM build points to the Apple Watch Series 3 being offered in two new finishes: ‘Blush Gold’ for the Aluminium Sport variant and ‘Ceramic Gray’ for the Apple Watch Edition. There are no images for how the final finish will look like so at this point, you will just have to make do with your imagination. The ‘Blush Gold’ finish might do well since Apple is expected to tweak the color shade of the iPhone 8 to make it look darker.
It is likely that the new finishes for the casing will be limited to the Apple Watch Series 3 only.
In addition to the new color options, Apple will presumably debut new watch bands for the Apple Watch as well. The company usually releases new watch bands for its wearable once every six months, and the last time it released new watch bands was in March this year.
New and Improved Health Sensors?
There have been reports and rumors of the upcoming Apple Watch featuring glucose monitoring. While it would be impressive if Apple is able to achieve this functionality with the Apple Watch Series 3, the chances of it happening are pretty much nil due to the lack of leaks and rumors surrounding it in recent times. Additionally, there were reports of Apple launching interchangeable smart bands for the Apple Watch but there has been no more noise on this front since the initial report so it’s likely that Apple has put its plan on hold for now.
Promotional Offers from Carriers
To lure in new customers, carriers will be offering promotional pricing for Apple Watch Series 3 owners initially. The promotional plans will see carriers offer free data or allow users to add Apple Watch Series 3 to their existing plan at a discounted rate. Some carriers will also be selling the Apple Watch 3 through their retail stores with the wearable pre-configured to work on their network.
What do you think about the Apple Watch Series 3 based on the rumors above? Do you plan on upgrading from your existing Apple Watch to it? Drop a comment and let us know!
