Apple Watch series 5 - what can we expect and when?

[andiwm2003]

Series 5 like you said, Will likely be more incremental, internal improvements, another color added. The next major breakthrough would be glucose monitoring. Eventually I could see Apple adding a round design, but not yet. The real question, does Apple launch a Series 5 this coming fall or later? I personally would like to see the Watch launches more spread out. I personally don’t think an Apple Watch needs to be released annually, when most consumers don’t upgrade their smart watches on an annual basis like others do on here.

I don't think this would work. There are people who upgrade from 2-4-6 others 1-3-5, others have enough cash to upgrade ever year. And there are new customers who don't have a watch yet. None of them wants to buy a watch that has been on the market for more than 12 month. At the very least apple would have to do cosmetic upgrades every year. Maybe they can adopt a 4-4s-5-5s cycle.

 

[fuchsdh]

As others say, I'd prefer a thinner watch, but I recognize that's also at odds with my wish for true "all day" battery life. It's clear display tech and battery tech just don't exist currently to give us a product of the Apple Watch's caliber any thinner (which is why every version of the Apple Watch since the Series 0 is still thicker than the 0.)

I agree it makes more sense to focus on more substantial upgrades every two years, but there are always going to be the people who want to buy in the 'off years' who are gonna' feel shafted. I have no idea (only Apple does) if that's a market like with their phones it makes sense to cater to.

 

[Apple_Robert]

If Apple releases series 5 this year, I think it will be the usual small Apple incremental update. I don't think you will see BG monitoring etc.

 

[44267547]

I don't think this would work. There are people who upgrade from 2-4-6 others 1-3-5, others have enough cash to upgrade ever year. And there are new customers who don't have a watch yet. None of them wants to buy a watch that has been on the market for more than 12 month.

So by your theory and quote, ‘Consumers don’t want to purchase a watch that’s been on the market for more than 12 months?’ Can you explain this more in detail? This doesn’t make any sense. I’m having a difficult time understanding what that even means.

 

[AsherN]

If Apple releases series 5 this year, I think it will be the usual small Apple incremental update. I don't think you will see BG monitoring etc.

BG monitoring is not coming. The tech for non-invasive BG monitoring does not currently exist. The closest we have right now are those patches you put on your arm that can send information to a monitor or phone app. BUT, they still insert a small needle in your arm.

 

[The Game 161]

I’m struggling to see how much better they could even improve it...

 

[PeteS1963]

So by your theory and quote, ‘Consumers don’t want to purchase a watch that’s been on the market for more than 12 months?’ Can you explain this more in detail? I’m having a difficult time understanding what that even means.

I kind of know what he means. I’ve stuck to my Series 3. The next watch I get will probably be a Series 5. The Series 4 is now too old for me - I want the next new shiny one.

I’m upgrading every 2 generations. The longer the gap between generations then the less money they will make. There must be quite a few people in a similar position.

 

[44267547]

I kind of know what he means. I’ve stuck to my Series 3. The next watch I get will probably be a Series 5. The Series 4 is now too old for me - I want the next new shiny one.

I’m upgrading every 2 generations. The longer the gap between generations then the less money they will make. There must be quite a few people in a similar position.

The reality is, no one really needs to update their Apple Watch on an annual basis, it doesn’t make sense. Generally on a year-to-year basis, the Apple Watch has not been majorly overhauled, with the exception of the Series 4 adding a larger display and EKG for those who have the availability to that feature. At this point, it’s not even about the hardware substantially for upgrading, it’s all about the health improvements moving forward.

That said, I mentioned this before, I don’t think the Apple Watch needs to be released every single year, I think Apple could spread it out more, where it could be around 18 months to avoid consumer exhaustion. I think the same could be said about the iPhone, where it’s not necessary to have an iPhone release every single year, when you typically don’t have the average consumer who upgrades their iPhone every single year either.

 

[xDKP]

I would still like to see them add a always on clock option - the battery is already good enough for me to let me do it. Might be a really simple two hands analogue or a simple digital time very dimmed or grey or something - just an option when you glance at it while driving, lying down, sitting at your desk or other situations where the raise to wake can be fooled

And we know Apple will make sure to tell us this feature is due to a new part of the new chip and battery working together via bla bla so not possible in software update but with the new watches. Starting at 499,-

 

[WLS]

Series 5 like you said, Will likely be more incremental, internal improvements, another color added. The next major breakthrough would be glucose monitoring. Eventually I could see Apple adding a round design, but not yet. The real question, does Apple launch a Series 5 this coming fall or later? I personally would like to see the Watch launches more spread out. I personally don’t think an Apple Watch needs to be released annually, when most consumers don’t upgrade their smart watches on an annual basis like others do on here.

