Next Apple Watch SE Could Be Made From Plastic

[Velli]

Or any Apple Watch for that matter. Bought one, returned it in two weeks, tired again a few years later, returned it just as fast. Just another gadget needing my time and money.

Mechanical watches FTW. They don’t need electricity, set-up, or software updates. The manufacturer can’t ever declare them obsolete. With regular service, they last forever.

While not nearly everyone, there are clearly many AW users on this forum. Implying otherwise just because you prefer mechanical watches is, frankly, ridiculous.

In any case, I balance out your sample of one person, I have used AW happily for seven years, and I’m not going back. That doesn’t mean it’s for you.

 

[ghanwani]

Filed under "Unlikely to happen". Just don't see it happening because of environmental issues with plastic which don't quite gel with Apple's zero waste, carbon neutral goals.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Plastic case? That’s not very eco friendly.

 

[840quadra]

Nothing wrong with plastic as long as it is of good quality. Many forget the iPhone 3G - 3GS had plastic cases, that and original iPods which had plastic front ends.

 

[Tagbert]

Unfortunately I do not know a single person with a bare aluminium Apple Watch which doesn't have a scratched or broken screen. I'd love to get an Apple Watch for my son, but I would prefer to find a second hand stainless steel version than get any model with the Ion X glass, especially for a kid. Imagine how cheap and crummy this Apple Watch would look with a plastic body and a screen protector on.

I had a bare aluminum S4 and have an S7. Neither one had a broken screen. The S7 has one tiny scratch on the curved corner of the screen that you can only see by holding the watch at a weird angle. The case has no discernible scratches. They occasionally get bumped but never hard enough to break something. I think that they are pretty durable for something you wear on your wrist.

 

[aidler]

...and include mandatory ads. But its price will start at only 289 $US.

 

[arc of the universe]

Garmin does a good job with this. My Venu has a plastic body in an understated color (close to midnight blue), but has a decorative steel or aluminum ring and a round face that, in my opinion, makes it look presentable after the workout.

View attachment 2403432

hey, that garmin does look good ! thanks.
it really does make the transition from a fitnesss watch into any other category including even business.
i also like the band color as well.

 

[arc of the universe]

i was eagerly waiting someone to post that. thanks. its one of the greatest one liners in movie history.

 

[arc of the universe]

i wanted one of these so bad when they came out.
but i didn't buy one. tech changes too often. and the watch was still evolving so we could easily predict that any early model would be outdated (tech-wise) by even the next year's model.

but if apple could ever focus on a re-usable (not just recyclable) materials marketing approach, and stay consistent long enough with the watch's physical dimensions, i would buy an apple watch with a ceramic enclosure that could be sent back to apple every year to be used as the enclosure for the next year's updated internals.
if there ever was a material that would be stable enough and need such a high starting price point to be feasible it would be a ceramic.

 

[applefan8254]

Why not external mouse and keyboard support?

mouse i'm not sure about. maybe if apple watch supports a samsung DEX mode to connect the watch to a big screen monitor, then yes it could come in handy. bluetooth keyboard would be nice to type freely without a tablet / phone laptop, just type directly to the watch itself.

however, in my initial comment, "on screen qwerty keyboard" I was referring to the fact that all apple watch devices *already* support this. *except for apple watch SE*.

 

[@Brett]

There is a big push across the country right now to get ban cell phones in schools.

Is a statewide ban on cell phones in schools realistic?

Banning smartphones in schools is one of those rare policies that Republicans and Democrats seem to agree on but it hasn’t always been a popular idea — so what’s changed?

www.npr.org

Some of the largest districts in the country will be trying to get this through this year…

This may be Apple preemptive response to avoid being shut out completely. I am an educator in an elementary school and though we don’t allow cell phones to be used during the day (many, if not most absolutely have one at home or in their bag) we do…currently… allow students to keep their Apple Watches on.

We have that policy already in Australian schools.

 

[mrgrdn]

It's funny I keep seeing random deals for Casio watches under $20 pop up on deal sites, usually bought through Amazon. Maybe they are still a thing?

