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I highly doubt Apple has found the “sweet spot” for battery life on the regular Apple Watch because short battery life is the number one complaint I hear and read about the “iWatch.”

I don’t think so either. I’m just saying, apparently Apple thinks they have.
 
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I would have eagerly bought a non-Ultra new “iWatch” (I wish Apple had branded it) Series 9 if it had no new features but offered hours of additional battery life.

In this new Series 9 update, Apple hasn’t addressed the single biggest complaint and barrier for purchase by many consumers: battery life.

It still lasts just 18 hours, not even 22 or 24 hours (or more).

The Series 9 reportedly offers not 1 second of additional battery life over the Series 8, so I’m sticking with my Series 8 iWatch and won’t be buying the 9.

24 hours is the minimum amount of time for monitoring a person’s sleep and waking activities for one full day.
18 hrs for usual use with the iPhone isn't too bad, the problem is when you use it as a cellular without the iPhone, you'll be lucky to get 8 hrs if that and that is a problem from my point of view!
 
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Apple has an amazing product with 36 hour battery life called the Apple Watch Ultra, and they think you're gonna love it.

Seriously though, clearly Apple has achieved what they consider to be their targets for battery life. It's been this way the last several generations. I don't see them changing that until new battery tech becomes available.
The problem is the Ultra is not for everyone, however everyone wants longer battery life on the standard models, especially if you use cellular regularly, you might get 8 hrs 😏
 
On a device like the “iWatch” (OK, OK, it’s Apple Watch — distinctive Brand, I know…distinct and original…just like…iPod…) screen size is critically important.

I’d upgrade from my Series 8 to a 9 for a larger display.

Or significantly longer battery life (alone).

Either/or — or both.
Hmmm
I'm not a fan of the larger size, however in your case, you get both your wishes on the Ultra
 
It feels like every year we're told about what the next year will include, and then as it gets closer we're told "oh wait, it might be next year...or the year after".
It is almost like these rumors are just made up ...
 
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Apple Watch feature requests:

• No iPhone dependency. Ideally, standalone, although it could have Mac dependency.
• 12 MP camera to read QR-codes and more.
• Safari as standard visible application (not hidden as now is).

HA! :D

I’ve thought — from the beginning — how lit it would be if the  Watch had even a 240p pinhole camera — just for FaceTime alone.

(How COOL! Just lift up your wrist — and argue with your spouse — not reach for your phone!)

And it makes even more sense than a Watch phone call, because you usually hold a phone up to your ear for a call (except for speakerphone of course).

But I’m as certain as I can be without direct knowledge, that Apple has never given it a camera in any iteration of…”Watch” — yet — because of the security/privacy implications.

It wouldn’t just be corporate R&D departments who would have to check every person for a popular Apple Watch with a camera before entry, it would be courts, small businesses, clinics, execution chambers (j/k) — and countless other sensitive entities and organizations.

Apple’s wristwatch is far easier to overlook than an iPhone or a camera.

I’m still surprised that it allows for audio recordings!

(Notably, however, Apple long ago gave MiFi certification to the third-party 4K “Wristcam” for the Apple Watch, but I guess Apple figures any privacy issues it presents are on them — a company, interestingly, founded by an ex-Apple Engineer.)
 
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HA! :D

I’ve thought — from the beginning — how lit it would be if the  Watch had even a 240p pinhole camera — just for FaceTime alone.

(How COOL! Just lift up your wrist — and argue with your spouse — not reach for your phone!)

And it makes even more sense than a Watch phone call, because you usually hold the phone up to your ear for a call (except for speakerphone of course).

But I’m as certain as I can be without direct knowledge, that Apple has never given it a camera in any iteration of…”Watch” — yet — because of the security/privacy implications.

It wouldn’t just be corporate R&D departments who would have to check every person for the popular Apple Watch with a camera before entry, it would be courts, small businesses, clinics, execution chambers (j/k) — and countless other sensitive entities and organizations.

Apple’s wristwatch is far easier to overlook than an iPhone or a camera.

I’m still surprised that it allows for audio recordings!

(Notably, however, Apple long ago gave MiFi certification to the third-party 4K “Wristcam” for the Apple Watch, but I guess Apple figures any privacy issues it presents are on them — a company, interestingly, founded by an ex-Apple Engineer.)
A small face time camera for calls, would make me upgrade instantly, as long as it came with a much better battery, I suspect that's the real reason they haven't done it, it would be a battery killer....can't really see any privacy issues.
 
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Hmmm
I'm not a fan of the larger size, however in your case, you get both your wishes on the Ultra

Yeah, I’m not talking HUGE here — that would defeat the whole purpose of the form factor. There is a limit.

(I never once even considered a 41-mm.)

I’d wear a Watch Ultra mountain climbing along with my pickaxe and all my gear (if I was a mountain climber), but for day-to-day use, it’s overall too encumbering and too fat to me — and I’m not body shaming it, btw! (So don’t start…)

Battery technology constantly improves, so a slimmer Apple Watch with longer battery life is in the future, I’m sure.
 
Do we need it? It’s a basic display that looks great already. Is there power efficiency?
 
A small face time camera for calls, would make me upgrade instantly, as long as it came with a much better battery, I suspect that's the real reason they haven't done it, it would be a battery killer....can't really see any privacy issues.

IDK for sure.

I think the 2,000 nit display and the SiP are the biggest battery killers. A low-res camera shouldn’t tax the battery that much. It just registers light — and the radio (in the case of FaceTime), the processor and any codec hardware/software then take it from there.

