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Second-Generation Apple Watch Expected This Fall

Curious how many of the $12,000+ Apple Watch Edition owners will be upgrading, this fall?

I mean what Fashionista would want to be caught out with a double-thick, 1st generation Apple Watch?
 
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As someone who didn't jump on the Apple Watch bandwagon until the price of the Sport dropped to 249/299 at third party retailers, no way in H E Double Hockey Sticks am I dropping 400-700 bucks for an incremental update. My Space Black Sport is 40 and some change days shy of a year old, and it works just fine tracking my workouts, notifying me of texts and emails while I'm in a meeting and paying for gas and groceries when I leave the house without my wallet again.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the only times they have announced a product and then waited 4-6 months to actually release it is when it is a brand new product. Like the original iPhone, iPad, Watch etc. When it is just the next generation of an existing product (iPhone 3G, iPad 2, etc) then they usually go on sale a week or two after the announcement.

They announce the new ones further ahead in time because they need developers to be able to make new apps for them and have them in the app store before release, and they don't think developers will keep stuff secret.
 
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kilcher said:
"Unveil" doesn't tell us anything. They could unveil it in September and release it with the new iPhone or they could unveil it in September and release it several months later, which I'm pretty sure is what they did with the first gen.

I don't have one yet but the 2nd gen will be a day 1 purchase for me. Just want to know if I'm going to be waiting 2 months or 6. Either way I guess I won't know until September.
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Correct. Gen 1 was announced September 2014 and launched April 2015. With version 2, I could see it being announced along side the iPhone 7, maybe being released a month or so later, similar to how they introduced the 12.9 iPad Pro in September 2015, then Launching in November 2015.
 
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I've been ready for a wearable for about 6 months now but have held off, waiting for AW2 release. Biggest thing I'm holding out for is cellular independence. Battery life improvements would logically need to follow to power the extra antenna. Day one buyer if things look good.
 
maflynn said:
Of course because that's all Apple does now a days. I've not really noticed or cared about my apple watch's thickness, so I'd rather see better features
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Exactly. Maintaining current thickness is a feature I want from the next Apple Watch (or even the next 2). Use that space for GPS, Cellular, bigger battery, additional/improved sensors, etc....

I do think there is benefit to making it thinner, because I do occasionally have issues with some tight cuffs, but I think that should be a lower priority. Apple Watch 4 kind of thing.
 
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>> Apple Watch will see under-the-hood spec improvements and perhaps some minor form factor tweaks, but major changes to the device are not expected to be unveiled this year. <<

That's a serious bummer, I was looking forward to some serious updates / fixes / additions to v2 to jump on board. Normally you expect the Rev 1 version of Apple products to improve in a big way with Rev 2 (thinking fondly of iPad 2). If it comes out as a light refresh (v1b) that'll be a dissapointment...have to wait for Rev 3.
 
MrT8064 said:
Battery life is already 'All day' - unless Apple can get it up to two full days, I don't see the point. We'll still charge it up each night.
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Would actually be nice to go out of town for a week-end without bringing yet another charger!

That said, I had a watch a long time ago that would use kinetic energy to keep it's charge (which was very long in those days). Although, I also was single at the time... So I charged it a lot too... :-D
 
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I can see some significant upgrades to the Apple Watch processor, considering the current one uses something similar to an A5 on a 28nm process.

Moving to TSMC or Samsung at 14/16nm would be a significant jump (two generations of process) in terms of power consumption and compute power. This should improve battery life and allow the Watch to do more processing.
 
maflynn said:
I'm hoping for some more colorful sports bands. I don't know what the new watch will have over the current model
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I've ordered about 15 sport bands in different colors from an ebay seller. They are about 80 percent in quality compared to the apple version. They are 5 bucks each and work just fine. Give them a shot!
[doublepost=1469557072][/doublepost]The only improvement I think I need is speed, which will be addressed with the software update and for it to be a little thinner. If they could shave off 30-40 percent I would be very happy.
 
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MrT8064 said:
Battery life is already 'All day' - unless Apple can get it up to two full days, I don't see the point. We'll still charge it up each night.
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Except that it isn't 'All Day' battery life under heavy use. When I track my run with the Exercise app, I find that I then have to triage my Apple Watch usage for the rest of the day or I will completely run out of juice. On days I do not go for a run, I find I have battery life to spare (usually ending up with about 25-30%) when I place it on the charger on my bed stand. If Apple increases the battery life to, say, 24 hours instead of its current 18 hours, does it matter that you'll 'charge it up each night' anyway if it means that the new Apple Watch will truly be all-day even under heavy-use cases?
 
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citysnaps said:
DO NOT WANT cellular. Another monthly fee, more battery drain. Don't need it...
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Even if they do introduce cellular, it would most likely be a separate version and or optional. Seems drastic to only offer Watch models with Cellular only. And Watch 2 would need a more efficient processor with extended battery to support this.
 
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I will be a day one buyer! I LOVE my Apple Watch. Give it a little bit more freedom from the phone and if WatchOS 3 is all it is meant to be and I will be beyond happy.

With these delicious extras - curated watch face store and a dedicated Apple Music watch face!

As for bands they are so crazy cheap on eBay I have a desk drawer full of of different colours and types. If Ive changes the connecter THERE WILL BE BLOOD :p
 
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These Apple watch bands are just way to thick. Unacceptable Apple! We all know these are not Ive designed! Come on Cook, you know that if you drop 20% of the thickness of the band you can drop 20% of the manufacturing cost and raise the price 10% because of the innovation. Lets get with it Apple, daylight is burning.
 
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If the new Apple Watch is just spec upgrade and possibly an optional cellular radio, then it won't be the update that gets most Gen 1 users to upgrade. But it will get some who were considering getting an Apple Watch (but worried about an impending update) to take the plunge.

Some things Apple could add to the watch without changing the form factor are (these are not predictions):

Software "home" button with TouchID.
Better waterproofing.
Bluetooth Keyboard support (for setting up WiFi and other passwords without needing an iPhone.).
 
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