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Apple Watch 2 sooner than you think?

Apple will upgrade the Watch regularly because $$$$$.

First of all, rich people who regularly have meal tabs in the thousands of dollars won't even notice a $20k annual watch payment, when they buy a new $200k car every year.

And I don't understand why gen 1 Apple Watch owners should get pissed if Apple releases a 2nd gen Watch. Are people really that self entitled? Is it just about having the newest shiny gizmo for as long as possible without having to spend more money? If it is, then get over yourself.
 
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Mad Mac Maniac said:
The hardware appeared to be ready (or at least pretty darn close) at annoucement on 9 September. If Apple started Watch 2 development around that time then Sept/Oct would coincide with a yearly release cycle.
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Watch 2 development started at least a year after they started Watch 1 development. In fact they're probably already developing Gen 3. It takes much more than a year to bring a new product to market, typically 2-3 years. Case in point, the Watch started development about 3 years before its release. Updating the internals of a product like an iPhone "S" update is less of a hurtle than a whole product redesign, which is what you're proposing.

But even if they missed their target introduction date, there's no reason to rush a major upgrade to market, unless the current gen watch is doing poorly, which so far it doesn't seem to be. They still had to make a major investment in marketing and advertising, which is going to be a major hit against revenue if they have to do it all again less than 6 months later. And with supplies just hitting stores in any reliable volume in August, it would be foolish to constrain supplies suddenly again on a new model, especially since they haven't likely begun to recoup for R&D and marketing costs, something investors are sure to from on. Then there's my belief that the Gen 1 watch will remain in production and be offered at a Lower entry level price. So if another factory were gearing up to produce the gen 2 watch in tandem for a September debut, it probably would have been leaked by now. Also, there's no reason for them to rush an update to market, and risk upsetting their highly vocal core user base. There's nothing even close to the Watch on the market currently for them to worry about.

I'm not saying it couldn't happen, but there's a lot more reasons why it probably won't than it will.
 
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Since this product is not exactly at the point where it has become water cooler talk, I'm basing public opinions on the AW from here. Based on most of what I have been reading size and weight have not been big complaints, so I can't imagine they are eager to meet consumer demand on slimming it down. I imagine a majority of the upgrades (yearly) will be performance based (software) and we won't seen a big hardware change for another few years. 2nd generation upgrade will likely have internal upgrades that go over the general public's head and the AW will be shamed as a failed product. Then 3rd generation will get a design bump and the general public will jump all over it like they did with the iPad 2.
 
I'm not saying this is relevant to Apple Watch, but it's usually been the 4th generation of an Apple product that saw a significant exterior redesign.

I think any physical changes made to a 2nd generation Apple Watch would be in regards to fixing potential weakness discovered in the 1st generation and improving manufacturing efficiency.

The real improvements in the next generation will be on the inside with a faster, more efficient processor, better memory, better sensors and some new feature such as GPS or a new health tracking sensor that distinguishes it from the 1st generation. Apple's iterative product upgrade process isn't really a mystery.
 
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Creek0512, you didn't see big changes between iPhone 1 and the 3G? How about the first iPad and iPad 2? Huge external and internal changes.

I expect the watch to get several pretty big upgrades over the next 2 years. Then the pace of change will settle down like on other product categories.
 
OllyW said:
Because it's been drummed into them by Apple's obsession of making things thinner so it's only natural they will expect the watch to be slimmed down when it gets updated.

The Apple Watch is no thicker than the average automatic mechanical watch so the thickness won't bother people used to wearing them. Quartz watches are usually thinner though so it's going to seem bulky if you normally wear a quartz.
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Right but I'm comparing this to other watches not things you carry or store in a handbag, pocket etc. Other Apple products have gotten thinner and lighter for more than aesthetic reasons. I wear the silver Sport watch every day and I can hardly feel it on my wrist. Also I would imagine the taptic engine partially dictates the thickness of the Watch and that is something I would not want to lose.
 
No, they look pretty much the same. Only significant change they made on the iPhone 3G was switching the back to plastic. I guess the iPad was more significant, but they only really made it thinner and it still looked pretty much the same. They weren't full redesigns like the iPhone 4 or iPad Air that were instantly distinguishable from their predecessors.
 
MrGimper said:
No new hardware for a couple of years in my view. All the magic will happen in software for the immediate future. And if I'm honest, I think the only thing that's missing from this watch is a stand-alone GPS. Everything else is awesome.
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So how will native apps work this fall? I'm assuming anything that needs internet connectivity will require a connection to the phone? There's nothing in settings that allows you to connect to a wifi hotspot. Unless the software just does it in the background?
 
Creek0512 said:
No, they look pretty much the same. Only significant change they made on the iPhone 3G was switching the back to plastic.
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The 3G/3GS felt like a toy with poor build quality compared to the original iPhone. Metal back vs. black/white plastic back hardly constitute "looking pretty much the same," not to mention that the 3G/3GS got fatter.
 
