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Adding cellular connectivity will surely mean reducing the battery size and drawing more power to run the device. The battery is pretty bad as it is, so I don’t see how this can be that much of a positive. I would have liked to have seen a new form factor and vastly improved battery life in order for me to seriously consider replacing my 1st Gen.
 
it looks like john gruber has a personal vendetta against mark gurman.

first he attacked mark gurman for being late in the rumors. then when mark posted a scoop on the apple watch 3, gruber mentioned that mark missed the form factor change (which he did mention to take it with a grain of salt).

it might be feasible at $1/mo, but even then i still wouldn't pay for it. maybe apple will offer a free 2 year service.
Gruber has turned into a grumpy old man.
 
This is awesome, I thought we would have to wait years more for an actually-connected apple watch. I might switch to this from android. then I could get a small tablet when I need to email or text that gets its connectivity from the watch. I hope this is true.
 
I think slimmer case doesn't count as obvious change so some people can still hope. But only adding lte reminds the days when Apple make a separate presentation to introduce white iphone 4 and few people lined up for it.
 
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I don't mind the form factor as it is,,,

if LTE is being added, I'd sooner have the extra battery life over a slimmer form factor.
 
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If LTE is the main differentiator, will all series 3 models have it?

Would be great to see low cost plans. $10/month for an iPad is one thing, but watches are going to use a tiny fraction of the data that tablets use. $10/month for a watch isn't reasonable.
 
Stupid on Apple's part. They would sell a hell of a lot more with a redesign.

Maybe.

But given that Apple has sold more smartwatches than anyone else can even dream of (true smartwatches... not cheap fitness bands)... and there is an ever-growing list of OEMs who are NOT selling smartwatches anymore...

... I'd say Apple is selling plenty. :p
 
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I suppose if more energy efficient OLED displays are used, we could see thinner and possibly same or better battery life.

But you can't compare it to Garmin. They may last a week, but their displays are pretty lacklustre.

My issue is price. Hoping a 42mm Series 2 (aluminum) gets bumped down to $299 or less.
 
i guess the redesign will come next year then. most likely with a microLED display
 
I'm hoping that the watch iOS allow the following cellular modes:

1. Call out only (saves most battery)
2. Hourly ping (find out if someone called you / left a voicemail)
3. Full time cellular (battery intensive)

Being a nerdy hypochondriac cyclist, I'm actually looking forward to cellular connectivity for emergencies. Also, cell service on the watch would allow the elderly to ditch rip off services like "Life-Alert", and just push the watch's button to notify 911 and their family of health emergencies. That may sound silly to younger folks, but to folks who have had a brush with some emergency where their iPhone was un-accessible, pushing one button without needing to see the screen, is a pretty cool feature.
 
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Gruber vs. Ming-Chi Kuo

Who has the correct rumor???

I'm by no means an expert when it comes to information gathering from secret sources, but usually when reporters use phrases like "little birdie" it's usually pretty high up the chain, i.e. a whisperer who's pretty close to and knowledgeable on the subject matter.

Now, supply chain sources vs internal sources are very different. Could very well be that Apple is experimenting and engineering with different Watch form factors, but doesn't mean we'll see them come to light with Series 3. Even still, I'm likely to take Gruber's little birdie as a good sign that different models are in the works.

That's my hot take, anyway.
 
I don't care about design changes at all. Looks great already. If it has LTE and they won't charge me extra for another plan or stuff, I'll get it.
 
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my favourite will be the 5th generation. Apple likes mini steps, Iphone 5 was revolutionary, since then it is MEH. Mac book pros, ipads same story, every 6 years worth to upgrade.
 
Apple never puts all the goodies in one product...I think we all knew that cellular would come first then the following year new slimmer design. They'd never do both at the same time.
 
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