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Rumor: 2016 Apple Watch Will Be An 'S' upgrade, Major Design Changes To Come In 2017

tom504

tom504

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Original poster
Oct 17, 2009
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According to the well-sourced Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, this years Apple Watch is more likely to be an “S” upgrade with “spec improvements” and very little form factor design changes.

Those looking for a thinner, more sleeker version will apparently have to wait until 2017, when it is expected the company will unveil an all-new design according to Kuo. The claims goes counter to the rumor from analyst Brian White who claimed that this years Apple Watch would debut at WWDC and would be somewhere between 20-40% thinner.

Kuo also believes that this upgrade means that sales will decline in 2016, citing an “immature” market. Ouch.

http://watchaware.com/post/16894/ru...-upgrade-major-design-changes-to-come-in-2017
 
tom504 said:
According to the well-sourced Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, this years Apple Watch is more likely to be an “S” upgrade with “spec improvements” and very little form factor design changes.

Those looking for a thinner, more sleeker version will apparently have to wait until 2017, when it is expected the company will unveil an all-new design according to Kuo. The claims goes counter to the rumor from analyst Brian White who claimed that this years Apple Watch would debut at WWDC and would be somewhere between 20-40% thinner.

Kuo also believes that this upgrade means that sales will decline in 2016, citing an “immature” market. Ouch.

http://watchaware.com/post/16894/ru...-upgrade-major-design-changes-to-come-in-2017
Click to expand...
Wouldnt surprise me. They estimated that Apple sold 10mm in the 8 months of 2015 and this upgrade won't come out until late 2016. Just not sure how they figure any of this out based on no sales numbers given by Apple and now they estimate what will sell this year and compare the sales to an unknown total from last year.

Either way, this isn't a need to have product yet. Maybe by Gen 2 and not Gen 1s. Add GPS and independent Wi-Fi and maybe 2-3 days of battery or always on just for the time and it may triple in sales.

Smart watches aren't going away but it may take some time to really take off. Not sure how they attract the non-watch wearers.
 
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tom504 said:
According to the well-sourced Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, this years Apple Watch is more likely to be an “S” upgrade with “spec improvements” and very little form factor design changes.

Those looking for a thinner, more sleeker version will apparently have to wait until 2017, when it is expected the company will unveil an all-new design according to Kuo. The claims goes counter to the rumor from analyst Brian White who claimed that this years Apple Watch would debut at WWDC and would be somewhere between 20-40% thinner.

Kuo also believes that this upgrade means that sales will decline in 2016, citing an “immature” market. Ouch.

http://watchaware.com/post/16894/ru...-upgrade-major-design-changes-to-come-in-2017
Click to expand...

Interesting, that's similar to what we're hearing about the iPhone 7 or whatever Apple will call this year's iPhone with a more significant redesign coming in 2017.
 
BlueMoon63 said:
Either way, this isn't a need to have product yet. Maybe by Gen 2 and not Gen 1s. Add GPS and independent Wi-Fi and maybe 2-3 days of battery or always on just for the time and it may triple in sales.

Smart watches aren't going away but it may take some time to really take off. Not sure how they attract the non-watch wearers.
Click to expand...

It will probably never be a "need to have product". And the added features you suggest are highly unlikely to be all added to the watch. GPS, WiFi or any other form of additional connectivity (e.g. a 4G module) will take up a decent amount of space and they have a very high power consumption when active.

That means it is nearly impossible (with today's technology) to add these features, make the watch thinner and significantly improve the battery life at the same time. It's just not going to happen. In my opinion, it is likely that Apple is going to make the watch as thin as possible while adding these features and maintaining today's battery life. And it is also likely that these features won't be active when the phone is in bluetooth range of the watch.

I also don't see why this would "triple" the sales. Why would you buy a device just for these features? They all add value to the product but they're certainly no killer features that will change peoples' opinions about smartwatches.
 
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Hankkk said:
It will probably never be a "need to have product". And the added features you suggest are highly unlikely to be all added to the watch. GPS, WiFi or any other form of additional connectivity (e.g. a 4G module) will take up a decent amount of space and they have a very high power consumption when active.

That means it is nearly impossible (with today's technology) to add these features, make the watch thinner and significantly improve the battery life at the same time. It's just not going to happen. In my opinion, it is likely that Apple is going to make the watch as thin as possible while adding these features and maintaining today's battery life. And it is also likely that these features won't be active when the phone is in bluetooth range of the watch.

