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The connectors are considerably thinner than the current Watch body and I doubt they'd make the next iteration so thin that the current connectors are too thick.

I think there's a good chance that the next version will stay the same thickness, too. Wrist presence is very much a part of current wristwatch design, and the current Apple Watch isn't all that thick compared to many wristwatches out there (even the relatively modest ones.) If Apple wants this device to be seen as fashionable, thinness may not be as desirable as it is on something like a phone, which needs to fit in a pocket.

I think Apple should keep the current Watch thickness, and, if the internals shrink, they can put more battery in there.
 
I think there's a good chance that the next version will stay the same thickness, too. Wrist presence is very much a part of current wristwatch design, and the current Apple Watch isn't all that thick compared to many wristwatches out there (even the relatively modest ones.) If Apple wants this device to be seen as fashionable, thinness may not be as desirable as it is on something like a phone, which needs to fit in a pocket.

I think Apple should keep the current Watch thickness, and, if the internals shrink, they can put more battery in there.

Except that's unlikely given Apple's obsession with thinness. I'd be more inclined to agree with you if they weren't so fanatical about thinness.
 
Except that's unlikely given Apple's obsession with thinness. I'd be more inclined to agree with you if they weren't so fanatical about thinness.

I don't know, I think wearables may be different, but we'll see. The new iPhone 6S is .2mm thicker than the old one. :)
 
I don't know, I think wearables may be different, but we'll see. The new iPhone 6S is .2mm thicker than the old one. :)

Ditto with the 3G/3GS, which was thicker than the original iPhone. However, there's a downward trend as with iMac, MacBooks and everything else Apple.

Some people think the current AW looks rather bulbous. Making it thinner should reduce this, or they can simply square off the edges a la iPhone 4 and 5 series. Either way, the basic physical design will likely remain the same as with the iPhone.
 
Ditto with the 3G/3GS, which was thicker than the original iPhone. However, there's a downward trend as with iMac, MacBooks and everything else Apple.

Some people think the current AW looks rather bulbous. Making it thinner should reduce this, or they can simply square off the edges a la iPhone 4 and 5 series. Either way, the basic physical design will likely remain the same as with the iPhone.

I think it would be a mistake to thin it out or change the design to be congruous with whatever future iPhones look like. Outside of many of the classic mechanical watch designs, even some current Casio G-Shocks looked similar 20 years ago, and they're one of the few digital watches to become iconic.
 
I think it would be a mistake to thin it out or change the design to be congruous with whatever future iPhones look like. Outside of many of the classic mechanical watch designs, even some current Casio G-Shocks looked similar 20 years ago, and they're one of the few digital watches to become iconic.

Resistance is futile. Apple will be Apple.
 
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I'm not saying that there won't be newer, different designs of the Apple Watch in the future, but you can bet that Newson and Ive want the current Apple Watch's physical design to be considered somewhat timeless (no pun intended,) which is important in the world of wristwatches. They may very well keep the current physical design, with internal updates, for a long time. We'll probably see more materials or colors, too. I'd love to see one with more brushed steel, if they can make it work with the design.

I will co sign this The design iterations of iPhone have been evolutionary as opposed to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Watches typically don't seem to have radical external design changes every year. I can see them mainly shrinking the current design and doing refinements until we have a shift in foldable tech so to speak.
 
I realize you're not the first to mention this idea, but you've triggered me. No offense. ;)

I hear it will launch with new wrist bands which have sensors in the strap.

Why? Why would this make sense?

I wear mine on my left wrist, crown to the left, so I can press the crown with my thumb. Apple included this orientation as an option.

This means that I also switch the top and bottom of the sport band so it's just as easy to put on.

Now -- how will a sensor-laden wrist strap connect to the watch? Will it somehow plug into the "mystery port"? How will the connector itself be so low-profile that it can slide easily into the case slot yet still protrude into the "mystery port" for a reliable connection? Will it somehow let me swap the strap ends with dual connectors?

Or would it be via Bluetooth? Adding yet another device to pair through a submenu, and later keep charged with power?

I'm not even going to bother asking what sensors people think should be included in a "smart strap" because I think they're a clunky, awkward idea anyway.
 
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Imagine apple watch looking like this:cool:
apple-watch2.png
What I love about this render is, it reinforces the idea that a round face is less usable when it comes to displaying several pieces of information. Text bits stacked on top, Activity rings shrunken down, not much room for anything else on the display. It just works better on the original.
 
