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Apple Watch 'Pro' May Feature Additional Physical Buttons for Workout-Related Functions

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Leaker Sonny Dickson has shared another image of a third-party band-and-casing accessory allegedly moulded for the forthcoming Apple Watch Pro that suggests the Garmin-style rugged device could feature additional physical buttons on the left-hand side of the screen.

sonny-dickson-apple-watch-pro-buttons.jpg

Aimed at athletes and hikers, the new Apple Watch Pro is expected to feature a new hard titanium chassis design with a larger screen, but until now rumors did not mention the inclusion of new buttons on the device, where the speaker vents usually reside. The case suggests at least one new button on the left, possibly beside a smaller round hole for a new speaker vent design.

Athletes and running watch wearers are generally known to prefer physical buttons over touchscreen controls since they are more responsive in rainy and inclement weather conditions, so the inclusion of new physical controls would make sense, should the cases prove accurate.

The Digital Crown and Side button cutouts on the right side of the screen also suggest these buttons will be more protruding than on other Apple Watch models.

The moulding of the accessory case and earlier images of similar cases also suggest that the screen will be flatter than previous Apple Watch designs and will sit flush with the flat edges of the main chassis, which tapers off into a more rounded body.

The Apple Watch Pro is likely to cost significantly more than the Apple Watch Series 8, which is expected to retain the same chassis design as the current Series 7. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman suggests the new "Pro" watch could be priced in the range of $900 or $1,000.

Notably, Gurman believes the Apple Watch Pro will remain compatible with older Apple Watch bands. Both devices are expected to be announced on Wednesday at Apple's "Far Out" media event alongside a new Apple Watch SE, the iPhone 14 series, and AirPods Pro 2.

Article Link: Apple Watch 'Pro' May Feature Additional Physical Buttons for Workout-Related Functions
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/05/apple-watch-pro-additional-buttons/
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That's what I'm talking about. If its a "Pro" watch, give it additional features.

On a side note, if all of these leaks are wrong its going to be a pretty lame update for this year.
 
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Is that echoes of Apple's "one mouse button is enough" that I hear rumbling down through the years.
 
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It's not because of "inclement weather conditions" us runners or athletes wants "easier to press" push buttons, it's because touchscreens don't like water. Usually I use the droplet water mode on my AW, otherwise it might ghost press due to water triggering the touchscreen.
 
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That would be great !
I'm currently running with both a garmin and an apple watch mostly because of this.
Physical buttons are not only easier to press when it's raining or you're sweaty, the main benefit is that you can press them without having to look at the watch, which can be quite handy when you want to start a segment in a crowded place
 
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Wouldn’t a better name for this more “rugged” Apple watch be the “Apple Watch Extreme?” Rather than “Pro?” I dunno. It just seems to make more sense if the key selling point is it’s durability for more extreme activities. I mean not everyone who wants “Pro” features in a watch are into extreme sports. Just saying. But who am I to question Apple?

Having said that, I am a very active Apple Watch user. I bike, hike, swim, surf & other outdoor activities. So far my Apple Watch 6 has held up extremely well. Yes, larger & more physical buttons would be nice for wet conditions. But I hope the larger size means longer battery life. On long bike rides & multi day hikes, that would be the feature I’d most want in the new apple watch. As far as health sensors go, I am happy with the ones Apple already has. A temperature sensor is cool, but not high on my list of wants. I’d much rather have a glucose level sensor. But looks like that one isn’t coming anytime soon to the Apple watch. I still don’t know if I’ll upgrade Tho. I am quite happy with my Apple Watch 6. I will be upgrading my iPhone 11 Pro Max instead this year. My iphone has replaced my dslr as my main travel camera, so better cameras on the iPhone 14 Pro Max are more tempting to me than upgrading my watch.
 
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DMG35 said:
That's what I'm talking about. If its a "Pro" watch, give it additional features.

On a side note, if all of these leaks are wrong its going to be a pretty lame update for this year.
Click to expand...
Well yes. If ALL the leaks are wrong, then the Apple Watch 8 won’t be coming out this week.

Even if it’s just a speed bump, it’ll be far better than my AW4, so it won’t be a lame update for me. However, I’m willing to bet, it’ll have more than the AW7. All I really want is an AW7 tungsten, so I’ll be happy with the Pro.
 
This rumour of an extra button is very exciting news - IF it translates across to the regular Apple watch next year (or if I dream, this year) since this Pro model looks as if it is going to be way to chunky for my small wrists.

I've been an Apple Watch user for a couple of years and love the Apple Watch but within a week of buying my first (a series 6) AW my biggest wish was a second button on the side opposite the crown and identical in design to the existing lower button beneath the crown. Add an option in setting to allow click, double click and long press on that extra button to be assigned to individual apps and it would give 3 more actions on the watch that could be accessed really quickly and conveniently without needing to allocate a complication slot or go into the dock or app launcher. I'd set Activity, Workouts and Shazam as my three actions and that would significantly reduce the number of times I have to swipe away from my primary watch face to get to health stuff or to Shazam a song.

Actually I'd also like the option in settings to change some of the assignments for the existing button and crown. The apps I use most frequently that I don't use a complication for I access via the dock so I would really like a single click on the crown to launch the dock rather than the app launcher which I almost never use hence the single-click on the crown is essentially a wasted interface element for me right now. In the incredibly rare cases when I do need to get to the full app launcher I would be perfectly OK with scrolling down to the bottom of the dock and selecting "All Apps" but obviously if Apple gave users the option to set things up as they want others could leave the assignments as they are.
 
I didn't think we needed more buttons. 'We' need MORE BATTERY LIFE, and MORE FLEXIBILITY in sensor support.

Add 3 hours of battery life, and ANT+ support, and less buttons. Anyone just needs to look at the plethora of buttons on a Garmin watch to see more is less. SIX BUTTONS? Why not EIGHT?

More battery life, more flexibility. Anything else is a tone deaf half understanding of the needs of people looking for a 'sport watch'.

EDIT: Someone voted down more battery and more flexibility? Or was it less buttons.

Apple could set it up where if you hold your finger on the screen long enough, it goes into sleep mode, and doing the same would wake it. I mean, it *could* work...
 
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millions of roadbikers, gravelbikers and mountain bikers all over the world will ask themselves „how can i mount this on my handlebar?“
so „pro“ does not convert this gadget to a sportswatch its more like a „pro“ gadget.

runners will be satisfied i guess. bikers and triathletes will keep their garmins or wahoos for the next decade
 
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sos47 said:
millions of roadbikers, gravelbikers and mountain bikers all over the world will ask themselves „how can i mount this on my handlebar?“
so „pro“ does not convert this gadget to a sportswatch its more like a „pro“ gadget.

runners will be satisfied i guess. bikers and triathletes will keep their garmins or wahoos for the next decade
Click to expand...

Garmin did (does?) have a mount for the fenix for bicyclists, and it was a PITA. The watch kept turning on the bar, and that small screen was that much farther away. Yes a hammer can drive screws, but a screwdriver works so much better. A fenix/whatever can be used while riding a bike, but an Edge does it so much better. *shrug* But you do you...
 
I’ll be very happy if Apple does indeed launch a Watch Pro that looks like these latest cad files and case accessories, as I find it to be a terrible look that won’t hold a candle to my current Epix 2. That means no desire to shift back to an Apple Watch and I can continue to love using my Epix for 16 days between charges.
 
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