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Apple Watch 2 sooner than you think?

I have a feeling that if Apple releases new bands and/or anodized yellow/rose gold-colored Sport models (which hardly constitute v2) in the fall, some customers will get pissed anyway.

"I just bought a Watch and would have bought that band. No fair!"

"I like the gold Sport model so much better than my silver Sport. Apple is a dick for not offering it at launch!"
 
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MH01 said:
If Apple released a new version of the watch next month they would shoot themselves in the foot, and piss off the already small user base. My guess is that it will be on a yearly or longer cycle.
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Agreed. The "fence-sitters" waiting for Watch 2 are going to get sore butts! :)
 
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JayLenochiniMac said:
I have a feeling that if Apple releases new bands and/or anodized yellow/rose gold-colored Sport models (which hardly constitute v2) in the fall, some customers will get pissed anyway.

"I just bought a Watch and would have bought that band. No fair!"

"I like the gold Sport model so much better than my silver Sport. Apple is a dick for not offering it at launch!"
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I think the new bands or anodization colors are very likely.

For the bands: No need to be pissed - You can just buy one.

For the watch case colors: As long as Apple keeps the same internals (and I believe they will) owners are not going to be upset. If you buy a blue car in January, you don't get pissed if Honda introduces purple in February (for the very same car). You might get pissed if there's a bigger engine or some other material change. Color, not so much.

That leaves the very few "fashonistas" (and I believe these folks are far scarcer than first thought) who absolutely MUST have the newest color. They'll have no trouble justifying the full purchase price - because color is important to them.
 
Arran said:
For the bands: No need to be pissed - You can just buy one.

For the watch case colors: As long as Apple keeps the same internals (and I believe they will) owners are not going to be upset. If you buy a blue car in January, you don't get pissed if Honda introduces purple in February (for the very same car). You might get pissed if there's a bigger engine or some other material change. Color, not so much.
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Trust me, certain members would get pissed if that happens, especially if they're the cheap kind and too lazy or don't want to lose $$$ from selling the old watch to get the new color.
 
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New case colors would make it less versatile, though. Changing just the bands is a great way to get a new look; plus, being able to change them so easily is already a big step ahead of regular watches.

You'd also get the Debbie Downers to proclaim that Apple has already gotten desperate and is trying to salvage the Watch's dismally atrocious sales figures with a mere color change, which would be "proof" that Apple is incapable of offering anything "new".
 
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BarracksSi said:
New case colors would make it less versatile, though. Changing just the bands is a great way to get a new look; plus, being able to change them so easily is already a big step ahead of regular watches.
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I think they'd easily attract owners of the Gold iPhone

You'd also get the Debbie Downers to proclaim that Apple has already gotten desperate and is trying to salvage the Watch's dismally atrocious sales figures with a mere color change, which would be "proof" that Apple is incapable of offering anything "new".
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Funny nobody suggested this with the white iPhone 3G or the gold 5s.
 
I hope they release the Apple Watch 2 tomorrow. Will have double the GPU/CPU/battery life/GPS/LTE
 
apple likes money. there is no reason to come out with a v2 with v1 selling the way it's selling. i know it's counter-intuitive, but companies like apple will see it as an even bigger risk to come out with an incremental upgrade to grab market share they already have.

they most likely would find it a better investment to have a serious upgrade and release that so they can actually market it in a way that's conducive to growing the industry vs grabbing sales now.
 
maflynn said:
I do think its a poor business and marketing decision to have such a long build up for this model, to then go and release a newer model a mere handful of months later. To me that could only represent a colossal failure in the initial design. Apple spent years on this product and to have it replaced so soon would imply that they didn't get it right the first time.
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Enygmatic said:
As far as updating the design, you're right - as much as Tim and Jony went on and on about the years that went into its design, that would seem odd. I don't see any physical updates until 2017 at the earliest.
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Right. The Apple watch 2 (wether its this fall, next spring, or next fall) will most likely retain the same form factor (maybe color additions). So Maflynn, if Apple WERE to release an update this year, it would not represent a failure of design if it maintained the same design... But also keep in mind guys, that the iPhone and iPad both had redesigns for v2.

JayLenochiniMac said:
Funny nobody suggested this with the white iPhone 3G or the gold 5s.
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Why would they? There's a difference between just a color change and adding a color to a new gen. Apple changes/adds colors to iPods all the time. They just made 3 macbook colors.
 
Mad Mac Maniac said:
Why would they? There's a difference between just a color change and adding a color to a new gen. Apple changes/adds colors to iPods all the time. They just made 3 macbook colors.
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I remember the white iPhone 4 getting delayed for many months, essentially adding a color to a new gen.

I was just poking fun of people who point to color change and adding a color as a sign of Apple's desperation.
 
My guess, and it's not an especially informed guess, is that there will be new bands later this year and that adding new colours to the sport range will wait until next year (although if there's a rose gold option for the next phone then there may be a watch at the same time, I guess).

I think the watch could well have a longer lifecycle because software will make more difference than hardware at this point. Maybe.

The idea of smart bands that add functionality is really interesting though. That could make a huge difference.
 
Mad Mac Maniac said:
if Apple WERE to release an update this year, it would not represent a failure of design if it maintained the same design.
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No because there is an expectation for apple to update its products annually. I think adding more features is fine, next year but if they rolled out a gen 2 model now rather then next year, I think it would represent at least perceptionaly a failure on apple's part. That is a brand new product is updated when they have not even rolled it out to all of their current markets.
 
Arran said:
Agreed. The "fence-sitters" waiting for Watch 2 are going to get sore butts! :)
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There will always be a better model down the line....but I prefer to use something for 12 or so months than wait for the next.

People who can afford each model are the winners. The concept of the Apple watch is not going to change in version 2, so if a smart watch is not for a person, version 2 with a few more features and bit more battery is not going to fix that.
 
Personally, I think the current watch is a little bulky and could lose some weight. I also think it should not have to be tied to a phone. The watch 2 will be like the iPad 2 - much more refined and elegant and more health sensors, etc.

I also think it needs a price drop of about $50-100.
 
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maflynn said:
No because there is an expectation for apple to update its products annually. I think adding more features is fine, next year but if they rolled out a gen 2 model now rather then next year, I think it would represent at least perceptionaly a failure on apple's part. That is a brand new product is updated when they have not even rolled it out to all of their current markets.
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Once again. Not always the case. iPad 3 vs iPad 4....
 
jmmo20 said:
Once again. Not always the case. iPad 3 vs iPad 4....
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True, but the iPad was rolled out, and the iPad 3 wasn't a brand new product that apple was building up the hype and excitement.

With that said, look at how it was received, the buyers of the iPad 3 were angry that they spent so much money on a product that was replaced so quickly and the news media jumped on why apple replaced it so quickly.

Can you image the blood bath apple would go through if they replaced their brand new watch that they've been saying how well its been selling great but other people are wondering about the actual numbers?
 
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maflynn said:
Can you image the blood bath apple would go through if they replaced their brand new watch that they've been saying how well its been selling great but other people are wondering about the actual numbers?
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True, but the biggest factor in my mind is that there's simply no need to replace it. It's a far more capable, polished and mature product than any of the competition.

There's no need to replace it now, and possibly not for years. It already contains plenty of unexploited potential.
 
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rillrill said:
Personally, I think the current watch is a little bulky and could lose some weight. I also think it should not have to be tied to a phone. The watch 2 will be like the iPad 2 - much more refined and elegant and more health sensors, etc.

I also think it needs a price drop of about $50-100.
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I assume you're referring to the steel version? I'm not sure how anyone could say the sport watches are to heavy.
 
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