Apple Inc. likes to commemorate product anniversaries when it can. As the iPhone neared its 10th birthday in 2017, the company raced to get the iPhone X out in time. That model was a major upgrade, with a new design featuring an edge-to-edge display. (To make the model number work, Apple skipped the iPhone 9.) Bloomberg reported.
It couldn’t really celebrate the iPod in the same way because that device was already fading when its 10-year anniversary rolled around in 2011. And Apple didn’t make a fuss about the iPad’s 10-year birthday in 2020, at the dawn of the pandemic. It just made tweaks to the iPad Pro.
Now the Apple Watch is nearing its 10th birthday, and the company has a chance to make the occasion. This fall, Apple is planning some notable changes to its original smartwatch line — the “Series” models — including larger displays. The device will also be thinner, through the design itself is unlikely to look much different.
Both versions of the Series 10 — codenamed N217 and N218 — will get bigger screens. The change means Series 10 shoppers will be able to pick a screen that’s about as large as the one on the Apple Watch Ultra. The Ultra itself, meanwhile, won’t get a major design change (but the current one only dates to 2022).
The Verge reported the Apple Watch Series 10 — may get the same size screen as the company’s 49mm outdoorsy watch. That’s in addition to other possible improvements, like a thinner case and a new chip that could “lay the groundwork for some AI enhancements down the road,” according to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg.
As for new sensors, that seems cloudier, as Gurman says Apple is struggling with two big health sensor updates it’s been planning. The company reportedly hasn’t been able to get its rumored blood pressure monitor’s reliability up to snuff, and he writes that not being able to use its banned blood oxygen sensor is hampering its efforts to add step apnea detection.
The screen rumor seems to back up a CAD render from last month that showed a Series 10 watch with a two-inch display. Gurman says — and the render appears to show — that the watch won’t otherwise feature any major design changes. That means no magnetic watch strap or whatever.
Engadget reported Apple has been working on more advanced health features for its smartwatches, but it seems some of these may not be ready in time for the next release.
That includes tools that measure high blood pressure and detect sleep apnea. Sleep apnea monitoring, for one would rely on blood oxygen saturation measurements, which Apple currently can’t offer thanks to a patent dispute.
In my opinion, those who love to buy new Apple Watches will purchase them when they become available. I wonder if there will be a line outside Apple stores when the new Apple Watches are ready for sale.