Yes a faster SOC is reasonable. I'm thinking we will finally get that microled display too which would allow for always on. That would allow a thinner case. Those sounds like upgrades worth getting. Apple brings out new models each year more for the investors and stock value than for needs of the buyers.

 

[parseckadet]

Honestly, this year really feels like a year that will be heavy on software updates. I think watchOS is still finding its footing, and Apple is still getting rid of cruft that they thought would go somewhere with series 0 that never really did. I’m really hoping the mess with all the different complication styles gets sorted out this year so that we don’t have a repeat of what’s happened with the Infograph complications (i.e. third-parties slow to update because they have to support yet another style that relatively few of their users actually care about).

I really think on the hardware front this could be what I would consider the watch’s first S year. You could argue that the that series 2 was an S year, but at that point the performance improvement over the 0 was massive and justified the full version bump. It really feels that a lot of things hardware related are still at least a year away at this point. MicroLED screen? At least a year. Additional sensors? Other than pulse OX, at least a year if not even more. Always on screen? Not going to happen with OLED screens, so at least a year.

But honestly, the Apple Watch is in the best position for an S year than it ever has been. Last year’s redesign was so massive that I think it can easily carry Apple Watch though 2019 and into 2020 with the typical speed and battery improvements that we all expect from S years.

 

[44267547]

Yes a faster SOC is reasonable. I'm thinking we will finally get that microled display too which would allow for always on. That would allow a thinner case. Those sounds like upgrades worth getting. Apple brings out new models each year more for the investors and stock value than for needs of the buyers.

Micro-Led likely isn’t ready yet. At least, there is no real indication for the Series 5 displays. OLED Still seems in place. However, The advantages to Micro-Led is a significant brightness over OLED, which translates to less power draw=More battery life. And higher resolution/improved color gamut. It’s coming, but I would be willing to believe it’s at least two years out yet.

 

[andiwm2003]

..............................

That said, I mentioned this before, I don’t think the Apple Watch needs to be released every single year, I think Apple could spread it out more, where it could be around 18 months to avoid consumer exhaustion. I think the same could be said about the iPhone, where it’s not necessary to have an iPhone release every single year, when you typically don’t have the average consumer who upgrades their iPhone every single year either.

You're still missing the point. I currently don't own a Apple Watch, my brother has a 3. We both wouldn't buy a Apple Watch Series 4 for X-Mas 2019 because by then it's been more than 12 month on the market. There are certainly a lot of people out there who would delay a purchase until an updated version is out.

Why pay full price for an old model? Cars get model update on a yearly basis, so do computers. That's why Apple need to update at least on a yearly basis.

 

[44267547]

I currently don't own a Apple Watch, my brother has a 3. We both wouldn't buy a Apple Watch Series 4 for X-Mas 2019 because by then it's been more than 12 month on the market.

Your logic makes absolutely no sense. Why wouldn’t anyone consider purchasing a Series 4 Apple Watch, even if it was over a year old? Are you implying that consumers don’t want to purchase an older model watch if it was discounted, or if they’re not interested in the newer watch or if it’s too expensive? Look how many members on here alone still purchasing the Series 3 Apple Watch and it’s still a perfectly good smart watch, and that’s over a year since it’s been released.

Keep in mind, consumers like deals, and when they see a smart watch that continually rises in price every year by Apple, some don’t feel like paying those prices, and purchasing a Apple Watch that’s not the newest model, still likely meet all their needs for notifications, Apple Pay, fitness tracking, etc. I can guarantee you, even when the Series 5 launch, the Series 4 will still be popular with retailers, because It will be discounted and it’s still Shares a-lot of the same core functionality (Notifications/fitness) as a new Apple Watch would .

 

[parseckadet]

Your logic makes absolutely no sense. Why wouldn’t anyone consider purchasing a Series 4 Apple Watch, even if it was over a year old? Are you implying that consumers don’t want to purchase an older model watch if it was discounted, or if they’re not interested in the newer watch or if it’s too expensive? Look how many members on here alone still purchasing the Series 3 Apple Watch and it’s still a perfectly good smart watch, and that’s over a year since it’s been released.

Keep in mind, consumers like deals, and when they see a smart watch that continually rises in price every year by Apple, some don’t feel like paying those prices, and purchasing a Apple Watch that’s not the newest model, still likely meet all their needs for notifications, Apple Pay, fitness tracking, etc. I can guarantee you, even when the series 5 dollars launch, the Series 4 will still be popular with retailers, because It will be discounted and it’s still Shares a-lot of the same core functionality (Notifications/fitness) as a new Apple Watch would .

I believe he's talking about the case where Apple did not release a series 5 in 2019. If Christmas comes and the Apple Watch has not been updated, and thus Apple is still selling the series 4 at full price, he believes consumers will balk and hold out. I tend to agree with him, especially if rumors were swirling at the time that an update was coming in Spring 2020. Your argument is heavily dependent on a price reduction for the series 4. That wouldn't happen if Apple didn't release a series 5. Apple doesn't do price reductions on current hardware.

