Kuo: Apple Watch Series 3 May Finally Be Discontinued Upon Its Fifth Anniversary in Q3 2022

[MacRumors]

Apple may finally discontinue the Apple Watch Series 3 when it reaches five years of age in the third quarter of 2022, according to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a tweet, Kuo said that the Apple Watch Series 3 may reach the end of its life in the third quarter of 2022 because its computing power will not be able to meet the requirements of a new version of watchOS.

The Apple Watch Series 3 was released in September 2017, making it almost five years old. It is the oldest device to support the latest version of watchOS 8, but its S3 chip significantly lags behind the Apple Watch SE's S5 chip and Apple Watch Series 7's S7 chip in terms of performance. The Apple Watch Series 3 is also the only remaining Apple Watch to feature the older, thicker Apple Watch design with large bezels and angular corners around the display.

Following the iOS 14.6 and watchOS 7.5 updates last year, Apple Watch Series 3 users have to unpair and re-pair the device from its linked iPhone when updating watchOS because the Apple Watch does not have enough internal storage to complete an update independently.

At WWDC later this year, Apple is expected to unveil watchOS 9, which according to Kuo could finally drop support for the Series 3. watchOS 9 would therefore only be available for the Apple Watch Series 4 from 2018 or newer. While the unveiling of major new versions of Apple's operating systems usually takes place in early June, the updates themselves are not typically released to the public until the fall, which would coincide with Kuo's proposed timeframe and the launch of new Apple Watch models.

Little is currently known about what watchOS 9 may offer, but the second-generation Apple Watch SE and the Apple Watch Series 8 are expected to launch later this year, potentially including additional health features such as a body temperature sensor, faster chipsets, enhanced activity tracking, and an all-new "rugged" model.

Given the Apple Watch Series 3's age, design, S3 chip, limited storage space, and the extra step required to install software updates, it seems inevitable that Apple will discontinue it sooner rather than later, likely when new Apple Watch models are released later this year. Apple is still selling the Apple Watch Series 3 as a low-cost option for $199, but we do not recommend purchasing it over a $279 Apple Watch SE for these reasons.

Article Link: Kuo: Apple Watch Series 3 May Finally Be Discontinued Upon Its Fifth Anniversary in Q3 2022

 

[ct2k7]

Well, it is an old watch...

That said, before smart watches exists, I'd wear the same watch for much more than 5 years.

 

[contacos]

The fact that they even sold this as new for so long is offensive

 

[rizzo41999]

Still rocking my 3 LTE. Since they kept selling it, found no reason to upgrade - until now!

 

[scottSE]

The iPad 2 of Watches

 

[alexqndr]

Basically we can expect new Apple Watch in the third quarter of 2022? @Markgurman

 

[Spock]

I am guessing they will abandon that $199 price point.

 

[jicon]

I've been using mine on the OS7 and 8 betas, and haven't had to unpair and repair to load updates in well over a year now.

I've got a few authentication apps, weather app, but other than that has worked well for notifications, glances, recording runs and controlling the Apple Music in the house, Apple TV or turn a few lights on/off. Very convenient device.

It's a precarious slope in the watch OS world I suspect... Add features that could sip a bit more CPU, there's a battery hit. Given you're likely at best to get two days of use, that doesn't make it a device that is likely going to see significant changes without some improvement to battery.

 

[fel10]

Finally

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Old Watch. But please bring back the ceramic version Apple Watch. This combo looks too good to pass up.

 

[Karma*Police]

What can they possibly add that AW 3’s computing power won’t meet the next Watch OS’s needs? And why would they sell something today that they plan to EoL next year? This rumor makes no sense.

 

[ouimetnick]

I am guessing they will abandon that $199 price point.

Maybe they’ll fill it in with the current SE model and offer an updated SE?

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

It really should have been removed already. It is slow, and has a small screen. The AW4 and later, are such a huge improvement over it, that the AW3 really shouldn't be considered by consumers.

 

[DTphonehome]

I am guessing they will abandon that $199 price point.

Or they can drop the SE to $199. But yeah, more likely to drop it to $229. Kind of like how they increased the price on the SE from $399 to $429.

 

[nfl46]

Series 3 and the iPhone 6s are still holding on for dear life. Lol.

 

[andyring]

Here's another thing, rarely mentioned, about the Series 3 that is beyond stupidly insane. Apple has a method whereby you can set up a Watch for a family member who does not have an iPhone, such as an older child. But guess what? You need an SE or a Series 4 to do it.

Yes, you read that right. A Watch that Apple STILL SELLS AS A CURRENT MODEL won't work with this feature! That is precisely why someone might want the lowest priced version!

 

[NewUsername]

The last 32-bit product?

 

[JM]

Yeah huh. Color me skeptical. 🙄

No trust in Apple anymore on retiring the series 3. It’ll be the LEGACY edition.

 

[WWPD]

Finally

View attachment 1977777

I can still smell the fresh Apple sticker.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I gotta commend Apple for supporting the Watch 3 for so long. Bought mine in spring of 2018 and it’s been an every day companion. I will say, it’s not my most vital Apple device, it definitely keeps me motivated to stay healthy.

I plan on getting the latest Apple Watch for my mom, so that’s gonna put off my personal upgrade for a while. It’s not like the Apple Watch 3 is gonna all of sudden stop working either. So, I might keep rocking it until I am ready to upgrade my iPhone next year or the year after.

 

[Octavius8]

It is a joke that Apple still sells that “watch”.
Vet in Watch 8?, same processor again?, same display size, but brighter?, better haptics?, increased price?, tons of colors?, 2 new dials?.

 

[ASentientBot]

What can they possibly add that AW 3’s computing power won’t meet the next Watch OS’s needs? And why would they sell something today that they plan to EoL next year? This rumor makes no sense.

Yeah, I could've seen them doing this a decade ago, but modern Apple prides themselves on software support. If they stop selling it this year, it'll probably get updates until at least 2024.

Or at least I'd hope...

 

[MaxBurn]

Developers making watch apps are going to be so thrilled this is going away. Sounds like it's been holding them back for a while now.

 

[bodonnell202]

Yeah, I could've seen them doing this a decade ago, but modern Apple prides themselves on software support. If they stop selling it this year, it'll probably get updates until at least 2024.

Or at least I'd hope...

Right? It would be sketchy if they stopped selling it and stopped providing software and security updates at basically the same time. Mind you that sort of is what they did with the iPod Touch 6th generation not so long ago, but they did continue to provide security updates through iOS 12 for another 2 years, so maybe they would do something similar here?

 

[UltimaKilo]

This is great news for watch developers. I do hope they quickly start to phase out the S4, with its limited memory, as quickly as possible.