Roger Fingas
The next-generation Apple Watch could go into trial production with Quanta later this month, paving the way for a launch in the not-too-distant future, according to rumors.
In full-scale manufacturing Apple might also turn to some of its other partners to boost production capacity, Taiwan's Commercial Times said. These could include Foxconn, Inventec, and Wistron.
Trial production is deliberately small-scale, meant to iron out any problems. It's often an immediate harbinger of mass production, which in this case would suggest that Apple is hoping to launch the new Watch within just a few months.
In November, in fact, Quanta's chairman suggested that the product would launch by the end of the second quarter of 2016, putting its debut somewhere between April and June. An April launch might even be more likely, given rumors of a March press event for the device.
At the same time, very few rumors of planned upgrades have emerged, though leaks are less common when dealing with Apple's non-iPhone products. Some talk has pointed to things like a longer-lived battery and improved outdoor visibility.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
26 Comments
Do we know anything about the new watch? Is it going to be thinner? I assume they will work on battery life and display along with a faster chip.
I really like my Apple Watch. Wear and use it everyday. I use each and every one of of my many Apple products, but like everyone else on a budget, I need to be choosy about which items I acquire and use. My needs don't often change, and I had to think long and hard about AW, and I'm pleased.
But the prospect up upgrading to new models is harder. While I think the iPhone 6s is a great phone, and I'd like to upgrade from my iPhone 5s, I can't justify the cost just yet. At some point, the 5s will stop working, and I'll be forced to do so. Same is true of my AW. A nice complimentary bonus on going with AW was I got Apple Pay functions that I wouldn't have on the 5s.
What happens is that over several upgrade cycles, the increase in value becomes substantial. I have a 2013 MBA that is a great machine, and suits my needs quite well. And my 2009 27" iMac is the same way. But I can see me converging these products in the future - a laptop with a thunderbolt display will give me the best of both worlds perhaps at a less price than replacing both. But I'll need to be in a position of replacing both to pull that trigger.
tl;dr: I'll need to see extensive "must have" features on a new AW to upgrade.
If that Space Black SS with Space Black Milanese Loop is real, I'm all in at 42mm. That's just a gorgeous piece of hardware.