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Except that's unlikely given Apple's obsession with thinness. I'd be more inclined to agree with you if they weren't so fanatical about thinness.
But it's not a blind obsession. The portly Mac Pro isn't exactly thin. On the other hand, thinness with a purpose makes perfect sense:
  • Thin makes sense for the iPhone, because you have to slip it in and out of pocket easily. It's practically a "wearable".
  • Thin makes sense for the iMac, because it helps a bulky box blend discreetly into a domestic setting.
  • Thin makes sense for a Macbook, because it must slip easily in and out of a backpack/briefcase/airline seat-back pocket/etc., and also be carried around.
But for a watch, thin isn't so important.

douglasf13
makes a good point about "wrist presence". If the watch becomes thin and invisible, how will onlookers know you own one? Now granted, broadcasting personal ownership of an Apple watch may not be your (or my) goal: We're not all incorrigible showoffs! But broadcasting widespread popularity of the product is certainly a goal of Apple's marketing people. Why do you think iPod/iPhone headphones are white? Look. At. Me! :)
 
What I love about this render is, it reinforces the idea that a round face is less usable when it comes to displaying several pieces of information. Text bits stacked on top, Activity rings shrunken down, not much room for anything else on the display. It just works better on the original.
Except I would have put the time in the center of the rings, to guide your eye there like a bulls eye. And why does it even need to tell me I'm in the "activity" app ... I'd say the concentric circles are plenty to tell me that. Then I would say the round format works better as the rings themselves could be larger than they are on a similar height Watch display. People love to throw roadblocks up against round smartwatches, but the reality is, had Apple decided to do round, all of these UI issues would have been resolved. Would rectangular still outperform round in some instances? Sure. Reading large blocks of text would look better in a square format, and I for one don't have a problem with a letterboxed presentation on a round watch for such occasions. But all renders such as this demonstrate to me is a lack of imagination, or good design consideration, and not proof of inferiority.
 
I realize you're not the first to mention this idea, but you've triggered me. No offense. ;)



Why? Why would this make sense?

I wear mine on my left wrist, crown to the left, so I can press the crown with my thumb. Apple included this orientation as an option.

This means that I also switch the top and bottom of the sport band so it's just as easy to put on.

Now -- how will a sensor-laden wrist strap connect to the watch? Will it somehow plug into the "mystery port"? How will the connector itself be so low-profile that it can slide easily into the case slot yet still protrude into the "mystery port" for a reliable connection? Will it somehow let me swap the strap ends with dual connectors?

Or would it be via Bluetooth? Adding yet another device to pair through a submenu, and later keep charged with power?

I'm not even going to bother asking what sensors people think should be included in a "smart strap" because I think they're a clunky, awkward idea anyway.

What I find interesting about the left-handed comment is that it brings to mind that there are no official Apple marketing photos of the watch being worn upside down by a "lefty". It's painfully clear that the watch is not intended to be worn this way, although Apple accommodates it because of the inherent design flaw. I'm sure Jony Ive's teeth hurt every time he sees one worn this way. I personally don't find it aesthetically pleasing and it's not as ergonomic as wearing it the correct way. So you're absolutely right that it would make no sense for a band to connect to the existing ports since it would require actual left-handed bands be designed. It will be interesting to see if Apple goes this route, whether they will enable lefty's to use the smart bands in the correct orientation for them, or force them to wear the watch the "correct" way.
 
My wishlist:

1. Better WiFi options. 2.5Ghz only is a pain. Also, it'd be nice for them to find a way to work with password-protected networks. Maybe a little keyboard of some sort. It might require you to scroll through a couple of pages to get all the letters, but something would be better than nothing.

2. Less phone dependence overall. I know this is something they're working on.

3. Better speaker. The current one is mostly useless if you're not in the equivalent of an anechoic chamber. Speakerphone is very useful in theory, but the volume on the watch makes it a chore to use.
 
Jony Ive on Apple Watch II that looks like a iPhone 4 (squarish edges).

*read in British accent*

"Beauty can be found in the simplicity of a straight edge. The new Apple watch brilliantly pays tribute to the time pieces of yesterday but still maintains an appearance that looks familiar".
"The shortest distance between to points, is a straight line" "We wanted the design of the next Apple Watch to reflect the processing power and I couldn't think of anything more simplistically elegant than a straight edge" "the screen reaches the edge of the bezel because, well...why not?" No micro nanometer was wasted on the Apple Watch" "Everything was carefully thought out" "for instance, when it rains the water on your watch makes it difficult for the display to register your touch" "we've thought of a solution, we covered the display with patented Aqua-repellant coating"
Hahha
 
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My Top 10 Apple Watch 2 requests in order of preference
1) GPS
2) Faster/more efficient Processor
3) Larger in size (same thickness, but larger screen and surface area)
4) Improved existing sensors (specifically HR, but go to town with the sensors)
5) Wireless Charging over distance (To wear & charge while sleeping)
6) Officially waterproof to 10m (I already swim with mine, but...)
7) Additional health sensors
8) Cellular/4G (or 3G)
9) Additional storage (I want to store podcasts/audiobooks locally for runs, plus future proofing)
10) No Camera (this might be odd that a request is to leave something off, but I think a camera would be awkward, low quality, and the amount of space required for a camera would take aways from battery life/other capability)
My expectation for Gen2:
Highly likely: 1, 2, 4, and 10
Possible: 6, 7
Not likely: 3, 9
Not a chance: 5, 8

Honestly, if GPS were the only thing changed (assuming Apple was able to keep reasonable daily battery life), there's an 80% chance I'd upgrade.
 
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