 

[harriska2]

I’m waiting for an independent lte watch so that I can kick the iphone to the curb. I’d also like it to sync with a mac or ipad. Otherwise I’ll just hang onto my series 1 and iPhone SE.

 

[WLS]

Micro-Led likely isn’t ready yet. At least, there is no real indication for the Series 5 displays. OLED Still seems in place. However, The advantages to Micro-Led is a significant brightness over OLED, which translates to less power draw=More battery life. And higher resolution/improved color gamut. It’s coming, but I would be willing to believe it’s at least two years out yet.

I have the Series 4 so I need more than an incremental upgrade - for me it would be the micro-LED display that would be able to be always on. I hope we see it sooner than later.

 

[44267547]

I have the Series 4 so I need more than an incremental upgrade - for me it would be the micro-LED display that would be able to be always on. I hope we see it sooner than later.

It’s definitely coming, there’s no doubt about it, Apple actually purchased a company back in 2014 known as ‘Luxeview’, who actually develops micro LED panels. I just think that technology isn’t necessarily mature enough for mass supply levels and/or Apple doesn’t have the necessary suppliers even aligned yet. I would also venture to think that the Apple Watch would be the first product to see Micro-LED, similar to as OLED was the first in Apples product line to exhibit an OLED display in April 2015.

 

[Duncan-UK]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I keep hoping that Apple will restore the music functionality that was lost when OS4 was introduced. How difficult can it be to offer proper navigation of playlists and individual song navigation and selection within playlists?

As it stands the functionality of the music app is a sad joke.

 

[Woodcrest64]

I like to see Apple unify all three apps (health, watch, activity) to just one app. I'd like to also like to see a sleep monitoring feature and improved battery life.

 

[Smartwatchlover]

I agree with you 100%. I upgrade my watch every 2 years. It seems to be a waste of money to upgrade my watch and every year now. Plus much isn’t being changed on them every year. The leap from S2 to S4 was huge for me. I’m on a 2 year upgrade cycle for both.

Same for me: started with AW2 42 aluminum space gray and ended up last fall with AW4 44 same metal and color and loved the huge improvement.

Will skip AW5 which I believe will have only incremental improvements.

Hope to see an AW6 with sensors extended to the band for improved detection of vital parameters and fitness activities.

Loyal supporter of aluminum as it’s very light and for this reason perfect for fitness and sleep tracking.

 

[oeagleo]

Personally, for me, I would like that at some time along the progression, an actual WEB-BASED site where we can see all of the information at one time, somewhat like Garmin has, or Suunto. I'm used to Garmin Connect, where I can see all day heart rate, stress, sleep, exercise, etc all in one place along with comparison graphs, etc. I am not a fan of having everything on the phone, what if it's lost? What if it's stolen? There goes all of your data, (yeah, I know it's "backed up" somewhere in the cloud, but when was the last backup?). Besides, as we advance chronologically, our eyesight also diminishes, and it is a lot easier to see the workout data on the "big screen" than on the phone. Other than that, I'm pretty happy, unless Apple would like to incorporate Firstbeat Technology into their activity data so we can see recovery time, and training effect.

 

[dojoman]

I hope Apple reduce the price of Series 5 because Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is only $199, same amount of features except EKG but it has blood pressure monitor which I see myself using everyday. Apple needs to stop with pricing gouging especially not offering Wifi only model for already expensive SS models.

 

[44267547]

I hope Apple reduce the price of Series 5 because Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is only $199, same amount of features except EKG but it has blood pressure monitor which I see myself using everyday. Apple needs to stop with pricing gouging especially not offering Wifi only model for already expensive SS models.

They won’t reduce the starting prices for the stainless models, the aluminum however, they already reduced the prices with the Series 1 years back. Apple wants the aluminum model to be the entry version with a more attractive price, the stainless holds the premium price tag. If anything, the price of the stainless has only risen every year likely due to the cost of materials and technology.

 

[Akrapovic]

Hardware wise, I'm happy. It's software that needs an update. More faces*, integration with Strave in the Workout app so you can have Strava segments on your watch. Improvement to the now playing icon at the top of the screen (why is it red, looking like a notification icon?), and if I were Apple, I'd be talking to Nike about having a few internal Apple staff redoing the NRC app. Whilst it is not Apples responsibility, if they're selling a NRC Watch, and the app is terrible, it makes the Apple product look bad.

*Faces. Just higher a few guys. A Trillion dollar company can hire a few guys. This teams only job is to make custom watch faces. Release them weekly. 2-3 a week. Sell them for 99p. Not even an open store, so no copyright issues or crap like that. All Apple controlled quality that way too.