If anybody mentions "round", I'm going to punch a puppy.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Daring Fireball: Apple Watch Series 3 to Feature 'All-New Form Factor' [Updated]
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
FWIW...we only had one form factor...the pocket watch. The "wristwatch" occurred when WW1 soldiers strapped a pocket watch around their wrist because crawling around in the mud of the trenches made it impossible to see their pocket watches and therefore impossible to synchronise attacks.
[doublepost=1501907923][/doublepost]
I can see them keeping a relatively same form factor, just thinner so that the straps still work.
I can see them keeping a relatively same form factor, just thinner so that the straps still work.
Apple wouldn't offer just one option if this comes as a remodel. If the physical design remains the same and "Series 3" is offered only in LTE, then its possible. Overall, That would be a horrible business practice to offer a complete physical redesign of the Apple Watch only in LTE. If this rumor proved to be accurate, then why wouldn't Apple offer two redesigned Watch models with the option of LTE and one without.
Last edited:
I’d like a bigger display. I think they could do around 48mm with reduced bezels and keep it nearly the same size. That or keep the same rectangle area and put a circle around that so you still have the same scrollable area but a bigger watch face. I’ve always preferred round faces so I would pay more for that (maybe second gen). I just hope they keep the same band connector size as that would be super annoying.
I’d literally bet my eye teeth that the current watch bands fit at least the next two form factors...
It’s a standard that they (& 3rd party designers) created an industry around. A cottage industry, so to speak... for 3rd parties.
Similar to all of their iOS devices so far, I expect Apple to continue the trend thus far.
The reason there are SO many more options in the iPhone accessory market than for Android is because- as an accessory manufacturer, you absolutely KNOW that the size accessory you make for an iPhone will fit three solid years of active manufacture devices... the new model, the S model, and then the current model, tiered down after that.
30 pin was used on the original iPhone in 2007 (after being made ubiquitous from iPods since 2003) until 2012, when they switched to Lightning. Though people bitched at the time... they have stuck with Lightning for 5 years. This has been an awesome commitment to a standard.
When the Apple Watch 1st came out... I looked at the band & thought “what if this chunky thing was 1/2 this size; would the band still fit??””- the answer is an obvious yes. Look at a watch band.. it’s SO thin. That cavity would clearly fit in a much slimmer profile device. They will DEFINITELY make all bands backwards compatible.
If they differ, it will be through new band capabilities, that only the latest Apple Watch’s “SmartConnector” can handle (eg. new glucose monitor Tim’s been beta testing on campus, freshly patented blood pressure bladder, inserted in an Apple branded watch band, etc.)
The bands will fit!
It’s the key to Apple having high resale value... has been for years.
It’s a standard that they (& 3rd party designers) created an industry around. A cottage industry, so to speak... for 3rd parties.
Similar to all of their iOS devices so far, I expect Apple to continue the trend thus far.
The reason there are SO many more options in the iPhone accessory market than for Android is because- as an accessory manufacturer, you absolutely KNOW that the size accessory you make for an iPhone will fit three solid years of active manufacture devices... the new model, the S model, and then the current model, tiered down after that.
30 pin was used on the original iPhone in 2007 (after being made ubiquitous from iPods since 2003) until 2012, when they switched to Lightning. Though people bitched at the time... they have stuck with Lightning for 5 years. This has been an awesome commitment to a standard.
When the Apple Watch 1st came out... I looked at the band & thought “what if this chunky thing was 1/2 this size; would the band still fit??””- the answer is an obvious yes. Look at a watch band.. it’s SO thin. That cavity would clearly fit in a much slimmer profile device. They will DEFINITELY make all bands backwards compatible.
If they differ, it will be through new band capabilities, that only the latest Apple Watch’s “SmartConnector” can handle (eg. new glucose monitor Tim’s been beta testing on campus, freshly patented blood pressure bladder, inserted in an Apple branded watch band, etc.)
The bands will fit!
It’s the key to Apple having high resale value... has been for years.
Last edited:
Stop Trying to make round happen people, it's NOT gunna happen 
This is a massive year for Apple in terms of product releases. Phones, iPads, HomePod, watches and possibly ATV They are being very busy
Some people think the watch is too thick, others that it is just right, not sure if anyone thinks it is not thick enough.
One of the issues that I have with Apple as a company is that I know they will most likely trade battery for thickness.
So we will get a thinner watch with the same battery life.
I would much rather keep the shell the same thickness and keep getting longer battery life to the point that the screen is always on.
One of the issues that I have with Apple as a company is that I know they will most likely trade battery for thickness.
So we will get a thinner watch with the same battery life.
I would much rather keep the shell the same thickness and keep getting longer battery life to the point that the screen is always on.