Rogifan said:
So how will native apps work this fall? I'm assuming anything that needs internet connectivity will require a connection to the phone? There's nothing in settings that allows you to connect to a wifi hotspot. Unless the software just does it in the background?
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Doesn't the Apple Watch already get known wifi networks from your iPhone and connect to them?
 
Rogifan said:
So how will native apps work this fall? I'm assuming anything that needs internet connectivity will require a connection to the phone? There's nothing in settings that allows you to connect to a wifi hotspot. Unless the software just does it in the background?
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The watch can currently connect to "known" wifi networks. As in if your phone knows about a network and can connect to it, then so can your watch.

I expect this to improve with OS 2
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
The 3G/3GS felt like a toy with poor build quality compared to the original iPhone. Metal back vs. black/white plastic back hardly constitute "looking pretty much the same," not to mention that the 3G/3GS got fatter.
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Yep, they looked pretty much the same. Was not a significant redesign.
 
Rogifan said:
Right but I'm comparing this to other watches not things you carry or store in a handbag, pocket etc.
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Like I said, it's a similar thickness to some watches but a lot thicker than others so if you've only ever worn quartz watches then there's a good chance it's going to appear thick and bulky at first.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
In that case, none of the iPhones to date can be considered a significant redesign from the original. Line them up with the screens faced up and they look "pretty much the same" except for the increasing sizes.
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LOL, now your just drifting in hyperbole. Relax dude, it's okay if we disagree on what is considered a significant redesign.
 
Creek0512 said:
LOL, now your just drifting in hyperbole. Relax dude, it's okay if we disagree on what is considered a significant redesign.
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If you consider the later iterations a significant redesign, it still doesn't make sense that the change from metal back (original iPhone) to plastic back (3G/3GS) would be any less significant than the change to glass back (4/4s/5/5s) or back to metal back (6/6+).
 
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jbachandouris said:
And yet there are more than likely an equal number of people who think yearly upgrades are delusional.

I see no reason for us to argue about things we know nothing about.
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I agree but also think that most who are adamant there will be yearly, at least, new versions are those that didn't purchase the watch and are seeking to justify why they didn't.

I have no idea one way or another but suspect we won't see yearly updated versions.
 
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foxkoneko said:
anyone who thinks apple will not have a yearly cycle for this is delusional :rolleyes:
It wouldn't be far off to expect a mid year silent update for stuff like battery / small processor bump ;)
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I would counter that anybody who thinks that there will be an update this year, or that the watch will be updated yearly, is delusional. This is not a phone or tablet that most people are going to be looking to upgrade often. And there's not a snowball's chance in heck that Apple would release a better watch just a few months after the first one went on sale. There would be such an uproar over that, and I would be leading the crowd with pitchforks and torches. Now there may be a slight snowball's chance that it will be updated next year, but I doubt it. But, time will tell. And I've been wrong before.
 
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phpmaven said:
I would counter that anybody who thinks that there will be an update this year, or that the watch will be updated yearly, is delusional. This is not a phone or tablet that most people are going to be looking to upgrade often. And there's not a snowball's chance in heck that Apple would release a better watch just a few months after the first one went on sale. There would be such an uproar over that, and I would be leading the crowd with pitchforks and torches. Now there may be a slight snowball's chance that it will be updated next year, but I doubt it. But, time will tell. And I've been wrong before.
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and we found the delusional guy. No one is forcing you do buy a watch yearly :rolleyes:
 
There is a rumor that Apple is working on smart bands that would connect to the diagnostic port. This makes sense. if Apple does this next year I can see them not releasing a new Watch. It's not like the software tasks on the Watch require a new processor every year. I'm sure the current SiP is powerful enough for several OS upgrades.
 
I would give it about 60% chance they'll release a new Watch next year. New features, same design. I could very well see them continue updating via software though, and then releasing a new one every two to three years. Yeah, I can see areas where the tech could improve, but don't necessarily think those improvements are possible/necessary right now. They could continue to freshen the Watch's appeal through new software features, colors, bands, etc.


As for September/October? No. They aren't even done rolling out this model, there's no way they have a totally new model next month.
 
We are seeing an update this fall, but it is the watchOS 2.

If I had to guess, Apple won't care if people are annoyed with a yearly update and will probably release one annually. I hope they don't keep going thinner - if they get improved batter life, I hope they don't shrink it and keep the same batterly life. I hope keep it the same size and let people enjoy more time between recharges. But this is Apple we are talking about...
 
cmChimera said:
I would give it about 60% chance they'll release a new Watch next year. New features, same design. I could very well see them continue updating via software though, and then releasing a new one every two to three years. Yeah, I can see areas where the tech could improve, but don't necessarily think those improvements are possible/necessary right now. They could continue to freshen the Watch's appeal through new software features, colors, bands, etc.


As for September/October? No. They aren't even done rolling out this model, there's no way they have a totally new model next month.
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Aside from GPS and cellular (which would kill battery life) what new features would require a new watch case? There's a rumor Apple is working on smart bands to provide more health features. Apple could easily make money off new bands without needing a new watch every year.
 
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