Gurman: Apple Planning Major 'Apple Watch X' Redesign to Introduce New Band System and More

[mazz0]

Apple kept the "band design" even for the Ultra - I'm not buying that they will change any time soon, esp not magnetic.

more important, Apple needs to offer new health functions, better display and such is nice, but not essential.

That's a good point. I didn't think it was unlikely that they'd change band attachment this time, after all they're kept it around a long time so people can't complain about it changing all that much, and if you're upgrading your watch then new straps aren't a huge extra cost. However, I'd forgotten about the Ultra. It would be odd to make the bands on the Ultra, which is still new, legacy already.

Also magnets? Really?! Sounds bad enough for normal watches, but utterly ridiculous on the Ultra.

I suppose they could keep the old style straps just for the Ultra, but then they'd be maintaining two lines of straps, which seems unlikely.

 

[diddl14]

Let's move everything to 18m upgrades. Might make upgrading more appealing.

 

[Ctrlos]

Some people think that, because Apple brings out new iPhones each year, that everyone is buying a new iPhone and throwing their old phones in the trash. Neither of those things are the case.

One thing the reviewers always miss.

If we assume the average user has their phone on a 3-4 year contract we can assume that this is the average upgrade cycle, at which point the people Apple are trying to sell an iPhone 15 or Watch 9 to are people on an 11/12 or Series 4.

You’re going to notice some big differences coming off those devices and these are the ones reviewers should be comparing them to.

 

[laz232]

Thinking about the 50+ official Watch bands I bought since 2015

Welcome to Apple's $$$ making strategy - their margins on bands must be great...

Tim "we value the environment" Cook...

 

[Frankie_r]

I trust Apple engineers. If they find a better bands attaching system, that frees up more internal space, I think that they should implement it, even if a lot of old bands would go in the trash can at that point. And they are not stupid: they would not implement a magnetic system that is not safe or that disturbs the internal compass.

That said, the 30% of the Watch internal space is currently occupied by the Taptic Engine… I think that a lot of people would prefer a bigger battery and a less premium vibration, than the contrary 😅

 

[The Game 161]

certainly will be interesting if this is the route they go

 

[lk400]

How would magnets take up less space than the current system? They'd have to be really strong, and thus heavy and bulky.

This seems off

Edit: someone with hairy arms is going to have arm hair pulled out non stop.

I imagined the system on DJI action cams, where there are latches assisted by magnets. Or math nerd assisted by latches.

I completely agree on the arm hair point.

 

[Wokis]

It’s a bit silly to call the temperature sensor inaccurate. The bigger problem is that taking the temperature of your wrist is only going to give you an approximation of your core body temperature. Unless they come out with a probe with a Bluetooth connection to measure your temperature, it’s always going to involve some guesswork. 😉

Would I have needed to write an essay about how it doesn't work or why isn't it in this context sufficient to summarize it as inaccurate?

 

[sdz]

Thinking about the 50+ official Watch bands I bought since 2015

peak consumerism. Bravo.

 

[AndiG]

"Apple Watch Series 9", funny since there never has been an iPhone 9 for a reason.

 

[Indianwin2001]

How about some native software like acute load, chronic load and recovery. Until 🍎 natively has that its a no for me.

 

[Jamie0003]

But now you’re poking holes in the case. I suspect the Apple Watch is mostly bulletproof BECAUSE it doesn’t have any access ports or other voids in the case.

I use my iPhone X in the bath all the time and never have issues, it’s entirely possible to waterproof it adequately

 

[ELman]

The CPU update in the 9/Ultra 2 will be the buying point for me. If they keep the same CPU as my 6 why bother.

 

[Indianwin2001]

Yes. Life of battery is the number one complaint in far larger swaths than MR members. When speaking with folks, the folks who have a phone who do NOT have an AW cite tha battery as the reason. Or, better yet, the folks I know who have smart watches that aren’t Apple Watches have garmin because of the battery life.

It is absolutely the number one barrier for folks.

Backcountry or not, people would prefer longer battery. So yes, it is more applicable than a currently, hypothetical, not in-use, medical sensor.