Out of all the products Apple sells, the watch is the one product that carries a fashion 'burden', ie it's as much of a fashion accessory as it is a tool.
Remember this, if Apple releases a round watch, you'll be surprised how your psyche will instantly tell you how outdated all the square watches look in comparison.
Remember this, if Apple releases a round watch, you'll be surprised how your psyche will instantly tell you how outdated all the square watches look in comparison.
I don't know much about the battery but I always liked the idea of the perpetual motion in the Rolex watch. Why couldn't Apple incorporate something like that into it's watch? Maybe they could then get more time, a week, a month, who knows. Why didn't they incorporate this tech in the first gen?
If you are one of these who paid £10k for the Apple Watch you probably won't care about buying few new band anyway.
[doublepost=1501920357][/doublepost]
Stop Trying to make round happen people, it's NOT gunna happen
Maybe in the future but not this soon anyway.
And it still can't be relied upon to last through the weekend away from home without having to be recharged.
Any newer generation is better then the previous (thought that can be subjective)
I am still using the first series and very happy with it.
listening to jonny ive is like listening to someone masturbate to himself.
I'm sorry. the Watch is a good device, But from a design perspective, it really looks like he phoned it in... I mean, he took the iPhone 1 and just shrunk it.
now i'm not saying that's a bad design. I don' tlike it. But it's subjective and to each their own.
But I honestly have a hard time believing Mr Ive's superflous language about how much effort he put into this design
we've all seen this image:
You can think about the Watch and it's design all you want, but Jony is calling the shots. Hence, no round Apple Watch.
And that a rectangular shape makes more sense for a smartwatch is, in my opinion, not subjective but rather obvious. Because, to quote Steve Jobs, design is not how it looks, design is how it works. If you want form over function, i.e. a round smartwatch, you need to look elsewhere.
Can't see that happening. Every single AppleWatch app has been designed for a square screen, how would they suddenly translate to a round face? Or do you expect app designers to have to offer two versions of their app, one for square faces and another for round faces?
However before the first generation, they didn’t even know that they wanted it.
Looking at the wrist bands I think that’s not gonna be possible for a round case. The hooks are too big to fit elegantly and invisibly into a round case unfortunately.
I’m generally interested in an Watch but never bought one because I don’t like cornered watches. I have five watches and they’re all round.
According to credible rumours, they had this already implemented but it didn’t work as reliably as they were hoping for so they didn’t ship it with the Watch 2. Therefore it could very much finally be introduced with the Watch 3.
Uhm no, please don’t! A touch sensitive frame would be an absolute nightmare imo.
And I would like the challenge to port the same functionality to a round design. Google didn’t do a bad job with the OS for the Moto 360 for example.
Last edited:
Yup. Can confirm, same issue. When I put it on charge at night, sometimes it'll have 55% battery remaining and sometimes as little as 20%. Same use during the day.
The Apple Watch already uses a lot of round UI paradigms. It's perfect with the Digital Crown.
Here's the thing. If Apple had been the first one to come out with a circular always-on display... while all other companies were still using 1980s style rectangular displays turning on with a wrist flick... then fanboys would be singing the praises of Apple's innovation, uniqueness, and style advantage.
And everyone knows it. Including, I suspect, Apple. If/when they add a round model, those here who are dissing round displays will look just as silly as people did for dissing larger phone displays, smaller tablets, or soon, OLED screens. You'd think that people would eventually learn from history!
That's what happened with Android Wear. And larger iPhones. And later, the Watch. Again, history teaches us that changes will occur, in fact must occur, to keep sales up.
Still, who knows. This is the New Apple, after all.
Will you please let me decide what I like better? There are no universal rules for aesthetics, like all of art and life it is judged on an individual level. And I just don’t like rectangular watches, even if they’d always been rectangular (there would still be round options by now).
If you think larger means more masculine then you know nothing about watches.
[doublepost=1501927817][/doublepost]
If 1980s style watches is all you know about square faced watches you sadly know nothing. You'll be shocked to know in the beginning only women wore wrist watches and men used pocket watches. So take that watch from your wrist and stick it in ya pocket where it belongs.
[doublepost=1501927959][/doublepost]
Nope not at all. We are talking watches. Different shapes, different sizes, different occasions.
If Apple doesn’t include Touch id then it won’t come back.
The Apple Watch is water resistant.
Living onder a rock lately?
[doublepost=1501928625][/doublepost]
Massive battery?
Apple will just make it thicker and put a bigger battery on it. It's going to sell like a hotcakes!
I know! I’m not the one saying “it’s Apple so there’ll change the band connector”, I’m addressing the people who blindly say that. The change in connections is often unironically exaggerated.