I also don't see why this would "triple" the sales. Why would you buy a device just for these features? They all add value to the product but they're certainly no killer features that will change peoples' opinions about smartwatches.
Click to expand...
There are so many people on the sidelines that would be interested in the Apple Watch if it had GPS. The AW already has wi-fi but they are expected or rumored to change the wi-fi to independent. So I am not sure that would add more space. Not sure that is enough to triple sales so I made sure to add the word "may". GPS is one key feature that has kept away many fitness people. If you can go for a run or bike ride and use Bluetooth headphones and just the watch and have full tracking of distance and hopefully heart rate and splits, it may be the key to convert those that use big bulky devices that can't stream music from your library without carrying another device.

Who knows.
 
They need to upgrade the internals, badly. They are using iPad 2 class performance to interface with devices that have 10-20x the computing power, and it shows in the massive latency between any input and action on the device.


I don't think you can make it much more than 20-40% thinner without making it look weird anyway. Most watches are 8-12mm thick, AW is 11.5mm.
 
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I'm okay with an S upgrade, as long as it does what everyone says, and it has a GPS in it. I'd love it if I could take the watch out with me without my phone, and then get them back together after I'm done and the watch syncs to my phone nicely.

I'm sure an S model has to come out, how could they release WatchOS3 without the need to increase the speed of the watch. I hear it's slow enough already.

Apple: you release a new watch with better specs, you've got a buyer in me, 100%.
 
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I'm fine with either a minor or major refresh. See, that's the nice thing about being a launch day owner. You can decide whether the minor update is worth it or wait until the next redesign rather than go for too long and rationalize with a silly reason like "too expensive," "never get a 1st gen Apple product," etc.
 
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The watch is plenty fast as it is. It could be faster but notifications, Siri and the built in apps all work perfectly.

There is independent wifi. While connected via Bluetooth, turn off wifi on iPhone. Then turn it back on. Then turn Bluetooth off. Your watch will stay connected to wifi.

I mainly use the watch for notifications and it does the job quite well. Battery life could be improved and I wouldn't complain but I don't want a camera and if I want to make a phone call I use my phone! It's already thin and doesn't get in the way.
 
koolmagicguy said:
There is independent wifi. While connected via Bluetooth, turn off wifi on iPhone. Then turn it back on. Then turn Bluetooth off. Your watch will stay connected to wifi.
Click to expand...

By "independent" wifi, people mean the ability to connect to available wifi without iPhone, although they'd have to implement a keyboard on the AW in order to input the passcode.
 
koolmagicguy said:
The watch is plenty fast as it is. It could be faster but notifications, Siri and the built in apps all work perfectly.

There is independent wifi. While connected via Bluetooth, turn off wifi on iPhone. Then turn it back on. Then turn Bluetooth off. Your watch will stay connected to wifi.

I mainly use the watch for notifications and it does the job quite well. Battery life could be improved and I wouldn't complain but I don't want a camera and if I want to make a phone call I use my phone! It's already thin and doesn't get in the way.
Click to expand...
Actually, what is meant by independent Wi-Fi is the ability for the watch to join networks not already known by the iPhone. You should then be able to enter passwords and different login authorities. If you forget your phone at home or at the office, the new feature should allow you to join unknown Wi-Fi networks. Great for those that can't get on networks that require authentication methods other than a simple password.

I do agree with you that the watch it fast enough. Since I won't use apps that don't load locally unless a glance, all the apps I use are typically complications and they load very fast.
 
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Newtons Apple said:
I do not see the AW getting GPS in the "S" cycle. Maybe on the AW2 in 2017 but not until.
Click to expand...
I tend to agree with this and expect a little better battery and independent Wi-Fi and a stupid camera on the front so we can all be Dick Tracy. Probably why they expect sales to drop. GPS will be the one feature people want more than others but they will want a longer battery life with GPS while I would be fine with the current battery life with GPS used for 1-3 hours per day.
 
I can't imagine typing on such a tiny screen. You wouldn't catch me dead without my phone. I would rather go without my Watch than my phone.
 
koolmagicguy said:
I can't imagine typing on such a tiny screen. You wouldn't catch me dead without my phone. I would rather go without my Watch than my phone.
Click to expand...
Makes total sense to me. The iPhone is closer to a need to have than a watch for the foreseeable future.

I do love running or waking or biking with just the Apple Watch and blue-tooth headphones, some need GPS. Off the grid is such a relaxing choice and I hate having a phone with me on runs.
 
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You don't type on the watch. For texted it's better to send a canned response, one that it extracts from the text to give you options or use siri. If you spend time maneuvering around the interface you can really appreciate how well thought out it is.

I got a phone call and did not have my phone in my pocket, used the watch and it worked well. Not great, but for a pinch or to listen to voicemail, not bad.

I wish there was an app that i could use for golf that measures wrist position, club speed, ect that shows your golf swing.
 