If you want one now they still make them.

Thanks for letting me know! I still own two of them, and one even has the calculator function. It's been a long time since I wore one of them.

 

[E.Lizardo]

Where did you get this information from? This is factually incorrect. Aluminum can be painted any colour.

Way to miss the point. Plastic would be cheaper and lighter, and scratches won't show as they would with painted aluminum.

 

[brofkand]

Nothing wrong with plastic as long as it is of good quality. Many forget the iPhone 3G - 3GS had plastic cases, that and original iPods which had plastic front ends.

Those iPhones routinely cracked around the dock connector, and Apple settled a class action lawsuit due to scratches on those iPods.

 

[E.Lizardo]

Que all those horrified by a product containing plastic that lasts years from people who dispose of many times the weight of plastic in an Apple watch case in a week. Also those horrified at the sheer cheapness of it, hurts the snob value don't you know. I would jump at the chance to get one in their favorite color and get one for myself-if it was noticeably cheaper.

 

[E.Lizardo]

Those iPhones routinely cracked around the dock connector, and Apple settled a class action lawsuit due to scratches on those iPods.

That settles it. Can't make a quality case out of plastic.

 

[E.Lizardo]

are you new around here? go ahead and google "anodized aluminum vs painted aluminum".

they have patents for some of their anodized finishes. it's not a matter of "painting". factually speaking, Apple will never paint aluminum.

It's not about colors. That's just a side benefit.

 

[@Brett]

There are so many better options available besides Apple Watch at lower price points (less than $250). OnePlus, Xiaomi, Hiawei, CMF Pro etc…even Samsung lower end versions outside USA has both BP and ECG Capabilities (for $150). All of them are metal. Not sure what Apple is trying to do here with the plastic Watch!

There are recycled plastics.

 

[Harry Haller]

There are recycled plastics.

The plastic industry knowingly pushed recycling myth for decades, new report finds

The world produces an average of 430 million metric tons of plastic each year. The United States alone produces tens of millions of tons of plastic waste annually. Yet on average, only about 5 to 6 percent of plastic in the U.S. is recycled. NPR correspondent Michael Copley joins Ali Rogin to...

www.pbs.org

 

[JapanApple]

Have you used an Apple Watch? Who would steal a locked watch?

lol I have only one since series 4. This madness never stops

 

[Howard2k]

lol I have only one since series 4. This madness never stops

ok, so you're aware that you can lock the watch then? It makes it pretty useless if stolen. I don't see how this will result in a spate of thefts.

 

[JapanApple]

ok, so you're aware that you can lock the watch then? It makes it pretty useless if stolen. I don't see how this will result in a spate of thefts.

Let's see I had my sister's child have her Apple watch stolen. Thieves don't have a preference

 

[Howard2k]

Let's see I had my sister's child have her Apple watch stolen. Thieves don't have a preference

Not all of them, obviously, but some thieves know that a stolen locked device is useless except for parts. Unless they can convince Apple to unlock, have inside help etc.

 

[erihp]

Let's see I had my sister's child have her Apple watch stolen. Thieves don't have a preference

did she lock and track the watch to get it back?

they are rather useless to a thief since they really cant be resold. alot of thieves are dumb, so maybe they arent aware. soon enough.

 

[Dark_Omen]

Through the years I though the same. However, the features haven't lived up to the hype (O2, temp, etc.) in my opinion.

Watches are disposable after 7-8 years and the battery tanks, and unsupported from a software perspective, so a plastic basic version actually makes more sense for most people as long as it covers basic things like heart rate, steps, and has GPS.

Considering how easy it is to break them or smash the screen, the cheaper the better.

Disagree. A watch would be useful if it was implemented correctly. Currently the only uses for the Apple Watch (non-SE) are:

- Blood Oxygen %
- ECG (only a single lead).
- Heart rate


What they need/should include:

- Temperature
- Blood glucose/sugar level
- Troponin Levels (never will happen since the test requires extreme sensitivity).
- White blood levels