(Although Apple should allow FaceTime video and audio calls on an  Watch to transmit using WiFi when available, not strictly cell data service — pissing off the Carriers once again.)

The newest 64-bit dual-core Apple Watch SiP with a dedicated GPU and 4-core Neural Engine is powerful relative to its size and battery power requirements. It’s basically a junior version of the A15 Bionic iPhone chip.

Remember a previous S# chip was added to MacBooks for a time to run TouchID, the Touch Bar and also to augment certain video encode/decode processing that the “x86/Windows”-hardware-standard-MacBooks lacked natively?!

(The SiP didn’t mess up Boot Camp either, cuz it still worked.)
 
I think microled will be a huge deal for Apple Watch. As an example AW displays are still lacking the True Tone feature as of now, leading blue tint with indoor lighting in the evening. In several situation the device screen still pop as a “smartwatch” from far away…

If Apple manage to develop a flawless screen that can totally blend in our everyday life and doesn’t even look like a screen, it could be major step for AW. I would definitely upgrade for this.
 
battery life still an issue for me. my Garmin for same price has a literal 40 day battery life and 100 hours of continuous gps tracking with full features - tracking heart rate, etc. apple really needs a real world battery if they keep marketing to the sports market. my local running shop has stopped selling apple watches after too many complaints and returns based off batter life issues. it's a lifestyle watch, not a sports watch. apple should pick a lane and stay there.
 
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Apple Watch feature requests:

• No iPhone dependency. Ideally, standalone, although it could have Mac dependency.
• 12 MP camera to read QR-codes and more.
• Safari as standard visible application (not hidden as now is).

(I wish Apple would rebadge the brand to “iWatch.” Yes, it seems Apple is eager to drop the “i” in recent years, but I’m sure it would sell in even greater numbers than the admittedly great numbers its selling at now if it was distinctly perceived as part of the Apple iPhone ecosystem — as a complementary iPhone “must-have” product. A lot of iPods were sold just because of that i. This new “Apple [WORD]” branding schema sucks, IMHO. Apple shouldn’t be repeating Nokia’s branding mistakes. Look where they ended up.)

Safari could work on an Apple Watch probably similar to how it worked on the first iPhone: you’d scroll around on a webpage with a “periscope-like” view. Sorta like using  Maps. It was better than nothing.

And, yes, a certain minimum camera resolution is required before QR-codes can be detected. True.

That would prove very handy.

(But Google and Samsung are definitely monitoring all our open speculation…I should Shhh…🤫)
 
Macrumors forum: Come Apple, where’s our new display tech? Where’s the innovation?

Apple: here - AWU with new display

Macrumors forum: it’s basically the same watch, they didn’t change anything.
 
OLED has burn-in which can NOT be fixed or improved. Max brightness is also a problem as well.

The “organics” in “OLED” also dissipate over timeinexorably. The “phosphorescent” elements gradually leave the pixels! (and don’t come back)!

OLED TVs get rated highly because reviewers only use them for a short period of time — not enough time to experience burn-in or organic element dissipation from the pixels!
 
Macrumors forum: Come Apple, where’s our new display tech? Where’s the innovation?

Apple: here - AWU with new display

Macrumors forum: it’s basically the same watch, they didn’t change anything.

Thanks for the help.

Because, “it’s basically the same watch, they didn’t change anything.”
 


MicroLED display technology will be the next major upgrade coming to the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a Weibo leaker with a proven track record for disclosing accurate information about Apple's plans.

apple-watch-ultra-pink.jpg

The account known as "Instant Digital" claims that the next worthwhile upgrade for the Apple Watch Ultra users will be Apple's custom microLED display technology, but the feature is not expected to launch next year. The source was first to report the iPhone 14's Yellow spring refresh, Spatial Video on the iPhone 15 Pro, and the Apple Watch Series 9's minor refresh, as well as the only rumor claiming that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus would feature frosted back glass.

Apple's plan to bring a microLED display to the Apple Watch Ultra is very widely corroborated, starting with a report from display analyst Ross Young in January. TrendForce claims that Apple's first microLED display will launch on a new Apple Watch Ultra model in 2026, due to supply chain adjustments, but some earlier reports placed the device's launch in 2025. The microLED display is expected to be 2.12-inches in size, a 10% increase over the display of the current Apple Watch Ultra.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported Apple is likely planning to bring custom microLED displays to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac after the technology debuts in a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra. He believes Apple's long-term plan is to bring microLED displays to all of its key products. Other reports from DigiTimes, Nikkei Asia, and The Information have indicated similar plans for Apple to transition to custom microLED displays across multiple product lines in an effort to become less reliant on Samsung.

Apple is believed to have spent more than six years developing microLED technology for what will become the first display custom-designed by the company itself, mirroring its work on Apple silicon. Apple reportedly kicked off the current form of its microLED project, codenamed T159, around 2017. At an earlier stage, it even wanted to introduce the technology with the iPhone X. The advanced display offers improved brightness, color reproduction, and viewing angles, making images look more like they are "painted" atop the display glass, and replace parts currently supplied by companies like Samsung and LG.

Article Link: Next Major Apple Watch Ultra Upgrade Rumored to Be MicroLED Display Technology
A truly exciting tech that couldn't come any faster
 
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It feels like every year we're told about what the next year will include, and then as it gets closer we're told "oh wait, it might be next year...or the year after".
It’s next year actually

I think most of us are holding out for the redesign
 
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