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tom504 said:
You don't type on the watch. For texted it's better to send a canned response, one that it extracts from the text to give you options or use siri. If you spend time maneuvering around the interface you can really appreciate how well thought out it is.

I got a phone call and did not have my phone in my pocket, used the watch and it worked well. Not great, but for a pinch or to listen to voicemail, not bad.

I wish there was an app that i could use for golf that measures wrist position, club speed, ect that shows your golf swing.
Click to expand...
Have you tried the Ping App for the iPhone and Apple Watch? Haven't tried it myself.
 
Looks like it helps with putting which is pretty cool. The rest looks like it's geared towards the health app.

BlueMoon63 said:
Have you tried the Ping App for the iPhone and Apple Watch? Haven't tried it myself.
Click to expand...
 
tom504 said:
Looks like it helps with putting which is pretty cool. The rest looks like it's geared towards the health app.
Click to expand...
That's what I though and I probably need it since my putting is half my score. I thought they had options for all clubs but never tried it.... Yet.

Sounds like a good new app if it worked. May not help with my flying right elbow since the watch is on my left arm. :)
 
BlueMoon63 said:
There are so many people on the sidelines that would be interested in the Apple Watch if it had GPS. The AW already has wi-fi but they are expected or rumored to change the wi-fi to independent. So I am not sure that would add more space. Not sure that is enough to triple sales so I made sure to add the word "may". GPS is one key feature that has kept away many fitness people. If you can go for a run or bike ride and use Bluetooth headphones and just the watch and have full tracking of distance and hopefully heart rate and splits, it may be the key to convert those that use big bulky devices that can't stream music from your library without carrying another device.

Who knows.
Click to expand...

I'm not arguing that the features you suggested wouldn't be useful! Of course it would be great to have a dedicated GPS sensor, just as it would be great to have a standalone mode through an LTE module. I'm just saying that it will be pretty much impossible to implement all these new features and sensors (that consume space and power), significantly extend battery life and make the device thinner/lighter at the same time.
 
Hankkk said:
I'm not arguing that the features you suggested wouldn't be useful! Of course it would be great to have a dedicated GPS sensor, just as it would be great to have a standalone mode through an LTE module. I'm just saying that it will be pretty much impossible to implement all these new features and sensors (that consume space and power), significantly extend battery life and make the device thinner/lighter at the same time.
Click to expand...

Why does it need to be thinner or lighter??? It is plenty thin and light as it is now when compared to a standard analog watch.

Also, adding in a GPS would consume more battery yes, but only if you use it. I am sure it could be toggled off. Personally, I don't find it difficult to charge the watch, so even if using GPS knocked the battery life down to a few hours, I would be fine with that. That would get me thru most of my runs, and then I would be fine with recharging the watch when I got back. I mean, mine recharges from 40% to 100% in about an hour.
 
Bob190 said:
Why does it need to be thinner or lighter??? It is plenty thin and light as it is now when compared to a standard analog watch.

Also, adding in a GPS would consume more battery yes, but only if you use it. I am sure it could be toggled off. Personally, I don't find it difficult to charge the watch, so even if using GPS knocked the battery life down to a few hours, I would be fine with that. That would get me thru most of my runs, and then I would be fine with recharging the watch when I got back. I mean, mine recharges from 40% to 100% in about an hour.
Click to expand...
You would be surprised by how many say the Apple Watch should be thinner and lighter even though the size is pretty much equal to the standard size for men's watches and lighter than most of those or within a gram or two. About the weight of a penny. :) Maybe they see some of the pictures in the show-off thread where the watches look really big on some people. In person it is much smaller. Yet, you will never win as there are too many wanting it bigger.

I would be shocked if GPS wasnt off by default and when you start a workout it would activate.
 
Bob190 said:
Why does it need to be thinner or lighter??? It is plenty thin and light as it is now when compared to a standard analog watch.

Also, adding in a GPS would consume more battery yes, but only if you use it. I am sure it could be toggled off. Personally, I don't find it difficult to charge the watch, so even if using GPS knocked the battery life down to a few hours, I would be fine with that. That would get me thru most of my runs, and then I would be fine with recharging the watch when I got back. I mean, mine recharges from 40% to 100% in about an hour.
Click to expand...

I am not saying that it needs to be thinner or lighter, all I am saying is that Apple probably wants to make it as thin and light as possible - just as every other device they produce. The same question is asked everytime an iPhone, iPad or MacBook is released and one year later they make it even thinner - that's just the way it goes. And to be honest I wouldn't mind the watch to be a bit thinner.
 
GPS is certainly a possibility, but I don't think apple will add LTE/Cellphone connectivity until later. Maybe I'm wrong though.... I do think the technology is available to do such a thing, I just don't think it's practical for a $350 device.
 
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