I’ll take a new medical sensor - don’t get me wrong. But I’ll take battery life any day. Until it’s a month, I’ll always choose battery life.

I switched to Garmin for 2 reasons. Battery life AND recovery metrics.

 

[4odomi]

thinking more about this and the more stupid that idea goes:
several activities (eg rock climbing, mountain biking ...) are rather impact intense. if the system were magnetic, it would have to be easy to change bands yet strong to hold a band in place? I don't think that works. and then think about a potential fall, and you hit you watch during the fall and the magnet releases - what happens to fall detection?
makes zero sense

Not to mention the compass, how will that work with magnets ?

 

[4odomi]

A bunch of people are misunderstanding what is meant by magnetic bands...

It does NOT mean the power of the magnet is what holds the band to the watch. As people have noted even powerful magnets would occasionally disconnect. What this is undoubtably referring to is a combination magnetic / physical system that have become all the rage in action cameras (other than GoPro) the last few years.

The way it works is strong magnets are placed in the band end and the watch. This "aligns" the two when you bring it close. Then the watch will have two small "dimples" on the edge and latches embedded in the watch band will latch to the dimples and provide a solid lock to the watch. Pressing a button on the back of the watch will release the latches. To see how this works in action cams I've attached a video of how it works on the DJI Action 2 / 3 / 4 (and the new Insta360 GO3 also uses this system), but I could see this being very, very secure and much faster to link than our current bands today. It also reduces the need for the case to be as large so you could make the watch smaller and thinner, or keep it the same size and stuff more battery etc. inside.

Check this out:

How will the compass work with the magnets?

 

[spinedoc77]

Probably in the minority, but I'm totally happy with the size/thickness of my Ultra. Side by side with my Rolex submariner they are about the same thickness with the Rolex being much heavier, and I wore that for years. I also love Apple's strap system, there is no way magnets will be strong enough to hold a strap on without being dangerous, think 2 neodymium magnets snapping together with your skin in between. That's why I don't use any of the straps with magnetic closure, the aren't strong enough and I find myself having to re-tighten then a few times an hour.

Maybe they just need to grow lugs, but that would take away a lot of the beauty of Apple Watches IMO.

Edit: Just saw that video on how the action camera accessories attach, neat and could be a good solution if it's sturdy.

 

[GeoStructural]

more important, Apple needs to offer new health functions, better display and such is nice, but not essential.

I would say what really is important, and essential, is improving the battery life. Apple Watch has some of the shortest battery life in its class.

 

[michelb76]

What we do know is that it will still fit on your wrist.

 

[skitidetdu]

Sounds like a good option to wait and see that model will be like.

 

[spcopsmac21]

Go place some magnets either side of your Watch, open Compass, and let us know how that goes for you.

Doesn't matter if the apple watch is getting your compass data from your iphone or directly via gps.

 

[JohannesO]

There would be enough room to make the  WATCH thinner AND keep compatibility with previous bands.

An adapter would also be a possibility. Or  could make more money with new bands. Yes that one.

 

[bluespark]

Several thoughts:

I’m one of many who have invested over time in quite a number of genuine Apple bands. Apple achieved this “collectors” market precisely because it created the expectation that bands purchased now would be compatible with watches purchased later. The revenue stream from watch bands will slow off considerably (after an initial spike) if we can’t trust Apple to maintain comparability.

At the same time, making this work for ten years is no small feat. If Apple were to do this, it is doing the right thing by telegraphing it in advance. They also would be wise to guarantee a future compatibility period when they introduce a new system — five years of guaranteed comparability seems like a minimum; ten would be better.

Although this is a rumor and not an official announcement, Gurman/WSJ seems to be Apple’s recent source for desired leaks. Put differently, if Apple were contemplating this change, this is probably how they would let people know.

I wouldn’t put any stock at all in the fact that Apple kept current band comparability with the AW Ultra. It’s the “rugged” option and therefore could stick with a more secure approach even if other AW’s move to a magnetic system.

 

[nelloismello]

The new band system better be revolutionary.

 

[alexandr]

Ok... so where would this leave the Ultra?.. Guess I'm looking at another year of not upgrading...