Back in December, 9to5Mac had reported that Apple was planning an event in March to unveil Apple Watch 2. The report also claimed that Apple may launch the 4-inch iPhone 6c at the event.
Since Apple had launched the first generation Apple Watch in April 2015, a March event followed by the launch in the same month or in April does make sense, if the company plans to follow the yearly product refresh cycle like it does for the iPhone.
Few days back, a report from China claimed that Apple Watch 2 was going into production later this month, which again suggested that Apple was gearing up to launch the next generation Apple Watch in March or April.
However, Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch reports that Apple Watch 2 in March is highly unlikely. He initially reported:
Several things that I’ve heard (from several sources) indicate to me that we won’t see a major new hardware model of the Apple Watch in March. Design partnerships, accessories, that kind of thing maybe but not a “Watch 2.0” with a bunch of new hardware features. I could be wrong, of course, but I’ve heard enough to put it out there.
He also said that supply chain checks also don’t suggest that a new Watch model is in production yet. But he later updated his report to say that he has got information that Apple may ship a minor revision of the Apple Watch which includes a FaceTime camera. It, however, won’t be a major upgrade as we were hoping.
I’ve now heard a bit more that suggests that Apple might ship a minor revision of the Apple Watch that includes a FaceTime camera and not much else — but still that it would not be a full “Watch 2.0” with casing changes and major improvements. Still no word on timing but that could explain the reports of a camera have been showing up. Like I said, tea leaves!
Here’s what we know about the Apple Watch 2 so far:
- Apple Watch 2 will include FaceTime camera, a new dynamic wireless chipset that will make it less dependent on the iPhone.
- It will retain the same display size and resolution, but will come with a bigger battery.
- Apple intends to launch even more variations of the Watch 2 at price points between $1,000 and $10,000.
Based on Panzarino’s latest update and the rumors we’ve heard so far, it does seem to suggest that Apple will launch a new version of Apple Watch may not be a major upgrade with case changes, but will come with FaceTime camera and a new Wi-Fi chip that may allow the Apple Watch to do more without an iPhone.
Since the Apple Watch was launched last year, it is difficult to predict the upgrade cycle for the device. So it remains to be seen if Apple will launch Apple Watch 2 in March or along with iPhone 7.
Will you buy or upgrade to the new Apple Watch if it is not a major upgrade?
You may also like to check:
➤ Here’s what you can do with the Apple Watch without an iPhone
