Apple Steps up Procurement for New Apple Watch, Targets Late 2016 Debut

[Mac 128]

I'm more concerned the carriers will see it as an opportunity for another monthly contract!

I'd love to have GPS on the Watch, just not convinced about the battery life trade off.

I actually would embrace carrier bundling of Apple product services. The more devices that can use carrier services, the more likely that will happen. I'd love to pay one package that allowed me to use my minutes across whatever device I activated. That would simplify so many things ...

As far as GPS is concerned, I'd rather have it than not. Current GPS watches with lower capacity batteries than the Watch get 8-10 hours of constant use. The Watch wound't necessarily need anywhere close to that kind of continuous use, and the user would determine when to turn it on and when not -- just like taking and making calls on the Watch currently, which if the user used their watch exclusively for that would drain the battery dry in 3 hours. You only get 6 hours streaming music continuously as well. So there are already trade-offs the customer has to be aware of, and GPS can certainly fit into that category -- especially where the phone is typically always present to provide those services instead. We're really only talking about when people leave the phone behind, and really, how often is that the norm?

 

[IJ Reilly]

I actually would embrace carrier bundling of Apple product services. The more devices that can use carrier services, the more likely that will happen. I'd love to pay one package that allowed me to use my minutes across whatever device I activated. That would simplify so many things ...

At the right price, so would a lot of people, but the carriers know they can hook you for another data plan for every wireless device and get away with it. So why should they stop? I've been considering canceling the data plan on my iPad and just going with tethering to my iPhone. Seems to work okay for my Apple Watch. Adding a cellular radio to the watch seems like not a step in the right direction.

 

[usarioclave]

It'd be better to allow BT/GPS pairing with the watch than to build in a GPS. There are really small GPSs out there that are BT capable.

 

[Mac 128]

At the right price, so would a lot of people, but the carriers know they can hook you for another data plan for every wireless device and get away with it. So why should they stop? I've been considering canceling the data plan on my iPad and just going with tethering to my iPhone. Seems to work okay for my Apple Watch. Adding a cellular radio to the watch seems like not a step in the right direction.

Because?

I essentially use the watch solely without an iPhone now. Having an LTE radio inside would make that far more productive. At present I'm limited to wifi at places I've been before ...

Since apple seems to be moving toward a combined iPhone/watch launch cycle, it also makes sense for carriers to offer a bundle. Less so with the iPad since it's typically a laptop replacement totally separate from the iPhone.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Because?

I essentially use the watch solely without an iPhone now. Having an LTE radio inside would make that far more productive. At present I'm limited to wifi at places I've been before ...

Since apple seems to be moving toward a combined iPhone/watch launch cycle, it also makes sense for carriers to offer a bundle. Less so with the iPad since it's typically a laptop replacement totally separate from the iPhone.

It has always made sense from a consumer point of view for the carriers to offer bundled data plans, but for whatever reason it hasn't made sense to the carriers (I assume because it doesn't make dollars). I don't see how a cellular Apple Watch is going to make that happen when it hasn't before. So personally I don't want to pay for yet another data plan, especially when I already pay for more data plans than I need. Possibly if Apple had a plan to change the carrier's minds on that.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

A rumor out of the Asian supply chain in January suggested work on the next-generation Apple Watch was already underway,
Debut

Here's a rumor: work on the 3rd generation Apple Watch is underway, and they're in the beginning of the work for the 4th generation Apple Watch.

 

[BrodieApple]

I don't want cellular connectivity. I don't really know what I want. I want them to do something amazing with this Watch though and a big or small new design

 

[Mac 128]

It has always made sense from a consumer point of view for the carriers to offer bundled data plans, but for whatever reason it hasn't made sense to the carriers (I assume because it doesn't make dollars). I don't see how a cellular Apple Watch is going to make that happen when it hasn't before. So personally I don't want to pay for yet another data plan, especially when I already pay for more data plans than I need. Possibly if Apple had a plan to change the carrier's minds on that.

Your last point hits the nail on the head. While not exactly a failure, Apple has sold conservatively somewhere between 12-15 million watches. That's out of a potential 500 million eligible iPhones, so comparatively a drop in the bucket. Giving iPhone customers any incentive to buy the watch would be paramount for Apple's interests. Given what Apple was able to do with the carriers in offering the iPhone, on all manner of issues, from user activation to FaceTime not counting toward data minutes, to wifi calling, I would certainly expect them to manage a bundle package for the watch. Selling watches alongside the phones only gives carriers more income as well.

In addition cellular helps unbundle the watch from the iPhone, and allows greater compatibility with other phone makers without necessarily making it dependent on the competitors product. That's huge, and lifts the ceiling off of Apple's 500 million compatible iPhone limitation, because let's face it, not every iPhone user is going to want to wear an Watch, so the best they can do is likely a lot less than their current maximum potential, with no other potential market to tap to make up for it.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Your last point hits the nail on the head. While not exactly a failure, Apple has sold conservatively somewhere between 12-15 million watches. That's out of a potential 500 million eligible iPhones, so comparatively a drop in the bucket. Giving iPhone customers any incentive to buy the watch would be paramount for Apple's interests. Given what Apple was able to do with the carriers in offering the iPhone, on all manner of issues, from user activation to FaceTime not counting toward data minutes, to wifi calling, I would certainly expect them to manage a bundle package for the watch. Selling watches alongside the phones only gives carriers more income as well.

In addition cellular helps unbundle the watch from the iPhone, and allows greater compatibility with other phone makers without necessarily making it dependent on the competitors product. That's huge, and lifts the ceiling off of Apple's 500 million compatible iPhone limitation, because let's face it, not every iPhone user is going to want to wear an Watch, so the best they can do is likely a lot less than their current maximum potential, with no other potential market to tap to make up for it.

Could happen that way I suppose. If Apple simply sticks a cellular radio in Apple Watch and throws us to the tender mercies of the wireless carriers, that would not rate as progress in my book.

 

[anthonylambert]

If they added cellular function to the watch surely it would only be enabled when the watch couldn't connect using low power Bluetooth connection through the phone. In the current size case I'm not sure you could make a phone that would work for an 18 hour day as the battery would be too small. So if you went away from yr phone for a jog for an hour the watch would connect directly to the cellular network. Then switch back automagically when you were in range of yr phone again. This might provide the benefits without the battery drain.