Predictions are pouring in for an updated Apple Watch this year
That hasn't stopped the rumors from piling up. Most recently, we heard that the next Apple Watch will be thinner by measures of up to a 40% reduction in thickness, if we're lucky.
However, we're now also hearing that the next Apple Watch actually won't be mixing things up much in terms of its design. Or at all, if Ming-Chi Quo's insider knowledge ends up becoming truth. According to AppleInsider, his sources state that the upcoming Apple wearable won't boast any visual changes to the design. That will happen some time after, possibly in 2017.
While he suggests that the design might not change one bit in the next Apple Watch, the specs, as you'd imagine, will be getting a big boost. We're currently unsure of exactly which components will be improved upon, but it's relatively safe to assume we might see a bump up in screen resolution, onboard storage and battery life.
Suffice to say, what we see in a matter of months may not end up being a full-on successor to the Apple Watch, but more like an "S" upgrade over the original.
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The Apple Watch 2 release date is shrouded in so much mystery that not even Siri knows the answer. The same goes for its new features and cost, given the recent Apple Watch price drop. Will it revert back?
Asking the Apple Watch "When does the Apple Watch 2 come out?" only gets me to this message: "Apple.com should be able to answer that question. Continue on the iPhone."
There are two important things you should know about this answer. First, of course Apple's official website doesn't reveal such juicy information. I've checked. Everyday.
Siri, apps and fitness tracking need a serious tune up, and more sensors and even greater waterproof guarantees should be added in Apple Watch for 2016.
We've had a good old think here at techradar Towers to work out what we want to see from the new Apple Watch, so head over to page 2 for our wishlist.
Right now, it's time to explore the latest Apple Watch 2 rumors for 2016.
- Read our in-depth review of the Apple Watch
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The second generation Apple Watch
- When is it out? At WWDC in June or September's iPhone 7 launch
- What will it cost? Probably a lot, similar to the current Watch
Apple Watch 2 release date
Although Siri didn't answer my question about the Apple Watch 2 release date, there are at least two distinct points in 2016 in which I could see the company's next wearable launch.Instead, iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7 graced the stage. Oh, yes, Apple Watch was there, too - and not just the white one on CEO Tim Cook's wrist. New Apple Watch bands and a lower price were all we got.
That means the launch may happen in June alongside iOS 10 at Apple's WWDC 2016 event, or in September along with the likely iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus debut.
However, a WWDC 2016 announcement would still go along with the Q2 2016 release date estimate that the chairman for Apple Watch supplier Quanta hinted at.
Barry Lam from Quanta said in 2015, "Quanta and Apple are currently developing the second-generation of the Apple Watch, expected late next year in the second quarter."
A new report suggests that Apple Watch supplier Quanta will be responsible for all the production on the Apple Watch 2, as the company has lowered its order from its initial estimates.
Sources from the upstream supply chain suggest the Apple Watch 2 will go into production in Q2, suggesting it'll be launched before the expected iPhone 7 launch in September.
This would give Apple enough time to tinker with its smartwatch and not make early adopters feel too cheaped with a rigid 12-month-upgrade schedule. Whether it's a true reinvention for a incremental Apple Watch S upgrade remains to be seen.
Apple Watch 2 price
There may be some wiggle room with the Apple Watch price, considering US retailers have iPhone smartwatch on sale right now and the company just lowered the official price.Introducing the Apple Watch 2 at this new price from the get-go would put the gadget in more hands and on more wrists. Just don't expect the gold Apple Watch Edition price to budge from $17,000 (£13,500, AU$24,000).
Apple Watch 2 news and rumors
Watch OS 2 was a small step forward with improvements, like better native app support, tetherless Wi-Fi and the ability to watch videos, reply to emails and make FaceTime audio calls.New Apple Watch 2 features, coupled with an Watch OS 3 updates, is bound to let you do more directly from the smartwatch, too.
A source talking to Phone Arena went on to claim that the Apple Watch 2 will have a video camera, allowing users to make and receive video FaceTime calls rather than just audio ones.
New models might be launched too, providing users with more than just the standard, Sport and Edition versions available now. It's not clear exactly what form these new models will take, but new materials could be on the cards, such as titanium, platinum and perhaps even Liquidmetal.
One thing which will apparently change according to the same source is the thickness of the screen, which will be made thinner to allow for a larger battery. Yet that clashes with previous rumors that the juice pack will be staying the same, albeit with possible software improvements to improve its life.
It could also have a new breed of smart band to go along with it, as a recent patent application has been filed for a strap that has light fibres woven in, meaning you'll be able to get notifications from your wrist all the way around.
Overall we're really not sure what to expect from the Apple Watch 2 just yet, and we're sure it will hold plenty of surprises and features beyond what we've heard so far and beyond what the original Apple Watch (which will be getting Watch OS 2) is capable of.
While the March 21 Apple press conference didn't usher in the second coming of the Apple Watch, we'll be scanning the internet and reading between the lines of Apple statement (and the lines of iOS 9.3 code) for even the smallest suggest of the Apple Watch 2.
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